The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-02

started him to the west, walked to the guards
and blew out his brains, and for awhile heavy
betting was prohibited on that boat.
A story is told of brace of the new school
of gamblers who picked up an Arkansas
man who had travelled before the war; but
now looked innocent enough for their pur-
poses. The one who played the ignorant
countryman carelessly sauntered up and
stood where he could see the Arkansas
planters cards; with his hand resting on the
table and moving about in imitation of a
restless countryman, he extended after each
deal as many fingers as the planter had
trumps His confederate on the other side
of the table had, therefore, tolerably sure
thing. But "Arkansaw" knew a thing or
two himself. Having noticed the trick, and
holding at one deal three trumps, the three
fingers lying straight out on the table at once,
he suddenly drew his bowie knife, and with
a vigorous slash amputated good sized sec
ton of said fingers, complacently remark
ing as the victim howled with rage and ag-
ony, "Pardner, it's - lucky for you that
I had but three trumps; you've got one good
finger yit!'
Well bred, often well educated, fascinating
young gentlemen were many Of the sports"
of the olden time, but ''little difficulties" oc-
CURED sometimes, and blood was shed, but
yer rarely after all, considering the number
engaged The war ended that class. The
young men who might have been betting
bales Of cotton or even ''niggers" are now too
busy making the cotton or devising new
methods OF getting along with free negroes.
OF course the gentlemen Of that era did not
play merely for money, though large sums
often passed even among them. Not few
enormous sums were gathered in by the profes-
sionels. One who was Familiarity known as
Colonel Buclsn is said TO have gathered in
100000 in q few years run between Mem
Dhis and New Orleans. Popular talk exag-
frerates in all such cases, but Colonel visit
ed bis old home, bought nice farm for his
aged parents and announced his intention to
settle down in Texas. 1t may have been
only q coincidence-people divided on it
but the young and handsome wife Of a neigh
Dor disappeared just before Colonel" left,
and n few years later the rumor came to
their childhood's home in Indiana that they
had been murdered for their money near
Palestine, Tex Perhaps true-lkely not
for in those days when man ceased writing
home from Texas It was taken for granted
that he wos killed
What western boy of 1855 has not had
his nerves thrilled or heart chilled by hear
ing the old boatmen talk of the great ''hang-
ing at Vicksburg" 1t is historically impor-
tant il the social life of the west, for it
decided once for all that gamblers were not
IL interfere with people who did not consort
with them, ana That their power In pontlcs
was TO be strictly limited 1t was early in
the steamboat era that the indignant citizens
Of that place rose suddenly, hanged the most
guilty and ran the others off, organizing
what was facetiously called court of un-
common pleas" The boatmen then in the
town dt was not yet city, told with extra
horror of very large and fine looking
"sportn who was hanged on a fig tree in
front of hotel, and whose body long re-
manned there because his friends, if he had
any, were afraid to show themselves. But
then, and long afterwards, gambling halls,
where roulette, faro, cards and chnckaluck
were the regular thing, were open in every
oitT on the river and ACCOUNTED almost as