The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-09-20
BETTING on THEIR LIKEA

BETTING ON THEIR LIHE&
stvasyc Wager Made by 7sro Dyiss Csa.
sNsnptiVc GaMib.c ss.
That the ruling passion asserts itself
,ven in the face Of the grim destroyer Il
IN axiom as old as the hills. eIss truth
vas evidenced by an incident Which re-
gently occurred at the city and county
hospital and which was related to q
Chronicle reporter.
Some months ago two consumptives
IN the last stages of the disease lay on
. ,ts in close proximity to each other.
Both victims were sports, who by dis
,ipation had contracted pathisis in its ,
most aggravated form. One was known
As Bill Cunningham, o young gambler
who had enjoyed the reputation among
his class of being u reckless better on
The turn of a card. The other was an
English sailor named Staples, whose
sole passion was to wager whatever he
possessed in support of any opinion he
might express. The nature of the men.
in this particular at least, was identical,
and both recognized each other in o
sense as brothers in misfortune. As
they lay on their cots, haggard and
hollow-eyed and gasping for breath.
they daily wasted the remnant of their
vital forces in bantering one another
about their appearance.
II say, Staples" said Cunningham
one morning in a voice scarcely above q
hoarse whisper, you're looking blue.
Better brace mp, old man."
Staples, who really seemed to be a
dead man as he lay almost breathless
with his glazed eyes half open and
mouth widely distended, pulled him.
self together with an indignant jerk and
made a vuin attempt to raise himself
upon his arm.
Billy" said he, you're wrong. To
prove it I'll bet you a dollar, the size of
my pot, that I'll outlive ye."
I'LL see that bet" replied Billywitha
faint smile.
An attendant was chosen as stake
holder, and the money (all they pos
sesscd)' was placed in his hands. Then
began the struggle of these men to see
who could retain tho spark of life the
longer. At a distance of five feet. the
two dying men glanced at n another,
each eager to show the other that his
stock of vitality was the greater. Cum
ningham battled bravely, but he was
the first to show signs of weakening.
He finally resumed his old position, but
it could be seen that his respiratory
action was failing. Suddenly lie gave
one great gasp, and with that sign the
spark of his life, permaturely cut off,
was extinguished.
"I've o the bet" said Staples, as
he took the stake money with o gratiied
smile.
Cunningham's body was at once re-
moved to the hospital morgue. The at
tendant had followed the cortege to tho
door and returned Immediately to
Staples cot. Scarcely five minutes had
passed since Cunningham had expired,
but when the attendant glanced ut
Staples he saw that he, too, was dead.
The last pot which he had raked in was
clasped in his right hand. The grip was
vise-like, and an instrument was M
ployed TO remove the silver from the
stiffened, unwilling fingers of the corpse.
-SaW Francisco Chronicle.
DESCENT INTO THE GRAND CANTON
II went to the bottom of the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado last winter"
said W. T. Hart, "and am one of Hhe
few men who ever attempted the de.
scent. 1 went there to examine o mine
said to exist in the bottom of the can
yon. L have been all through the
Rockies, from Montana to Central
America and know what q chasm is, but
the sight of that abyss took my breath
away. From the top to the bottom it is
full 5000 feet. Over q mile below you
can see the river tearing through the
gorge, but not a sound can be heard, it
is SO for away. From one bank to the
other it is, apparently not wei a quarter
Of q mile, but, as q matter of fact, it is
fully nineteen miles. Myguide told me
I would never be able to reach the bot
tom, but I was determined to go, and I
went. 1t was q terrible climb, and it
took us eight hours to reach the bottom.
1t is certainly the most desolate place in
the world. There is not q living thing
down there-no insects, reptiles or ami
mails of any kind. Everything is abso-
lntely dead. The mining prospect was
worthless. Before the sun was ND next
morning We were on our way out, and
it took us until 10 o'clock that night to
climb the wall of the canyon.-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.
THE DEMOCRATIC TRAM
1t was during the last campaign. One
of the ornate bores who take sstraw
votes" had been pursuing his nefarious
calling on o railway train and had
reached the last man. sWl.o will you
vote for for presidents"
"The regular dimmycratio nominee"