The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-15
Special Correspondence. ]

Especial Correspondencel
WASHINGTON, June 2.-When one canno
do anything else in Washington he ma,
sit down and gossip. 1t Is a great place foI
gossip. There is gossip on the street carr
and in the herdics, in hotel corridors. il
the lobbies of congress, on street corner,
and in the drinking saloons Of late
have heard good deal of talk about tn,
morality, or the lack of it, of distinguished
statesmen. In Washington the gambling
laws are pretty well enforced, so far as the
public houses are concerned: but over il
Virginia they are not so particular. Last
Sunday resort on the Potomac river
across from the capital was invaded by
the sheriff of the Virginia county and
broken up. l am told that six members OF
congress were in the delectable party, sit.
ting about the green covered tables betting
their money on favorite cards A number
OF these unfortunate gentlemen were SC
eager to conceal themselves from the yul-
gar gaze in that trying moment that they
lied to the woods and thus missed the boat
which brought the other votaries of fort
une back to the city. The result of this
was that the aforesaid statesmen had to
walk DO town across muddy fields and after
nightfalL It would be cruel to give their
names.
Only few days ago a policeman of the
capital city was hauled up by his superior
officers for some neglect of duty The
mans excuse was that on the occasion of
his dereliction he had been busy taking
care of an intoxicated senator Of the United
States, who had wandered into forbidden
fields with a large sum of money on his
person and an overwhelming confidence in
his ability to take care Of himself and his
property. Such incidents are by no means
uncommon in the police annals of Wash
ingtOn, anu / have heard it said by peopIe
who pretended to know that fully one
third of the senators and members of con-
gress lead here in Washington a sort of
double life. These are things which self
respecting newspaper men do not bother
themselves TO inquire into, but cannot
believe that the proportion is as large as
THAT. In the Capitol one may any day see
tlrcumstantial evidence that certain sena-
tors and representatives are reckless of the
sort of company they keep, but / am op-
posed to cOndemning 50 large a proportion
of the statesmen as one-thiTd on the I'M
pleasant indications to be seen in a few in
ttvidual cases.
1t was one of these suspected senator's
who said to me the other day: This is a
queer sort Of Life. You know how the yvo-
men lobbyists and schemers and claim
agents and adyenturesscs crowd around a
senator. They take advantage of the Cd
portunities which are given them by Gus
tom, and boldly send their cards to US at
the senate chamber or at our hotels or resi-
aences. They seek in every possible way to
captivate US - to compromise us. Now.
my wife IS one Of the best Of living women.
out at the same time she is inordinatelv
Suspicious and jealous. A dozen times
month she sees or hears something which
makes her uncomfortable and perhaps. IN
happy. She admits that it is foolishness.
but IN such matters it seems women, or al
least. 3 -IGa }arity Of women, cannot help
thinking along lines which their Judgment
condemns as absurd and ridiculous. Well,
1t may seem to you like a laughable mat
ter, but to me it Is "A tragedy. | am actU-
ally going out of public life for the simple
reason that | do not care TO be annoyed by
these bold women, or to have my wife made
miserable by them and by her imagination
concerning them
The senator spoke as if in dead earnest,
as [ believe he was 1t would be very
wrong to print his name, but l can assure
the reader that he gave voice to one of the
most common complaints which public
men make OF the perplexitieS of their sta
tion. | know one congressman who will
nOs respond to q card sent him by a lady
unless he knows her, or she is vouched for
ysoIae one he does know. Another con-
gressman of my acquaintance always asks |
the messenger or page who carries the /
card if the lady is young and handsome, |
and II she is he refuses to go out to see !
her.
There is very little public gambling in |
Washington, and a great deal Of private |
poker playing. In most of the clubs poker |
is permitted, and every night during the .
winter season there are hundreds and hun /
dreds of quiet little games going on in |
hotels, boarding houses and private homes. |
There is game known as the senatorial |
game, in which the limit is usually |
$40, and in which the western style of |
playing is in vogue. The dealer ''antes"
s., the next man to bis left holds the "age"
and If no one opens the pot till it comes
round to the dealer he may do so, and then
all the Others may stay or raise, or pass out,
as they see At. In this game blazers" are
face or court cards-to beat two
pairs, and "straights around the corner"
are permissible. That is, a queen, king,
ace, deuce and tray make a sequence, the
three spot being the highest card and fix
ing the value Of the straight against
another sequence. These senatorial play
ers also deal six carols to each player, the
Obje,t being TO enlivcn the game by calling
out a greater number of betting hands than
in five card poker While six cards are
lealt, Of course the draw is made to five
ards, as in all games of poker. If player
stands pat ne simply discaris one card.
1t was in this game that the remarkable
Incident occurred few weeks ago of
senator from Pennsylvania holding a
ItraigEt flush over four aces in the hands
# q senator from the west. In the mind
# the average newspaper reader there is
general disCruSt of poker stories, and
most OF the Gard tales sent out from Wash
ngton, particularly those describing high
'ettinG and public gambling, are the prod
let Of soma ones lively imagination But
happen 10 know that this particular
'oker story IS true one, and certain ex-
enatcr Of the United States was the dealer
f the remarkable hands. This ex-senator
5 one of President Hsrrison's warmest
riends. They W'ere cronics in the senate
nd have continued their intimacy ever
ince. The sequel Of that poker story re-
Mains to be told. When President Har-
isou saw the published account of the re
larkable game in which the rare and
esutiful straight flush had vancuished a
lvely quartet of aces he sent for his
lend the ex-senator and read him a lee
IRE about yard long, all Of which the
fender accepted with becoming humility
nd Contrition, and then turned round
at very night and won etSQ iron one Of