Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-01-03

High Play and "A Duel Cure the Passion
for the Great Americ IN Game.

for the Great Anne ric IN Game.
They were speaking of poker playing
at the Chicago Club the other night,
says the Mail of that city, and some
pretty tall romancing about big hands
and queer experiences had been told. a
man from Louisville, who, of course,
was called "Colonel," had listened in
silence.
i've nevah played any pokah, gentle
men, since befo' the wah, " he began
81 used to he, | recB IN, one of the most
incorrigible po' ah playahs in the South.
But l could afford it then, and every
body played | was a young fellow of
twenty-fo' OF twenty five, owned one of
the finest plantations in Kentucky, and
had partnership in tobacco ware
houses in Cincinnati and New Otleans.
I've lost 'em ALL or most all, since-losb
all my property, in fact, with the cause.
But at that time, the fall of SO or the
spring of 80 | was about as we'll fixed
as any young man in the South.
My business used to take me a great
deal to Cincin All and New Orleans, as
you may auppose, and l always went
by boat. There were some great vessels
on the river then, too-the old NatcheZ,
the Robert E. Lee, the Pensacola, and the
old Hayes. They We're floating palaces,
and the biggest games of pokah l evah
sat in or evah expect to see were played
in t. smoking rooms and saloons of
those boats. There was regular run of
professional gamblers up and down the
river, but they were gentlemen, gem
orally squah, as quick to defend their
honah as any gentleman, and generally
friends of the captains, who, they say,
stood in with their winnings.
at was early in the fall of '5S, I be-
lieve, that l left Cincinnati on one of
the down river fliers at 3 one afternoon.
There was good passenger list and con-
siderable merchandise aboard. Among
the merchandise had about twenty as
likely mules as evah was foaled that l
was going to carry to New Orleans an
sell. Among the passengers was an old
gentleman from Vahginny with his
daughter, mighty fine lool1in' girl of
twenty and her mud, likely looking
quadroon girl about the same age. l
noticed 'em that night an the next day,
ION lIleIe WASH an game I'LL uile loiho
sort of got acquainted along down about
Cairo. The young lady was mighty
fond of that niger girl and the maid
was mighty devoted to her.
The night after we left Cairo some
body proposed a little game, an l an
the old man from Vahginny, who was d
rich tobacco planter, as l found out,
agreed to sit in. The other members Of
the party were one of the regular gam
blers, fellow known as Colonel Som
ers, an niger trader from down river
5omewhars. | had about s., 900 on me,
an played with variable luck for an
hour OF so, till presently along come a
jack pot an broke me-
"Colonel Somers won it, an he pinched
the old man pretty hard, too | was a
goin' to quit, but he said: Stay in, sah
Yo' credit is good with me foh the value
of that 20 head of mules on the lowah
deck An 1 stayed. My luck didn't
turn, though, an by 2 o'clock I Ihad lost
every one of those mules. sat out an
watched the game. Presently the Mig
ger trader begin to play some pretty hard
kyards an was gettin' into Somers's roll
right smart. 1t run along that way
awhile, an, his luck leavin' him, he
laid back an played 'em close, about
So 900 ahead of the game.
"The ole man from Vahginny had been
losin steadily an seemed all of a sud-
den to get sort of desperate. He says:
Gentlemen, I'm $4,000 into this game;
l have no mo- money. but I have a
mighty likely niggah gal aboard that Pll
put up at $1,000 foh a few moh jack
pots.
"They both consented, and the play
got pretty hot. 1t was mighty mean of
the ole man, l thought, bettin' his
daughters own maid, but he was born
gambler an had that fah in him that
makes man let go of his ovahcoat.
at was 8 in the morning when that
game broke up an the old man didn't
have cent The nigger tradah had
been cashin' his papah an had made
good to Somers. We went on deck, the
ole man an feelin pretty blue, he es-
pecially bein' all gone to pieces. 4 doan
u.s.. = ,.,t e.. r.. 80. .t.uney il New
Orleans, in. ,aaf i,p'g h,ah. an that
nig.;uh tr..,j I -et5 off AT }irnp is, I'll
h.ryr to 81 him tie we ch, recNon,
!ntl iCil Lrp;t,i Geor5ia's cart to part
W Ia ltes.'
Sure 'n,l@'l, at Memphis the trailer
av fu, 5c.ne. The ole nl,n . e dn,t with
hm to Nee the girl Li.""h H.! i.e could
raise the money AN come back, an even