The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-04
WON ON A COLD BLUFF.
Some Big Games OF Fokor Played
Recently at Cape May.
7HIRTY-TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS
swoopcd in by II Gothamite on Trcys.
Nelson's Hint About Crooked Play
ing.-.A Game that Excited All tho
Sports ut tho Sen Shore.

CAPE Nay Correspondence 81. LouiJ Globe. Democrat.
"Bcto' the wah" the West Jersey rail-
road extended only from Camden to
GIasboro, and the remaining sixty miles
to tho sea at Cape May were necessarily
travcrsed in numbering stages or by pri-
vate convoyances. But to the sporting
public Cape May, with her antique and
romantic history, tho Oldest and most
famous oil American watering places,
next to Newport and Nahant, possessed
more charms than the more populous
summer resorts.
There were two gambling houses ut
the Cape, both known to lame. One
was Il large threc.story double frame
house near the Stockton house, built by
MIR. Lchr, once famous rs u negro mill
strcl. Here, with negro servants and 4
bullet supplied with the rarest OF for
eign wines and liquors, the sporty
boys" from baltimore and Washington
and from New York city spent July and
August, and most OF them lived by
short cards"
John G. w. Ware, the Oldest alder
man on Cape Island, tells 4 good poker
story, the hero OF which was "Bob"
Nelson, II kcntuckian, and relative OF
the notorious Bully" Nelson, an officer
in the Union army. Bob Nelson had
driven y pair OF dappled grays over
from Baltimore to the Cape, and was
rejoicing in his summerdolce farniente
Strolllng over after dinner at the old
Congress hall, he was asked to take n
hand with four strangers at Lehr's
sanblin. house in game OF stud
poker. This game hits 4 genuine Ken
tuckian where he lives" and the very
name OF tho game recalled to sporting
Bob Nelson the pleasures OF the blue
grass country ut home. Nelson had
pockctiul OF 500 bills, and being "fulr'
himself with the divine air OF the
beautiful summer night did not Mt first
perceive that his partners in the game
were on very intimate terms with each
other and never lacked ior the right
card with which TO gather in his ducats.
Bob lost steadily until midnight, but rs
he sobcred up the exact charactcrof the
situation dawncd on his mind. He
gathered together all tho stake" he
had remaining from one or more pocG-
etbooks, spread the 500 bills out in q
pile before him The had 5000 in ALL,
smoo!hcd down the package OF bills rs
though he loved the bank notes, and
then slowly pulled out q huge navy re-
roiver, and, laying it on the pile oil
greenbacks, said:
Il haven't the least doubt that this is
4 gent!emcn's game, bu. ! don't want
this money to blow away"
The hint was sufficient. After that,
in sight OF the cold iron," it became a
thorough ''gentlemanly" game, and Bob
Nelson succeeded not only in winning
all his money back, but, by daylight,
quit winner oyerSl 900.
Bob Nelson says now that he has
never played with strangers since ct 4
summer watering place withou; six
shootes, rs it materially assists in
securing 4 square game.
One day this week 4 carpentc:, while
repairing the bath house adjacent to
the lawn OF the new Congress hall (the
old frame building with its romantic
history, where Henry Clay and Reverdy
johnson used to spend the month OF
August, having been long ago burned to
the ground), found a stack" OF blue
chips wrapped up in the faro layout
in 4 pair OF fsherman's oil-skin panta-
looms. 1t took the Oldest inhabitant on
the island 10 tell the nature OF this
strange find" The blue chips and
green baize was all that was lett OF the
famous "Blue Pig" neat little two
story cottage erected at the northeast
corner OF Congress hall lawn. 1t was
built and named the "Bluc Pig" by
Harry Cleveland, n most famous gam
bier in the days OF Pettibone, Joe Hall,
Ned Pendlcton and Cool Martin. Moth
ing but solid silver was tolerated BY
Harry Cleveland, and the walters always
wore swallow-tailed coats at dinner,
and no pleban could enter the sacred
portals OF the "Blue Pig" because chips
oil smaller denomination than s. were
not tolerated
Congressman, senators, cotton plant
ers and New York bankers much al
iccted the "Blue Pig" No higher play
was ever seen anywhere at the sea-
shore than that which nightly occurred
at Harry Clcveland's, where the gam
blers listened to what the wild waves
were saying while they played poker
dcvourcd yellow-leg ployer or listened
to the music OF the roulette wheel.
Cnhpt.Inr Iolcn,, u-nll l-,N,,.,,
York gambler, who ior years ran
game in Fulton street in the metropo-
lis, was q frequent visitor at the Cape
and a patron OF the "Bluc Pig" 1t was
an ideal gamblers haven, with none to
modest or make afraid.
Among the many casual visitors to
the island was that arbitcr OF elegance
among the sporting men OF New York
city, Major Crump, OF the Shakespeare
club, who has had nearly fifty years
experience on the turf. Yesterday the
major, who ii q guest at the "Chaionte,"
in this city, in giving some interesting
recol!ections OF the "Blue Pig" said:
at was in 1855, the year Buchanan
was elected President, ! spent my DAYS
at Congress hall during midsummer and
my nights at the Blue Pig. Never have
l seen such elegance and such cuisine
elsewhere as Cleveand's cook put be-
fore his guests. Harry was absolutely
rolling in wealth, and July and August
at the shore was his time'to play the
maturcd magnilico, and you may be sure
he did it with royalty lavish hand. l
saw the biggest game OF poker at the
Blue Pig in SO that ever saw in my life.
There were five at the table-ClevelanG,
Schuyler, Halscy and his friend lone OF
the Philadelphia Whitneys) and two
Southern planters.
"Tho not vas openel with s. antn