The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-02
AN ISLAND IN A JACKPOT.
How King Melietoa Called a Yankee
With Fart OF Ills Kingdom.

II
pot. For several years Malieton, the king,
had heard frequent account from visitors to
the island of fascinating game in which
Kalakaua, the King of Hawaii, fire.
quently INDUCED. Now, all the
Samoans entertain strong feel
ings of admiration for the neighboring gov
ernment of the Sandwich Islands Malietoa
| looked upon Kalakaua as q ruler who might
| well be taken as a model. and he therefore
decided that until he had learned to play
poker he was not fully competent to govern
Samoa. He therefore made stern resolu
ton to take the thirty-second degree in the
mysteries OF the game, even If he had to
squander every cent in the royal treasury.
amounting to $40, in addition to his private
treasures, including naval officers worn
out coat with three large brass buttons, q
| secondhand Snlder rife, brought from
Auckland, New Zealand, several years be-
fore, and pair Of discarded gum boots
presented to him by the captain OF mer-
chant vessel.
The kings opportunity came soon after
an American man-of-war sailed into the
harbor of Apia one day. Among the
officers was paymaster, q lieutenant and
an assistant engineer, who had taken their
first lessons in poker at Annapolis, and had
been steadily growing in proficiency ever
since. Among the white residents Of Apia
was trader who had mastered the first five
points OF the game, after the expenditure Of
many dollars, and who was known to play
a pretty strong hand.
One day the officers and the trader re-
ceived an invitation from Malietoa to join
him that evening in a game of cards at the
house Of a European who lived near the
beach. When night came the king and his
guests MET at the house in question, and his
majesty expressed his desire to learn poker.
He was coached during the evening alter
nately by one of the officers or trader, and
after five or six hours felt confidence enough
in himself to play his hand unassisted. The
limit had been low and the play small, out
of regard for his majesty's ignorance of
the game, but as he began to comprehend
its general features and its opportunities he
became more interested and excited, until
he insisted and at last commanded that the
limit should be taken OFF.
1t was O'Clock In the morning, the king
having insisted that the game should 60 on,
and the largest jack pot of the night was on
the table. Several hands had been dealt
around without any one having expressed
| his ability to open the pot, when the king,
with look of surprise aud smile Of pleas
| ure and triumph combined, announced with
an expression Of glos that he would open IL
| 500 worth, for through courtesy the royal
player had been allowed to win quite pile
| of silver.
| hFcFy OllO bJayeu. 4DS p6yLla6J0E QEoW
| three cards, the lieutenant the same num-
Der, the assistant engineer took two, and
| the trader one. The king stood pat and put
| $40 more into the pot The paymaster saw
him aud raised him $25. The others ell
stayed. The paymaster threw in s25 more
and his majesty was right there. Finding
that things were getting too warm, the
other officers and the trader dropped out.
| The paymaster put down the cigar he had
| bean gfn0kin0 SKinuad hia hand ovar and
showed $50 to tho middle of the table The
king put up the equivalent in Chilean silver
dollars. the currency Of the islands, and
drawing q small canvas saok from his
pocket emptied its contents before him and
excitedly placed in the pot the funds of the
royal treasury of Samoa, amounting TO $40,
in silver dollars, halves aud quarters.
The paymaster's face grew serious aud he
looked at his royal opponsnt in hesitating,
puzzled sort of q way. Could this be Sa-
moan All Sin he had run against, he pom
dered. Had this kingly, copper-colored
son Of gun learned the art of poker from
visiting traders years before, and had he
been playing 'possum all the evening? The
| officer had six or seven months pay in his
pocket and he decided t. venture some of it
for the purpose of finding OUT. After few
moments Of INDIGESTION he drew S579 In gold
from his pocket aud added to the pot, which
now covered tho tabls
Malietoa gave gasp and called for a
bowl of kava to nerve himself for what
was to follow. The other officers and
the trader looked ON silently and breath
lessly.
Malietoa announced himself as being out
of funds and requested the paymaster to
take his word for $500. The officer smiled,
but made no reply, and continued 70 lock
fixedly at the pot
Then the excited monarch offered to put
up the Island Manono one of the finest In
the Samoan group, against the $500. The
paymaster consented. and transfer deed
of the property, duly signed, attestsd by
the trader, who was a notary public, and
witnessed by the other two officer, was PM
in the pot. Then the king called the pay
| master.
The moment Of supreme excitement ar
rived. Slowly the paymaster laid down
four aces and five spot.
With lock OF horror and a Samoan
wall of despair his majesty exposed to view
three kings, an eight spot, and deuce.
Then he fell off his chair in faint the ex-
cltement having been too much for his
nerves. Attendants were summoned and
he was removed to his own house.
The paymaster shoyeled his money into q
sack and placed it in the traders office safe.
The deed for the island he put in an inside
pocket, and with his brother officers went
to one of the hotels and passed the night
there.
By 8 o'clock of the following morning the
details Of the big poker game were known
to every one in Apia. The German and
English consuls sent official communica-
tions to the American consul, protesting tn
the most emphatic terms against the action
of the king in disposing OF the island OF
Manono to al American or any one else,
and warning the consul that, unless the
paymaster returned the deed for the island
TO the king at once, they would imme-
diately direct the attention of their re-
spective governments to the case.
Here was pretty state OF affairs. The
officer had no doubt won the islands fairly
and the kings action was binding, but in
the tension in which Samoan affairs were al
that time the German and English govern
ments would only too willingly have taken
advantage of the circumstances as an ex.
cuse for International complications, end
ing ultimately In a disastrous way to
American interests
The facts were fully explained to the pay
master, and on the promise Of Mahetoa
that he would give the officer q number OF
hne mats and other Samoan articles O.
value, the deed was returned to the king
and destroyed. BY mutual consent of the
consuls and others the affair was hushed
up Ia every way and never referred to. and
thus allowed to die out.
Malietoa took an oath thai be would
/ nAvnr arafH alas yaakar ri 10 49, \