The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-05
WON $50, 1000 ON a BLUFF.
Big Games Of Poker ct Cape Ney in
the Ante Bellum Gays
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat.

FTODl the 81 LOUIS CsoOt democrat.
CAPE MAY, N. j., Aug. 20.-"Befo' the
wah" the West Jersey railroad extended
only from Camden to Glassboro, and the
remaining sixty miles TO the sea at Cape
May were, necessarily, traVersed in lumber
ing stages or BY private conveyance. But
TO the sporting public Cape May. with her
ANTIQUE and romantic history, the oldest
and most famous Of American watering
places next 70 Newport and Nahane pos
sessed more charms than the more populsus
summer resorts.
There were two gambling houses at the
Cape both known to fame. One was a
large three-story double frame house near
the Stockton house, built by Mr.. Lehr, once
famous Is a negro minstrel Here. with
negro servants and buffet supplied with
the rarest of foreign wines and liquors, the
'sporty bows from Baltimore and Wash
ington and from New York city spent July
and August, and most OF them lived by
''short cards"
John G. w. Ware, the oldest alderman on
Cape Island, tells a good POKER story, the
hero of of which was Bob Nelson, a Ken
tuckian and a relative of the notorious
Bully Nelson, an officer in tie union
ermy Bob Nelson had driven pair of
dappled grays over from Baltimore to the
Cape, aud was rejoicing in his summer
dolce far niente. Stroling over after din
ner at the old Congress hall he was asked
to take hand with four strangers Mt Iehr's
rambling house In game Of stud poker.
This game hits O genuine kentuckian
where he lives" and the very name of the
game recalled TO sporting Bob Nell
son the pleasures of the blue grass
country at home. Nelson had a pocketful
Of 800 bills, and being "fill' himself with
the divine air of the beautiful summer
~
partners in the game were on very inti-
mate terms with each Other, and never
Locked for the right card with which to
gather in his dacats. Bob lost heavily
until midnight. but as he sobered I'D the
exact character OF the situation dawned OF
his mind. lie gathered together all the
stake" be had PERTAINING from one or more
pocketbooks, spread the 500 bills oft in n
pile before him lthe had So, 900 IA ALL
smoothed down the package Of bills as
though be loved the bank notes. aud then
slowly pulled out huge navy revolver.
and, laying it on the pile OF greenbacks,
said: - 'tF~ i- sea
81 haven't the least doubt that this is a
gentleman's game, but don't want this
money to blow away"
The hint was sufficient. After that. in
sight of the ''oold iron,' it became a
thorough 'gentlemanly" game, aud Bob
Nelson succeeded not only in winning all his
money back. but by daylight quit winner
over 81 600. 1or srr .t I- .
Bob Nelson says now that he has never
played with strangers since at summer
watering place without a six-shooterI as
it materially assists in securing a, square
game. va xuiVst r. : So ont
One day this week O carpenter, while re-
pairing the lighthouses adjace1tto thelawn
OF the new congress Hall 0he Old frame
building with lis romantic hissoryS where
Henry Clay and .Raverdy Johnson used to
spend the moHth Of, August, having been
long ago burned to the ground, found
stack" of blue Chips wrapped up in a
pair OF flsherHR ma oti-skin pantslo9na 1t
took the Oldest iphabltant on the island to
tell the nature Of, this strange "6nd.n The
blue chips and the green baize was all that
was left of the famous 'Blue Pig,h q. neat
little two-story, cottage erected at the nsrth-
east corner OF Congress hall lawn. 1t 'was
built and named the ''Blue Pig" by Harry
Cleveland, most famous gambler in the
days of Pettibone, Joe Hall, Ned
| Pendleton aud Cool Martin. Nothing but
| SOLID silver was tolerated by Harry
| Cleveland, and the walters always wore
swailow-tafl GOATS at dinner. aud no pIe-
beian could enter the s3cred portals OF the
blue Pig" because chips of a smaller de-
nomination than IS were not tolerated.
| Congressman, senators, cotton planters and
| New York bankers much affected the FBlue
Pig" No higher play was seen anywhere
| at the seeshore Than that which occurred at
| Harry Clevelandls, where the gamblers
listened to whatFtfie wild waves were say
ing while they played poker, deKoared yell
| low-leg plover, or listened TO the music Of
the roulette wheel Schuyler Hhlsey, q
well-known New York gambler, who for
years ran a game IN Fulton street In the
| metropolis, wGH a frequent visitor at the
Cape and patron al the bite Pig 1t
was an ideal gambler haven, with none to
modest or make, afraid, 1oifa9iIav 2
Among the maHy casual visitors To- the
| island was that arbitsr OF elegance tanning
| the sporting men OF New York eIy,is Mai
| Crump, of the. tShakespeare club, who has
| had nearly fifty year. expefishee on the
turf. Yesterday The major, who is @. guest
at the "ChalfopLe" in this city, in. giving
some interesting, recoliecsions OF the {;Blue
Pig" said: 49, SO, -.
ut was in 1856, the year Buchanan was
elected President, spent my days at Con-
gress Hall during the midsummer, and my
nights at the Blue Pig. Never have Iseen
such elegance aud such cuisine elsewhere as
Cleveland's cook put before his guests
Harry was absolutely rolling in wealth, and
July and August at the shore vas his tim Q
to play the matured magnifoo, and you
may be sure he did it with royalty lavish
hand. saw the biggest game OF poker at
the Blue Pig In f15I that | ever saw in my
life. There were Ave at the table-Cleve-
land himself, Schuyler Halsey ana his
friend lone Of the Philadelphia Whitneys),
and two southern planters. .r.vr1Alg
The pot was opened with IS anita and
oil the five came Ia. Cleveland 'straddled
the bin with $40, and still all the other
four stayed Thoaraw was dealt Welt
ney only drew a pair OF jacks aud went out,
as did one of the planters, who drew moth
Ing better than ace high' The second
planter soon followed suit, although he mad
four fours in his hand. This left only
Cleveland and Halsey in tae game. and
each, with check-bcok in hand eagerly
scanning the pot saw each other
and went many thousands better. The
game soon grew intensely exciting. not
only to the two players, bit also TO the on-
lockers, and it was plain as pikestah that
one of the two would go broke at the end
OF that game. Cleveland looked confident
but not less 50 than Halsey, who finally, in
response to a $500 raise of Cieveland's, nom
chalantly tossed upon the table a check for
$4,000. After a moments delay Cleveland
saw it and raised Halsey $1,000, but the
suave New York gambler smilingly went
Cleveland $4,000 better, and his~face was q
study for q sphinx. Cleveland could not
stand the pressure and angrlly threw down
the cards, while Schuyler HGlsey, his face
cold as ice, but white as sheet, reached
out aud scooped in the Jackpot, which, in
cash and checks, amounted to just S32, 000
In the excitement Of the moment, as he
drew the pot toward him, Halsey's cards
fell face up on the table Cleveland sprang
to his feet (he was @ feet inches in hight