Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-02-08
BIG POKER AT LAKE TAHOE.
Lucky Baldwin Said to Have Won JACK
Pot Worth 100000.
81. Louis Republican.

1 at Lake IanOe last Sulhlhci
Charles Clayton, Horace Smith, Martin
Davids, and George Baldwin, four ex-
ceedingly wealthy men. Clayton Is
cattleman whose possessions in Butte
comfy are estimated to be worth up
ward of 50, 900, 900; Smith owns mines
| in Placer county that are putting thou
sands of dollars into his pocket daily;
Dayids owns ranches and lands in Mon
terey county the worth OF $1,000, 600;
George Baldwin is the owner OF last
horses, valuable lands, and proprietor
of the Baldwin Hotel, San Francisco.
He has been heard of frequently
through public print as Lucky" Bald
win.
Lake Tahoe is a famous summer re-
sort, and is frequented during the hot
months by the wealthieSt people in the
upper half of the State. On Castle
Rock, a rugged island in the midst OF
Lake Tahoe, Gerge Baldwin has built
summer residence where he entertalnS
his friends royalty, and report has 1t
that many thousands of dollars have
been lost and won with cards within the
walls of Castle House. as the Baldwin
establishment is called. 1t was at this
house that the great game above re-
ferred to took place. 1t was great not
through the clevernesS in force during
the play, but in the enormlty OF
the stakes. which were over $500
900. The men had Toasted, wlned
and dined and gained for week.
The evening before the party was to
0isperse Davids. who sat in the sumptu-
Gus dining room, tilted back against the
wall. enjoying an after-dinner cigar,
rather carelessly suggested that they
close the night and the season with
great game of draw poker. The sug-
restion seemed TO please the other mem
bers of the party, and Clayton, the cat
tleman. asked how he would have 1t
played.
Il would have no money bet, said
! DayidS. The stakes should be real or
personal property, and there should be
no limit to the stakes. I've been play
ing in pretty hard luck the past week;
I've lost all my ready cash, and ! feel
| like making an effort to get even or lose
great deal more"
The idea suits me" said Baldwin.
4 am in favor of giving DavidS
chance TO get even if he wants it..
Smith, the Placer county miner,
thought the idea novel one, and was
anxious to get into the game right
away.
My idea said Davids, lis to play
the game until jack pot is made, and
the winning Of the pot shall end the
game"
To this the others agreed, and they
decided that the game should be begun
at 10 o'clock, and at that hour the four
men. with a dozen spectators about
them, seated themselves at the table.
and the deal fell to Clayton.
The game was an interesting one, and
the stakes lost and won up to 3 o'clock
in the morning gave neither man great
advantage. 4 few minutes past 3
Io'clock Smith dealt a set of weak hands,
and a lack pot was made. 1t was made
Inn of slips of paper torn from notebooks,
on which was written the amounts OF
the bet. Clayton had bet nine head OF
Jersey COWS: Davids'S bet was four acres
of tillable land two miles from Monte
rev: Baldwin'S bet was lot in the town
of San Rafael, and Smith had bet two
shares of stock in the Sulphur Gulch
mine These bets represented cash
value of about 81, 500.
Davids sat at the left of Smith. who
passed the cards to him. 81 think,
said he, that the SQuareSt way to play
this out will be to choose some one
who has no financial interest in the
game TO deal the cards, and there can be
mo suspicion of trickery,'
This suggestion pleased the other
players, and they selected George HAY
ward. a San Francisco merchant, to act
as dealer.
The cards were thrown around, but
nobody caught openers" and the pot
was .fattened" with more cows,
town lots, acres and mining stock:
Twenty times the cards were dealt and
twenty times the jack pot ''fattened' Tor
the cards failed to combine, and the
spectators had got off their chairs and
were watching the game with deep
interest. for there was now repre-
sentation of $50. 600 on the table. AT last
the cards "bunched" and Clayton open
ed the pot with a bet Of 300 head OF
cattle. This bet was equal TO $4,000,
but he knew that he was playing with
gamey men, and he had no fear that they
would draw out, nor was he dlSap-
pointed. for Baldwin covered the bet
with house ard lot in Oakland, while
Smith saw it with nine shares of Gray
Jacket mining stock. and DavidS came
i'm with ninety acres OF ground near the
town of Pacific Grove.
The jack pot now doomed up. 1t was
worth at rough guess S66,0 900. and the
men showed by the manner in which
they eyed each other that it would be
much larger than that before the game
was ended.
"Cards?' asked the dealer Of Clayton,
who was half out of sight in cloud OF
tobacco smoke.
"I'n stand pat" he replied with his
eyes fixed on the white slips of paper in
the center of the table and his cards
carefully concealed under his hand.
His action caused the other players to
change their positions uneasily. Smith
drew first. taking two cards; DavidS
came next. and he drew a single paste
board: Baldwin was apparently playing
on his nerve and trusting to luck, Tor he
drew four cards.
Ii was evident that the four men
meant business. and Clayton promptly
set.the pace by betting 1000 head OF
cattle, which was equal TO 100000.
Smith, the miner, pondered over
his cards awhile, looked suspicious
ly at Clayton from under his eyebrows,
and then writing on a slip of paper an
order for City shares of stock in the
Endless lead mine, dropped it on the
table. saying: III raise you $50, 0O0."
DavidS covered the bet with 1000
acres Of land near Monterey, and Bald
win quickly came in with business
block in Santa Cruz.
Clayton ran his thumb over the cor
nerS of his cards few times, and finally
leaned back in his chair and ordered a
bottle of champagne. For quarter Of
an hour the players and spectators sip
ped the wine and commented upon the
| ,-orfo,,s ,,baoa. Of tho uamp. tho four