Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-01-08
PHENOMENAL. LuGX.
A Poker Player Who Won n Fortune In
One Night.


the game that Col Jack Wharton play.
| ed in New Orleans one of the star en-
counters of the southern card table.
| Fortune smiled so persistently on Col.
Wharton that in single sitting he in
creased a fiftydollar greenback to
| eleven thousand dollars in cash. A
brief reference to this game recently in
the Sun recalled the memorable event
to the mind OF New Yorker who
is intimately acquainted with the
lucky player. The whole episode, he
said, was like something you read
about only in novels, or hear about in
big poker yarns, but there are plenty
of southerners who knew about the
game and can vouch for its reality.
Jack Wharton was colonel of cav
airy regiment in the rebellion, and he
came home from Texas in very rusty
and uncouth attire. His uncle protest.
ed that if he proposed to stay any
length of time in New Orleans he
would have to dress better, and gave
him fifty-dollar bill to get clothes
with.
''No one" said the New 'Al2lnaker in a
recent interview, knew how to
invest fifty dollars than dftl'Col. Whar-
ton. He at once made bea<@he for
the st. Charles hotel, that hotnouse of
politics and poker. At the bar he met
ex-Gov. Hamilton, of Texas, and, while
cementing old friendship by sundry
drinks they heard that two profession
ais were upstairs, ready to meet all
corners. Jack thought he would try
them as far as his fifty dollars would
allow, and up he went to the top floor
of the hotel, accompanied by Gov. Ham
ilton. In small room they found the
two professionals, armed to the teeth
sitting ready for business, with a
demijohn and pack of cards before
them.
"They all liquored up and Jack sat
down opposite Gov. Hamilton, putting
his revolver on the table beside him,
and soon they were deep in the game,
Hours passed with varied luck. The
night was nearly gone, and so was the
whisky. Jacks pile was growing
larger, while Gov. Hamilton was los,
ing. Toward morning Jack drew to a
bobtail flush and increased his pile by
five hundred dollars. 1t was from this
moment that fortune smiled on Jack.
He won and won. AS he said, he could
have won the stars out of the sky and
the angels out of Heaven had they been
staked against him.
"a jack pot on the table was increas.
ing rapidly, until there was about -four
thousand dollars in it. His hair rose as
the jack pot did. No one had even
doubted the colonel's honor at cards, cl
anything else, but he said that the pro-
fessionals were thunderstruck, and
really doubted his honesty when he
laid down four aces and ralSed in the
pot.
They kept at the game, althous h
the whisky was gone, and fortune was
smiling on Jack. AS an expert he was
anxious to get away before the inevita'
BILE turn of luck should change his for
tunes 1t was tickling predicament
! Col. Wharton had proved his courage
and looked death in the face at Gloss
quarters many times before the WIZ
during the war, and after the war hui
he believed he was in greater DANCE,
this morning than he ever was before
and that only the presence of Cor
Hamilton saved him. It was broay
daylight Jack still winning, with hi
money stuffed away in his pockets anC
all about him, when a message wa
sent up from the hotel office that littl,
nephew of Col Wharton was looking
for him, his sister having been takel
i'll. Anxious as he was to get away be
fore, this made him leave at once ii,
was not drunk, but sitting up all nigh
had not improved his appearance. HI
: found his folks at the breakfast table
but before he could take his seat hi
uncle stopped him, saying: Jack, an
afraid you have gambled away thos
fifty dollars. Where are your new
clothesP"
The New Yorker says that the col
onel always laughed when he recalle,
this part Of the adventure. He mad
this laconic explanation to his Quake
uncle:
He sat down, and pulling off one O
his old cavalry boots, out came on
: thousand dollars in one hundred dolla
bills; he kicked off the other boot, on
flew another one thousand dollars; h
turned down the lining of his hat,
rained bills; he pulled out the Goa
pockets, dived into the yes
pockets, bills came from everywhere
in all he piled eleven thousand dollar
J on the broadcast table.
d 1t is told of the colonel that he mad
admirable use of his big winnings. H
gave much to charity, relieved the need
of many poor colored man, and wa
7. popular with every body, black or white
: democrat or republican. N Y. Sun.
, Some New French Dresses.
An exquisite model shown among tn