The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-20
UNPRECEDENTED WHIST DEAL.
Each Hand Found to Contain One Sui
Complete.
[Worcester Gazette.l

On the 22d of January last IN the con-
ductors' room of the Boston & Albany
railroad station, in Boston, hand of
whist was dealt in the ordinary way, and
each player on taking up his hand found
that it contained the whole thirteen cards
of one suit. In the natural surprise
which followed, the hands were thrown
up. There was no use in playing, be-
cause the player with thirteen trumps
would have won every trick, no matter
what was originally led.
This remarkable deal was described
the, next day in the Gazette, but it did
not attract much attention because prob
ably no one believed it, and at that time
we were not prepared to give any names.
There will be found appended to this
article the copy of atfidavits signed and
properly sworn to before notary public
that such a deal actually took place with
out any trickery.
Without these affidavits, it was easier
to reject the story as incredible than to
believe it, Backed by the oaths and sig
natures of five intelligent and honest
men, we cannot see any flaw in the evil
dence, because the incident is possible
and conceivable, although so far beyond
the experiences of almost everybody as
to make it very hard to believe.
Of the players, three are conductors on
the B. & A, and one mail agent The
witness, Mr.. Rand, is better known in
this city, where he has lived honorably
and had long term of service in railroad
duties He is now running to Boston on
the five minutes before eight train. All
the conductors have some hours of en-
forced idleness in Boston, and the same
set naturally meet at about the same
hours in the conductors room at the sta
ton, where there is reading, converse
ton and games of cards without betting
to while away the time. On the day in
question, it was conductor G.. I'll. Curtis
who dealt the cards and the other three
players were Messrs. w. III. Moore, E. B.
Foye, Ell. S. Wood. Besides these, there
were looking on Mr.. L. NJ Rand and Mr..
J. L. Mcclellan. We have not got the
affidavit of the latter gentleman, by acct
dent. but we have his name signed to an
other paper attesting the facts without
oath.
1t was Mr. Rand, who first told the sto-
ry to Gazette man, and he acknowl-
edged that when he told the story in the
Dd9SdSC CdI COulluS9 DdCh W w OlCCSOCl llC
came near being mobbed and thrown out
on the rails; nobody would believe it.
Eight cards in hand are uncommon,
and nine cards extremely rare. Ten
cards of suit in one hand are outside
the experience of most old players. At
the same time odd hands are constantly
turning up and are almost the rule. We
heard the other day of deal which gave
two partners twelve trumps, yet one of
the opponents, holding the seven of
trumps, was enabled to save it on the
first trick.
Only two or three of the conductors
pass through Worcester; the others are
employed on Boston suburban trains.
We found it in the end desirable to en-
ploy ]. Brainerd Hall, Esq, of this city,
notary public, to go to Boston to secure
their dispositions; their bare word would
have sufficed in any ordinary matter, but
the doubling public in a matter of this
kind would demand a formal oath. MI.
Hall reports:
''The interview with the conductors
occupied over two hours. All of the
to was in progress were seen, and all
agreed that the four men, Messrs. Cur
It's, Moore, Foye and Wood, acted in
faith. The cards were taken from the
table, shuffied, cut and dealt just as they
had been hundreds Of times before.
There was no evidence or intimation of
trickery. All the, evidence obtained
tended to show that each one of the four
men acted in good faith
In Short while they objected to noto-
riety of any kind they very kindly con-
scented to sign and make oath to a state
ment that everything was square and
honest.
There are rumors or traditions that
such hands have been dealt once, or pos
sibly twice, before in the history of the
world, but we do not know that the facts
have ever before been properly attested
either in this country or in Europe.