The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-22

Gamblers aud May Or Nav Not Ise True
About the Gold seeker.
We'll. that was luck"
The speaker was n of a groupo of hall
Il dozen men who We're standing Oh Pa.
cific avenue putting away at Havanas and
talking just TO pass time away and I,
clear their throats. Theconversation had
been about the livery stable man. Mar.
tin. of this city, who had fallen heir Il
S:HJo.OO0 three years g and didn't find
it out until a few days ago.
Talk about luck" said one of the
group. who was a gambler. see plenty
Of it. Do you know that one day last
week a man entered one of our gambling
houses with a nickel and won out $500 in
three hours? He had gone clean busted
the night before and found the nickel in
an ont of the way corner in his room the
next morning.
That blokie went to the gambling
house with the intention of placing his
5 cent piece on the number 5. He got
into the room when the roulette ball was
whizzing around IN it's tour of numbers.
He rushed to the table and got down his
nickel on the five just as the game run
ner shouted All down.! In a few Sec
onds the ball started on its rear end
bouncing, and in a few seconds more the
man shouted Five! That gave the man
with the nickel S1.75 for his 5 cents.
Then he put 81 on No. II, and that nula-
Der cams up. giving him $35 more. He
continued to play with varying luck
until in three hours he had won *iOO.
And the next day he was broke again.
He borrowed a nickel and tried the anne
again. but it didn't CO."
Il can tell a story of q man who was
lucky" eaid a business man. I'm the
early days of the gold excitement in Cali
fornia. there came into San Diego a man
who was ragged and sick almost to death.
He was taken in hand and fed and fixed
mp. Then he told a story of a wonder
full find of gold he had made. 1t was
only a few days off. he said. and he would
take a party to the place if they would
outfit.
Several men who heard the story OF
the great gold in the mountains that was
~ W 50 LIZ Sob up q patty VI ~.
The start was made with that man us
leader. After a few days travel it be-
came evident that the man had forgotten
the way. They travelled on, trusting to
luck, however. Indians were hostile at
the time, and they started in to NOW the
gold hunters. They picked off one after
another with their bullets. A score We're
thus taken off. Then a fever struck the
party, and II more Went the way of
death.
BY this time the 10 survivors were
crazy with rage. They had been ii DAYS
and We're travelling i'll the most arid
country. Food was growing less and
less. and death faced everybody. On the
of the fourteenth day the lead
er. who had caused so much misery, was
given three days more to find his gold
find If he was not successful by that
time. he was to hang.
Well. the three days had almost
passed, and still there was no sign of the |
The last hour was almost up |,
seemed that the mar must hang. There |
were only five minutes more, now two |
minutes. now n minute. now a half
.ninute-then came his luck. just as the /!
was up for the hanging that MAJ
dropped dead"
Il don see how he was lucky" put in
gambler who had told the first story, /!
Why" said the business man. ..he |
was lucky because if he hadn't died he
have been hanged"
Another gambler told how a few DAYS
a green Swede who knew nothing
about the game, but determined to try
lis luck. had Won nearly 81, 900. He
been an onlooker once or twice and
'een big winnings. He went to the ron.
cite wheel with SEQ, and in a few hours
,e had won out $500. 1t seemed that no
natter what number he put chips on
md he played recklessly. as all new play
rs dot came up every time. That
vas pure luck. The man played no com
or "arrangements." because he
vas as green as grass and knew nothing
bout the game.
Il have a friend" spoke up one of the
'roup. who is connected with the city
'who by the merest luck
made a discovery that is netting him mil
His name is Perkins, and a few
ears ago back in Minnesota he made his
discovery. He was a travelling mar for
grocery firm, and while walking to a
to go from one country town to an
ther one day ne whitfield q stick.
He had whitfield the stick in a TRAN
ular shape. On the train the idea struck
i'm that the shape would be just what
7as wanted for railroad spikes. The
luare spikes in vogue We're not the right
hing because they split the grain of the
reen ties when driven into them. and
'hen dry the wood shrank away from
The triangle shaped spike would
split the grain, and subsequent
hrinkage would be done away with.
'erkins submitted his discovery to Pull
IAN, and now the spikes are being made
y millions at Pullman, Ills, making
lillions for Perkins and Pullman"
Another gambler here chlmed in with
ne statement that during the past week
fratn t1nr frn,n SanN~lz Ill -. 40 No. L