The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-17
From the PhNcdelphia Times.

Carolinian's Tales of Charleston's
Tiger.
From the Phtlcdelphia Times.
Samuel Wyckhf Melton of South
Carolina comes from Kentucky stock, but
vas born and reared in the Palmetto
state. Melton adds to a stature 6-feet-2
in his stocking feet a mental endowment
that gives him rank at the very forefront Of
the bar in the south, old aud new.
During the war Melton was the compan-
ion and close friend of that courtly GENTLE
man. John c. Breckenridge of kentucky,
when the latter was confederate war minis
Ter Sam Melton has all the grace of man
ner and gentleness of spirit of the ancient
reqime. It is due to him to say that dur
ing the spotted period OF carpet-bag rule
Attorney General Melton kept his crest
fnu high advanced aud lived like that
gracious knight of the oIden time, without
ssar and without reproach. And there is
now no pillar of the Methodist Episcopal
cburch of Columbia, S. c., more respected
and none more useful than Samuel Wyckliff
Melton.
But in his green and salad days, in the
hours OF his hot and reOeliious youth, Sam
Melton was not aVerse TO "bucking the
tigern Like Charles Lamb. who in literary
excellence and in general sweetness and
light Melton resembles, tho ex-attorney
General stammers slightly. The last time
saw this distinguished lawyer was on au
April day sitting on the grand piazza Of the
Charleston house, oIce owned by Law
renee Keit, one Of the most brilliant and
gifted members of congress from South
Carolina in ante-bellum days. Melton
49, 81 al
foot. and with the grace of Lord Chester
field greeted me with gracious cordially
as | came down the steps of the hotel 10
70 take my breakfast. He said:
Colonel, will you join me- sir, in matu
final cocktail" | replied, "Gen. Mel
ton, lose confidence in a man who drinks
before breakfast"
80 do l." replied the genial lawyer and
statesman, "but there are three or
four thousand little polly in my stom-
acb, and they won't stop a hol-hol-lirn
till get q drink or two inside OF me-" After
breakfast Melton told me story of his two
big winnings at faro
II had" said Gen. Melton, concluded
the argument of great cause in the United
States court at Charleston, S. c., when
after a good dinner, Col. Jack Wharton
aud another friend OF both of us proposed
that we take q shy at q new faro bank just
opened IN Charleston.
Il had a Sl00-bill In my pocket and we
pooled our issues, making a joint stake, and
agreeing to stand the loss equally, or divide
the winnings. 1t was great game, like
that of the brilliant Sergeant S. Prentiss
Of Mississippi, who said Oh a like &C.
casion. when he won $40, 600 in one night
at PendletOn's game in Washington and
lost it all with four brick warehouses on
top Of his brief winnings, 4 felt as if
"a a Al,
"Tbe joint stake we had was $500, and
began the game with 500 in blue fish, and
with this rather slender capital to break a
bank 'piaed' along for half of the night
with varying fortune. Sometimes | would
be 81 coo ahead, when single deal would
depleLe my pile, and then l felt like tbs
blue point of an almost foriorn hope;' then
a fortunate call four for one. Of $50, would
rehabilitats my slender finances, and l be-
gan to plunge again. The game began at
10 o'clock and lasted till the gray of dawn.
AT 2 o'clock in the morning we paused for
lunch of soft shell crabs and champagne.
Sat the end of the lunch my friend, Col.
Jack Wharton of New Orleans, who was
the prudent man of the party, found him
self winner of 81 500, and, with our con-
sent, took the earliest train home, aud he
told me later on that he never did Il better
thing in bis life, for that 81 500 did him a
power Of good.
"But my friend and myself had not per-
mitted ourselves to bate a jot Of heart or
hope that we would break the bank before
daylight.
The last glass Of wine divine had disap-
peared, and, with coming confidence in our
good luck. we two seated ourselves in front
Of the faro table.
my blue chips soon rose skyward, re-
minding me of CleopAtra's needle. I gained
IA IN ms II ct afra kr,vsV fr I'D 70 Io
my rule q haven't touched a card in ten
years. never to cash in my chips till the end
of the game.
81 played with the blue chips, or fish, ,
at 50 apiece, and soon had as winner in
front OF me every blue chip the gambling
house owned. TIE dealer blankly said
This game is without limit, and will raise
the white fish to S. spiece.' Then called
the turn, king, queen, ace. 'king, queen. for
500, king, queen it came. / now owned
all the white chips in the bank, and, of
necessity, cashed in one thousand in blue
fish and began to bet 500 bills on a card.
MY friends luck was the reverse of my
own. he lost every let he put down on
the layout, and he did not win a single bet
In two deals, an occurrence l never wit
messed before in any contest with the tickle
Goddess of Fortune. who showers her savors
Ike the summer rain, on the Just and the
>.
and utterly Disguised with the layout and
the lookout alike, my friend folded his
tents, took 81 in silver for his remaining
stake and stood like modern Achilles sulk-
ing IN his tent, but rejoicing in subacuse
Rrlmness and silence because 1 was crown
Ing the crest of the enemy's unterscarp, as
brecElnrldge used TO say, and causing the
dealer and his lookout to look lean and ca
daVeTous about the chops.
Every deal after , o'clock in the morn
Ing quit winner. l was as sober as a
New York Judge aud resisted the politely
persuasive dealer, who had ordered from
the hotel full basket OF champagne. was
playing, not drinking.
i was on the warpoth and the size OF
the spoils of war made me feel sure that the
DanE could not break, for with capital SUI
nclent good player may feel reasonably
sure that in any long faro duel the man
neIore that table can quit winner il he
knows where to stop. But wise men think
generally OF the seductive game of faro
Ghat the best way to play tho Same 10 to
let II alone. l did not grow reckless, for
was as cool as cucumber, az l always am
10 hours of supreme peril
The lookout changed places with the
dealer the new dealer shook the cards cs
terrier would an angry rat, but milk 'em
as De would the bank won no bets. l cop
peTe1 the King for $500 and played the high
cara FOR $500 with q copper and put S600on
Tue deuce, and, strange To say with thirty
cards In the hox, the turn came king, ace,
deuce. | won all three bets, and the