Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-04-06
SIXTEEN YEARS OF EuoHRE.
Nearly 10000 Games and One Side Only
I54 Ahead.

thousand games OF euchre. This is
the record Of the play Of four Chicago
gentlemen who have met Saturday
evenings for sixteen years and en-
gagged in that game which generally
marks the initiation Of every novice
into the neyer-ending mysteries OF
cards. Daniel Westeryell and G. l..
Root have played against Thomas
Benton James and James Taylor.
They have been urged manv times
to play whist. or casino, or pinochle,
or seven up, but never for n mo.
ment have they sweryed from their
devotion to euchre.
To be absolutely correct, these four
euchre players, these two pairs OF
faithful adherents to the powers Of
bowers, reached their l9,650th game
last Saturday, and upon the occasion
of the 20, 000th game, WI ich will ar.
rive in the course Of a few months,
each OF the players intends arriving
at the scene Of the play smoking a
| 50-cent cigar. Except OF holidays or
anniversaries, il is said, they are SUI
premely Indifferent TO the quality OF
the tobacco they burn.
Thomas Benton James is a pension
er Of the wholesale house of Marshall
Field 4 Co. He was a general sales
man for that firm and its predecessors
for twenty-siX years, and about two
years ago was placed upon the retired
list with continued pay for services
rendered. He is a sprighuly gentle
man of mature years, which he places
at 60, but which his friends usually
speak OF as being somewhere under
100. Mr.. James partner is James
Taylor, a congenial companion with
a life record Of 20 years. 1t is said
that James Taylor can indicate by a
graduated system Of pressure upon
the foot of Thomas Benton James
whether he is holding right, left and
ace, ten spot and queen, or no trumps
at all. Daniel Westervell is - years
old. He vas a salesman for Field,
Letter & Co.. afterward for A. II.
Stewart Il Co., and finally for Storm
& Hill, retiring when the latter firm
retired. c. l.. Root is the boy Of
the quartette. He is only 60, and is
considered rather wild and frisky by
his companions. Mr.. Root drove
stage between Blue Island and Chica-
goduring the period between 1880 and
1910, and took no stock whatever in
the future of the city.
Every Saturday night, as regularly
as the week rolls round, these four
cronieS meet and play euchre. They
shift about, like sittings Of the su-
preme court, from one house to anOth-
er, but they always sit in the same
chairs and In the same relative posi-
tiOns. Almost eight years ago Mr..
James brought to a meeting a copy Of
"Cavendish on Whist" for which he
came nea being expelled from the
society.
The four players have become so
attached TO the simple game OF euchre
that it is now a part Of their very ma
lures, and iii the sixteen years OF
their weekly contests only an occa-
sional case Of sickness, to the number
of three or four times in all, has can
celled the engagement Of either play
.er. A complete record Of the games
is kept TO show which side leads from
year to year. At present Mr.. James
and his partner are 154 games ahead
or their opponents. At the l0,000th
game they were 1872 games in the lead,
but have been losing for the last two
years. For a period Of five years
there was 10 material gain for either
side.
All four OF these lifetime euchreists
are gentlemen rather simple in their
customs, d~isinclined TO adopt the in
t~ricacies of whist or the novelty of
cinch, and are unwilling to concede
that some Saturday night .hree OF
their number will meet at the ap-
pointed place, light their cigars, get
their cards in readiness, and wait for
n who will neverdeal the cards again