The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-02
SIXTEEN YEARS OF EUcHRE.
Nearly 10000 Games, and One Side
Only I54 Ahead.
Chicago News-Recor


Twenty thousand games of euchrel This
is the record of the play of four Chicago
gentlemen who have met every SATURDAY.
evening for sixteen years and engaged in
that game, which generally marks tile initia-
tlOn of every novice into the neVer-ending
mysteries of cards. Daniel WesterveIt and
=. l.. Root have played against Thomas
Benton James and James Taylor. They
have been urged many times to play whist
or casino, or pinOchle, or seven up, but
never for one moment have they sWeryed
from their devotion to euchre.
10 be absolutely correct, these four eUchre
players, these two pairs of faithful adhe-
rents to the powers of bowers, reached their
nineteen thousand six hundred aud fftieth
game of euchre last Saturday evening, and
upon the occasion of the twenty thousand
eth game, which viii arrive in the course of
few months, each of the players in tends
arriving at the scene of the play smOk king a
tifty-cent cigar. Except on holidays or an
niversaries, it is said, they are Supremacy
Indifferent to the quality of the tobacco they
burn.
Thomas Benton James is a pensiouer OF
the wholesale house OF Marshall, Field dS
GO. He was general salesman for that
hrm 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 Sprightly gem
tleman OF mature years, which he places at
69, but which his friends usually speak of as
being somewhere under 100. Mr.. James
partner is James Taylor, congenisl com
pani0n with 4 life-record of 20 years. 1t is
said that James Taylor can indicate by u
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 Wester-
welt is IS years old. He was salesman for
Field, Letter IL Co.. afterward for A. 7.
Stewart & Co., and finally for Storm 4 Hill,
retiring when the latter firm retired. e. l..
Root is the boy" of the quartet. He is
only 63, and is considered rather wild and
friSky by his companions. Mr.. Root drove
stage between Blue Island and Chicago dur
ing the period between 1880 and 1910. and
took 10 stock whatever in the future of the
city.
Every Saturday night, as regularly as tina
week rolls around, these four cronies meet
and play euchre. The shift about. Like
sittings Of the Supreme Court, from oae
house to another, but they always sit in
the same chairs and in the same relative
positions. Almost eight years ago Mr..
James brought 10 a meeting "Cavendish on
Whist" for which he came near being ex-
PEELED from the society.
The four players have become so attached
to the simple game of euchre that it is now
part OF their very natures. and in the six
teen years of their weekly contests only an
occasional case OF sickness to the number
OF three or four times IN ALL has Cancelled
the engagement of either player. A CON-
plete record OF the games is Kept to show
which side leads from year to year. At
present Mr.. James aud his partner are l54
games ahead of their opponents. At the
ten thousandth game they were 1872 games
10 the lead, but have been losing for the
last two years. For a period Of i've years
there was no material gain Oh either side.
All four Of these lifetime euchrests are
gentlemen rather simple in their customs,
diSlnclined TO adopt the intrlcacies OF
whist or the novelty of cinch, and are I'M
willing to eoneede that some Saturday
night three of their number will meet at
the appointed place, light their cigars, get
the cards in readiness and wait for one
who will never deal the cards again.