The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-08-25
MEN WHO HAD LUCK.
STORIES CIRCULATED IN A GROUP OF
TACOMA SPORTS.

Most of Them Were Told by Professional
Gamblers and May or May Not Be True,
but an Affidavit Is Required For the Yarn
About the Gold Seeker.
"Well, that was luck"
The speaker was one Of group of half
a dozen men who were standing on Pa
cific avenue putting away at Havanas and
talking just to pass time away and to
clear their Threats. The conversation had
been about the livery stable man, Mar
tin, of this city, who had fallen heir to
$350,O00 three years ago and didn't find
it out until few days ago.
"Talk about luck" said one Of the
group, who was gambler, "we see plenty
of it. Do you know that one day last
week man entered one of our gambling
houses with nickel and won out $400 in
three hours? He had gone clean busted
the night before and found the nickel in
an out of the way corner in his room the
next morning.
ssThat blokie went to the gambling
house with the intention of placing his
8 cent piece on the number 8. He got
into the room when the roulette ball was
whizzing around on its tour OF numbers.
He rushed to the table and got down his
nickel on the five just as the game run
ner shouted AL DOWN. In few Sec
onds the ball started on its rear end
bouncing, and in few seconds more the
man shouted 'FiveP That gave the man
with the nickel $1.75 for his cents.
Then he put 81 on No. II, and that num-
Der came up, giving him $35 more. He
continued to play with varying luck
until in three hours he had won $4OO.
And the next day he was broke again.
He borrowed nickel and tried the game
again, but it didn't CO."
81 can tell story of man who was
lucky" said a business man. "In the
early days of thegold excitement in Cali
fornia, there came into San Diego man
who was ragged and sick almost to death.
He was taken in hand and fed and fixed
up. Then he told story of wonder
full find of gold he had made. 1t was
only few days off, he said, and he would
take party to the place if they would
outfit.
Several men who heard the story of
the great gold in the mountains that was
theirs to go after got up party of 90.
The start was made with that man as
leader. After 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 were
thus taken off. Then 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 IA days
out and were travelling in the most arid
country. Food was growing less and
less, and death faced everybody. On the
afternoon 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
find. The last hour was almost up. II
seemed that the man must hang. There
were only five minutes more, now two
minutes, now one minute, now hall
minute-then came his luck. Just as the
time was up for the hanging that mar
dropped dead"
81 don't see how he was lucky" put il
the gambler who had told the first story
"Why," said the business man, ''ht
was lucky because if he hadn't died hi
would have been hanged"
Another gambler told how a few day.
ago a green Swede who knew nothing
about the game, but determined to try
his luck, had won nearly $1,000. HI
had been an onlooker once or twice an(
seen big winnings. He went to the rou
lette wheel with $50, and in few hour
he had won out $500. 1t seemed that n
matter what number he put chips on
and he played recklessly, as all new play
ers dot came up every time. Tha
was pure luck. The man played no com
binations or arrangements" because h
was as green as grass and knew nothin
about the game.
ST have FRIEND" spoke up one of tn
group, who is connected with the cit
government, "who by the merest luc
made discovery that is netting him mi
lions. His name is Perkins, and fe,
years ago back in Minnesota he made hi
discovery. He was travelling man fc
a grocery firm, and while walking to
train to go from one country town to al
other one day he whitfield a stick.
''He had whitfield the stick in tria1
gular shape. On the train the idea struc
him that the shape would be just whs
was wanted for railroad spikes Tt
square spikes in vogue were not the rigl
thing because they split the grain of tt
green ties when driven into them, an
when dry the wood shrank away frol
them. The triangle shaped spike woul
not split the grain, and subseque1
shrinkage would be done away wit
Perkins submitted his discovery to Pull
man, and now the spikes are being mao
by millions at Pullman, Ills, maxim
millions for Perkins and Pullman"
Another gambler here chimed in wit
the statement that during the past wee
gambler from Seattle had won So,
at faro in Tacoma rooms in two sitting