Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-06-06


than shown itself. they got worse aud
worse as the years rolled by, until one
by one they died. Although they must
have known what was the trouble with
them 1t was utterly impossible to get
any Of them to acknowledge that he
had consumption. II 1t was said to
one Of them that he was looking III
he would simply laugh and sayt
Never was better in my life. May
have been drinking II bit and stayed
up too late: but sick? Not a bit; never
felt so well before" and he would slap
himself on the chest and vent u hollow
cough
Emerson kept n swell gambling house
In New York at one time, but gave II
up after he became interested in the
turf Sheridan and Pratt had been
gamblers all their lives. and Winnipeg
was young man OF god family and
good education, who had had little
money left him, and had happened TO
strike luck by Investing 1t IN horse
races.
Every once In awhile nowadays.
when booltmakers get together over
cold bottle and begin telling Stories
the story Of the -four cons" as they
We're called, comes up. In the Hoffman
| house bar one evening last week
bookmaker was telling the story to n
number Of acquaintance.
"A peculiar thing about these men,"
| he said, was that, although none of
them would ever acknowledge that he
| was on the brink OF the grave, they
would take great pleasure In guylng
| one another about their ill-health.
| Emerson, pale and emaciated and
emitting hollow coughs, would walk
up TO Pratt. who was In a similar
condition, and say;
Look here. old boy; you're a sick
man Go away somewhere and re-
cuperate. You need rest
Then Pratt would brace UP and re-
ply Indignantly; You go TO -. What
do you mean by telling me I'm sick?
and then he would stride away, mad
clear through.
This sort Of thing went on for some
time, until one day Emerson re-
marked to the others that he was going
TO have his life insured
What! they gusped together. YOU
don't think any company would take
chance on you. do YOU?
Emerson ignored the insinuntion |
ana the next day had an examination !
FOR litc isurance. or course he didn't |
pass. When he gloOmily told the 9TH |
ers about 1t they gave him the grand |
laugh. Then each one In turn quietly |
Informed Emerson that he himself was
going to be insured They all tried |
aud all We're rejected
one day they met at the race track
ana Emerson remarked: Say, boys
We couldn't get insured, but I've got a
better game than that Let's put up
a thousand apiece. and the one who
lives the longest takes the pot
Why, you poor follH remarked
winnipeg, who wan AT that time the
worst case Of all, IT'S a dead certain
Will or me-
r." o. you don't say So put in Pratt.
Why one OF your lungs is missing
now, ana l don't think you'll live a
AFTER an hour of this sort of chat
mig the four men agreed to put IN
the money. 1t was given TO Billy Elliot
a booltmaker, aud he deposited 1t in a
New York bank. II was deposited In
sueh way that any one OF dozen
buokmnkers could draw 1t out at any
tlne' This was done so as to be sure
mat the last man would be able to
gel the money without any trouble.
Al this time poor Winnipeg was
IN an awiul plight, and people thought
he would die any minute. HIS cheeks
We're pale ana sunken, his eyes shone
Ilke balls OF fire, he coughed necessarily
aud he could scarcely totter along. he
was so weak, Yet he would come to
ne track every day and whenever he'd
run across one Of the other three he'd
- tlle HuueN lhey had !
~. ,u,, :, iou ielows VIII be dead and
'aS. Those who knew him used 10
,.'ie biylnBlN on him whenever he
i' ..,,,,. '''ls o9ast
,"o months alter the money had
pySh ueposted Emerson's physician l
~ nm tnat ne must go away. or y
" 49,. u'e IN a Week 50 Billy took his !
,onsb, NV mSit' 10 IeAes, Where he
'o o,i., ~ IahGh and tried to settle y
own; EarlY IN 1887 sheridan died. b
Nv. , ',lls l'lt Only Froit and Winnipeg u
~ WSS VERIFY living corpse 10 =
,,, ', So. W. me money Pratt got worse :
s'u w3'se' ana nus condition was soon =
81 p1u US nus friends These two -
"a W., w. ,otIsr 4rounu me betting ring 7
al snrb liz. e,r Hot netting would n
iocts MA I,,ii,. NV, uuu 'ney looked W
tnsp. onS ds,. i' 'ttYe zone said Win n
- ? Sis uuS, anu you're next, john | =