The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-12-08
sIx1eeN YEARS of eucHaE.
Nearly 30, 900 Games. and One side Only
15f Games Ahead.

Nearly 10000 Games, and One Side Only
15f Games Ahead.
Twenty thousand games Of euchrel
This is the record Of the play OF the four
Chicago gentlemen who have sat every
Saturday evening for the past 10 years
and engaged in that game which gener-
ally marks the initiation OF every novice
into the never ending mysteries Of cards.
Daniel Wcsteryelt and c. l.. Root have
played against Thomas Benton James
and James Taylor. They have been
urged many times to play whist OF ca
sine or pinochle or seven up, but never
for one moment have they swerved from
their devotion TO euchre
To be absolutely correct, these four
euchre players, these two pairs Of faith
full adherents to the powers Of bowers,
reached their nineteen thousand six hun
bred and fiftieth game of euchre Satur-
day evening, and upon the occasion Of
the twenty thousandth game each Of
the players intends arriving at the scene
of play smoking a 50-cent cigar Except
on holidays or anniversaries, it is said,
they are supremely Indifferent to the
quality of the tobacco they burn.
Thomas Benton James is pensioner
of the wholesale house Of Marshall Field
& Co. He was a general salesman for
that firm and its predecessors for 20
years, and about two years ago was
placed upon the retired list with con-
tinued pay for services rendered He
is a sprightly gentleman of mature years,
which he places at SO, but which his
friends usually speak Of as being some
where under 100. Mr.. James partner
is James Taylor. 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
Westervelt is 70 years old. He was q
salesman for Field, Letter & Co., after
ward for A. T. Stewart & Co. and finally
for Storm & Hill. retiring when the lat
ter firm retired. c. j.. Root is the "boy"
of the quartet He is only SO and is
considered rather wild and frislzy by his
companions. Mr. Root drove stage be-
tween Blue Island and Chicago during
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 around these four cronies
meet and play euchfe. They shift about,
like sittings Of the supreme court, from
one house to another. but they always
sit in the Same chairs and in the same
relative positions. Almost eight years
ago Mr.. James brought to a meeting
copy of "Cavendish on Whist" for
which he came near being expelled from
the society.
The four players have become so at
tached to the simple game of euchre that
it is now a part OF their very natures,
and in the 16 years pf their weekly con-
tests only Oh an occasional case of sick
ness, to the number of three or four
times in all, has Cancelled the engage
ment of either player A complete rec
ord of the games is kept to show which
side leads from year I'd year. At present
Mr.. James and his partper are l54 games
ahead of their OPPONENTS At the ten
thousandth game they We're 1872 games in
the lead, but have been losing for the last
wo years. For period of five years
here was no material gain for either
side.
All four of these lifetime euchreists
are gentlemen rather simt (e in their Gus
toms, disinclined to adopt che intricacies
of whist or the novelty ofIcSnch, and are
unwilling to concede that soApe Saturday
night three of their numbt\ will meet
at the appointed place, light Y cir cigars,
get the cards in readiness aI1 wait for
one who will never deal the cy DIS again
Chicago News-Record.