Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-04-18
i.os, $1,000 a, Dunco Poker.

During the past week gentleman
from California has been stopping at
the Brown Palace Hotel Last night
he left for the east Besides pos
sessiug the desirable qualification of be-
ing extremely wealthy, this gentleman
is also the hero of a regular hair-r raising
bunco poker game He lost $4,000
over a table between 3o'cock one Sat
urday afternoon and O'Clock the next
morning, but teleerams sent out to
country banks early on Monday man
aged to stop payment on about one
half the checks that he had given out
during the game. The funniest part Of
the whole story is that with three men
working him, the victim himself pro-
posed The game and introduced the
three steers to each other, all of which
was part Of the play.
The gentleman was stopping at lit
tie seaside resort ! S miles out from Los
Angeles, and while there met man
representing himself as an official Of the
Canadian Pacific Railroad on his way
to San Francisco on business. For two
DAYS the pair chummed together An
other quest arrived from Chicago, who
also made known the fact that he
was destined to San Francisco. II is
superhuous to relate that the strangers
were aifnbility itself Anxious 10 make
things pleasant for his friends, the old
gentleman introduced one stranger to
the other, seeing that they both intend
ed remaining at the hotel over Sunday
and then going on to San Francisco.
The newcomer was in the boot and shoe
line.
Soon there was another arrival, and
he proved a high roller. He was a
stockman returning to his ranch
from market, and he had roll of bills
as bic as his head. He ordered every
thing and paid for it in big bills. There
seemed to be nothing less than tenner
in the whole lot. II did not take him
long to Get acquainted with the old
gentleman. He got acquainted with
every soul about the place before he
had been there night-all but the Ca
madam Pacific man and the boot and
shoe man. When he did meet those
two worthcs, it was through the me-
dum of the genial old gentleman.
With such good fellows around him a
poker game was the onl V result and soon
it was going. The railroad magnate
did not know much about the game, the
boot and shoe man hoped it would be a
small limit, and the stockman did not
care how high it went - the higher the
better for him, he said. So the game
started. 1t opened at 3 O'Clock that
Saturday afternoon, and was still going
at 9 the next day. Then it ended
the old gentleman was out 500 in
cash and $4,000 in checks. The stock
man had not a dollar of his big roll left,
which was easily $4,000, and he, too,
had given checks for $4,000. The
game had simply been a rip snorter,
aud everything went.
It was the stocllman who threw up
his hand. He said he could not stand
it any longer. The three agreed to
give him revenge game after dinner,
aud so the matter rested for a time.
When dinner ended note was handed
the old gentlemen signed by the rail
road magEate, expressing regret that a
telegram had been received necessitat-
Ing his going to San Francisco without
delay, and that the boot and shoe man
had decided to accompany him.
With the wings of bird the old
man few to the apartments of his
fellow sufferer. the stockman, and
reciled the facts within his knowl-
edge. "Buncoed, said the stockman,
aud thereupon Il plan was made to
head off The pair. kilograms were
sent out to ali the country banks on
which the checks had been given, they
being scattered to places where the
players had deposits. These the old
gentleman himself filed at the tele
graph office, while the stock grower
hastened to the police headquarters tc
invoke aid from that source.
Now let us wait till tomorrow,
knowingly said the stockman, land we
will save all that money and most like
ly bag our game.
Monday morning there was another
surprise awaiting the now thoroughly
surprised old gentleman the stockmar
was missing. He had been in the dea
bigger than any of the trio. His rol
had been good only for a hundred or so
the balance being counterfeit, and he
had remained behind to keep the ole
gentleman Off the trail while his pals
cleared out
TIE BREATH of chronic catarrh patient il
often so offensive that he becomes an objec
~. -,