The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1894-11-08
SIXTEEN YEARS OF EUCHRE.
Nearly 20, 900 Games, and One Side only
1874 Games Ahead.


1874 Games Ahead.
Twenty thousand games OF euchre!
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 Westervelt and G. l.. Root have
PLAYED against Thomas Benton James
and James Taylor. They have been
urged many times to play whist or ca
sino 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 hum
dred and fftieth 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 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 a pensioner
of the wholesale house of Marshall Field
& Co. He was a general salesman for
that firm and it's predecessors for 20
years, and about two years ago was
placed upon the retired list with con-
tinued pay for services rendered. He
is 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, a congenial companion
with life record of 70 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 a
salesman for Field, Letter & Co., after
ward for A. T. Stewart & Co., and finally
for Storm & HILL retiring when the lat
ter firm retired. G. l.. Root is the ''boy"
of the quartet. He is only 60 and is
considered rather wild and frisky 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 euchre. 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 meeting a
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 of their weekly con-
tests only on 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 to year. At present
Mr.. James and his partner are 154 games
ahead of their opponents. At the ten
thousandth game they were 1879 games in
the lead, but have been losing for the last
wo years. For period of five years
lere was no material gain for either
side.
All four of these lifetime euchreists
are gentlemen rather simple in their Gus
toms, disinclined to adopt the intricacies
of whist or the novelty of cinch, and are
unwilling to concede 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.
Chicago News-Record.