The herald., 1894-01-14
COLONEL JACK GANBILL.
A Frontier Journalists Trib-
ute to a Pioneer Sport.
From Poverty to Affiuence and Back
to ItAgain in Old Age.
Tho Story of Man Whose Fauit Lay in
His Profession and Whose
Many Merits We're All
Els Own.


men-Colonel Andrew Jackson Gambill,
born near Knoxville, Tenn, in 1916,
i while the guns were roaring at Waterloo.
He died under the knife in St. Luke's
] from che effects of surgical operation
! for an allment which ne had borne for
seven years with the stoic fortitude OF q
Choctaw warrior. lie was the last sur
vivor OF race of sporting men that are
not again likely to find place in the
history of any state-the men who are
willing to ''give their money an even
| chance" OF courae there are and Will
be forever isolated exceptions.
Colonel Jacks parents were poor peo-
pie and comparatively illiterate, He
| learned to read after he was l6 and to
write when he was past 80 He could
sign his name Is years before he could
write three consecutive sentences on any
given subject, but there was go much OF
the innate gentleman about HIM that
not one man IN twenty would have GUS
pected any detects in his earlier prepar-
alton for the great battle OF life Cour-
teoua always and often digni6ed to the
verge OF severity. he was one Of the most
remarkable men have ever met when
you come to consider the struggles of
his earlier life.
He was a farm drudge till he was
nearly 19, contented with a new buck
skin suit once year, for he was dead
shot with rifle and generally kept the
family in venison and himself in cloth
ing. OF ali the family he was the only
tall one, and majestic man he was till
| the day they laid him to rest. At 10 he
| ura Naa M ha HI
as deck hand on a fatboat that was
going to New Orleans with load of
| Tennessee corn. He was great awk-
ward boy, with an arm like fail. and
could do days work that would almost
paralyze giant. He had never seen a
percussion capped gun nor lucifer
match up to that time.
The boat laid up at "Natchez under
the Hip on her downward voyage and
remained over Sunday. Some gamblers
came on board and wanted to play
euchre, poker or anything else. The
parting injunction given to Jack by his
mother WAS never to gamble. Hence
Jack would not touch a card. He stood
around decks and talked with the sports,
however, and at last one of them picked
up what looked to be a splinter of wood
from the deck and said to Jack: "I'll
bet you $40 l can rub that silver on my
pants and strike fire once in three
times."
JACK, who had never seen lucifer
match in his lite, said: "I'Il take the
bet." The man drew the stick across
the seat OF his pants and it burst into
blaze. Jack, who was standing near
the rail, staggered back in sstonish ment
and fell overheard. He was soon gotten
out, none the worse for his duckiDg, and
used to tell the story with the greatest
gusto. He rambled around the gulf
states for the next two years and finally
brought up as stage driver for W. B.
Reeside, on the old road leading from
Nashville to Montgomery. George F.
Thomas, who died at Walla Walla, 10
years ago, drove alongside of him. He
was one of the founders of the Cal ifornia
Stage company, which was the most
powerful corporation in this state from
1850 to 1864.
About this time he became an expert
card player and was rated the best
square player at cribbage, poker. euchre
and seven up that WAS to be found in
Alabama. One night he attracted the
attention OF Virginian named John q.
Cabaniss, who was interested in two or
three faro games in New Orleans and
Memphis. He persuaded Jack to 60 to
New Orleans with him, where they re-
NAMED till 1849 when they came to
California. During the time they were
in New Orleans, they were prominent
members OF the Metairie Jockey club.
There first saw him at the fall meeting
of 1S4S, Just after the canal TO Lake
Ponchartrain was finished. MY uncle,
who ran cotton ship between there
and New York, took me out for voy-
age with him, and on the four-mile race
day we went to the tracK. The entries
were as follows:
sewell +. Taylor's tKentucky) b. m.
Fannie King. by imp. Glencoe-Mary
Smith by Sir Richard, years. l07
pounds.
John Minor Bolts (virginia) b. h.
Revenue, by imp. Trustee Rosalie
Somers by Sir Charles, 4 years, 100
pounds.
d. Il. Kenner's Louisiana) ch. h
Louis dor, by imp. Sarpedon-P
yune by Medoc, 4 years. 100 pounds.
+, 7. j. Wells (Louisiana) gr. In. Ann
Dunn, by imp. Sovereign Rsel by imp.
Glencoe, years, lO7 pcunds.
Louis dor won the frat heat and Ann
Dunn pulled up lame and was with
! drawn. Jack Gambill, who was distance
Judge, reported Fannie King outside the
flag in the second heat, won by Rsve-
/ nue.. Out OF this grew the biggest kind
| of row. Some Irishman who had bet
on Fannie King, as against Revenue or
Louis dor (there WAS no pool selling in
those days) came over to the judges
stand, claiming the mares head was in
side the flag. They were going to whip
Jack, but he placed his back against the
stand, SO they could not get behind
| him. and then knocked them down,
right and left, as fast as they could get
! up. Seven Of them spent that night in
iail. in addition TO black eyes all around
did not see him again till 1858. when I
found him AT Crescent City, in Northern
| California, running pack trains from
that place into Yreka and Jacksonville.
They had over 80 mules in their two
trains, and got to cents per pound
for every bit of freight they carried.
Thew alec had saloon and galnlng
house in Crescent City, now kept by
| Darby & Saville, where there WAS as
high as S20, 1000 night changing owner
| ship. By 1855, the Gold Beach bubble
had collapsed. and Colonel Jack re-
turned TO san Francisco. He had been
an equal owner in the Arcade, on Clay
street, with Mr.. Cabanise, ever since
they landed there in 1S49. In it were