Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-07-13
THEY'RE PLAYING YET.


Governor Hogg OF Texas never plays
poker himself. but he tells more good
stories of the national game than any
other public man in this section OF the
country. His story Of the great Nor
gan-Danielson game. now running In
Austin, Is one OF the most unique
in all the history OF poker.
odd man Morgan" said the gov
ernor, at the Fifth Avenue hotel. day
or two ago was one OF the most in
Veterate poker players in the Lone star
state. away back in the 50's. His pas
sion for the game was rivalled only by
that OF his bosom friend and neNt-door
neighbor Mai. Danielson. The two old
cronies used to get together every night
and Indulge in quiet little game Of
table stakes. Sometimes they lost large
sums 10 one another, but they were
both enormously rich, and the balance
was generally pretty even,
"One night they started to play soon
after supper-follSs dincd in the middle
OF the day In those days. you know.
The exact date was June Is, 1858, and
the hour was p. IN.
After they had been playing a couple
Of hours, Morgan, who had just finished
dealing. Strengthened up in his chair
and became rigid The next moment
| he kicked himself vigorously, because
he feared he had betrayed to Daniel
son the fact that he had an extraordi-
nary hand.
but the major had also caught
| something wonderful. Each was so ex-
| cited that he didn't notice the perturba-
| ton of the other, Both were so nervous
! that they could scarcely speak.
betting an Might.
AT length Mai. Danielson started
the ball He bet cautiously at first as
| did Morgan. THEN the betting became
llvlier and inside Of a couple OF hours
the action was fast and furious
After midnight the bets became
larger. Each OF the players had
about $4,000 on the table when the
| game began. At o'clock in the morn
ing all of the chips were stacked up In
the center but neither OK the men
showed any sign of WEAKNESS.
AT Mnrgan's suggestion they made
| II no-limlt game, Then they began to
| bet with thousand dollar checks. and
pretty soon the table fairly groaned be-
] meath the weight Of wealth
Daylight found them still betting.
The weight Of the chips had broken
/ down the table and the players had
| written their checks for the amounts
they had wagered during the night.
Each OF these checks bore Eve figures.
stopping only for meals, Morgan
/ and Danlelson continued to bet against
each other on those wonderful hands
until nightfall. Then they adjourned
Tor SIX hours to sleep. and resumed the
play again at midnight. They kept II
up all the rest Of the week. and for the
remainder of the year.
4 AT the end OF the year, each OF them
had invested his entire fortune-cash,
bonds, stocks live stock. land, houses,
! everything In that game. People began
to hook To Austin from all parts Of the
| state, aud from the neighboring princl-
pal cities, to see the great Morgan
Danielson game,
They're Betting stu.
''nhe war came along, but the game
never stopped. Morgan and Danielson
were both too old 10 be conscrlptea. so
they stayed home and went on win
their betting.
FINALLY It became apparent that
neither would ever call the other. so
the hands were sealed up separately In
Tin boxes, and the rest OF the deck was
put In another one. The three boxes
were deposited In the national bank.
each bearing the seals OF the plavers
ana OF dozen witnesses Then Morga n
and Danielson went on with their bst-
ting.
Both OF the old men died in 1879
having been playing for twenfv-ons
years, but they left Instructions m their.
wins to the effect that their eldest sons
should carry on the game.
The heirs did 50 for five years Tban
one OF them was Killed in railroad
accident and the other went crazy.
Their eldest sons, however. are
CARRYING on the game in the same old
way, livery Time either of them gets
Few hundred dollars together. he eoes
over to Austin ana raises the other fel-
low out of his boots. Both families are
poor as church mice now. ana les
an they can do to get enough FOR the
necessities OF life; but they're game 10
the last, and so long as either OF them
IAN earn cent, the world win never
MORGAN and Maj. Danielson drew on
mat halmy June evening forty-one
years ago"-New York Morning Jour