The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-04
SOME OF +" H|DALGO'S" GOSSIP
Anent Several Men of the Early
Days of Frisco.
cal. Dick Ross "Goes over the Dr.
vide" in New York.
"Reminiscences OF What Game Near
Costing Judge Terry His Life.
ecollections of Pioneer
Adventurous.

aged 81 years. He was not the oldest in
the United States. however, for Henry
J. Cotton (who was tried for his life in
New York in 1S43 and acquitted for
want of evidence) is still alive and APP
perently vigorous man of his years.
He owns up to being 80, and as he was
the leading betting authority in New
York 30 years ago. think hs must be
even older than that,
Cotton and his partner, Reuben Par
sons, kept faro bank at East Barclay
street in the rear OF the Aston house,
and man named Corlies kept bowl
ing saloon in the basement of the build
ing. One night Corlies was found dead
on the sidewalk with knife wound in
mis- heart, and as he had complained to
q friend that Cotton was too attentive
to his (Corlies') wife, a few days previ-
GUS, Cotton was arrested and indicted
for murder. David and John Graham
we're his counsel and secured an acquit-
tai for him.
When John M. Clay. youngest son of
the Great Commoner. shot his trainer,
Jerome Edger, for throwing off" race,
he fed to New York, and Cotton slowed
him away till Edger recovered, and
then Clay paid him $4,000 to square it
up. Edger became guerilla in Nor
gan's band during the war and was
shot. 1t was on account of Cotton
friendship for him on the occasion mem
toned that John Clay named horse
after him, colt of Lexington, out of
Topaz dam of LodD by Glencoe
Cotton was the sire of the famous Cali
fornia stallion Monday, but never got
anything else of any merit.
trust this depression will be par
doned by the reader, for Cotton was
never in California. Dick Ross was un-
doubtedly the next elder in years, and
his death removes picturesque and
stately figure, well known in Virginia
City and San Francisco up to 1885.
Colonel Ross was one of the '49srs, and
thought never saw two finer looking
men than he and his partner, James P.
Rynders "a cousin OF the redoubtable
Isaiah), when they kept one OF the big
faro games in the Bella Union at the cor
ner of Washington and Kearney streets,
over 40 years ago. Ross was six feet two
inches in his stockings while Rynders
was just six feet. Ross seldom did any
"bucking" against the royal Bengal ami
Edward Moses, who died in 1890 were
inveterate devotees at the Egyptian
shrine.
When T. ]. A. Chambers, Franklin G.
Gray, Abraham Crawford. Ulysee Du-
four and two other men whose names
never we're made public, put up $4,000
as "fyer" in the Eldorado. at which
man could bet just what he liked,
Moses was the first man to sit down to
the table. .4a- 81
whats the limit to this game ?" he
asked.
your conscience" replied Crawford.
Moses pulled out two certificates of
deposit on Page. Bacon & Co. for Sic, 900
each and took 80 blue chips of value
of $500 each. He played less than three
hours and lost every dollar. The follow
ing losses are known to have been made
in the 40 hours through which that
game lasted:
William Thompson, $4,000; G. H.
Carriere, 1900: Fielding Brown, $4,000;
George Pettibone, $4,000; Charles Cora,
$4,000; John Monteith, $4,000; Charles
Rolla, $4,000; John G. Cabaniss, $4,000,
and Edward Moses, 10000. Several
heavy losses were made by business men
of that period, notably $4,000 by E. W.
Teackle, then a merchant at the corner OF
Jackson and Sansome street. Several
heavy winnings were made by lucky
"punters," but the game had over $780,
600 on hand when it opened on the sec.
ond day. Frank Gray, at 2 p. m. of that
day, sold his one-sixth interest for $780,
600 and was lucky to get out.
The other gambling house keepers.
while they believed that no game could
live unless protected by limited betting,
plainly saw that all the sporting patron
age must 90 to the Eldorado while the
big flyer" was in force. So it was that
Colonel Ross gave Moses $4,000 to 20
over and try his luck again. 1t lasted
him just 80 minutes.
That afternoon over rs of the richer
sporting men from interior towns took
steamers at Stockton and Sacramento
for San Francisco, intending to get a
chance to put down ct least $4,000 on a
card. They got there too late, for the
Sacramento boat wac two hours late.
and the game wac broken fiat as a
founder" The man who did the lob
James P. Rynders, who died in Oakland
about seven months ago. After Moses
came back and reported his second
losing to Colonel Ross, Ryndera jumped
up and said:
"Well, that games got to be
EQuelcbed, II have to do it myself"
He was duly sober, and took $4,000
out of the safe from his own sack. Du-
four was dealing as he entered the room
and sat down to the table, saying
MIR. Parleyvoo, I've come for your
scalp" The dapper little Frenchman
smiled. He had heard good deal of
that kind OF talk in the previous 20
hours.
Rynders called for come brandy be-
fore the close OF the second DEAL for
he was already $4,000 loser at the
game. By the fifth deal he was even
and a fairly good winner, but that did
net satisfy him. He had started out
with one observation-disclosures break the
bank, AT So'clock he was quite drunk
and had eaten nothing, but he was
beating each deal little. At 9 O'Clock
he lost seven $4,000 bets ia one deal, but
that did not squelch him. In this way
things wore along until at 1920 he had
over $4,000 worth of cheeks. james
Johnson was dealing. 1t came down to
tina last turn. Rynder by this time was
half.stupid from brandy; he piled down
$4,000 coppered on the king, played
$lu,Ou0 more between the six and the
nine, and then called the turn to come
"king--six" FOR $4,000 moro. There was
an omlnous silence as johnson drew
forth king and then followed the six.
IL TOOK Sy0, 900 to nav Rvndera alone