The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04

and who thought he was very slick
hand at poker. Mcdonald had a friend
named Levy, who also had plenty Of
money and yearning to increase his pile
at my expense. We had a little game
Mcdonald suggesting a $3.50 limit, and
we played until the place closed at 5 80
in the morning.
'They had won probably 500 and they
were crazy TO stuff their pockets full of
those crisp Sl00-bills that | was display
ing so lavishly. So Mcdonald rented
room at the Hotel Cosmopolitan and after
playing nearly all day he owed me SIS.
Then he went around town telling people
that he had lost $1,000. / was giving a
little dinner party prior to a little game
at the Waldorf that night when Melon
aid brought reporter.
1.-THE next day five papers jumped on
me with both feet. was going to grin
and bear it., but along come couple of
lawyers, who talked me into suing the
papers for $4,000 each. Those two block
head 'chump' lawyers were the ruin of
me.
Each paper published about three
columns day about me, and if there ever
was a mean incident of my eareerof some
thing that / didn't want known they
raked it up and told all about 1t. They
had the cases continued twice in court,
and then l went to mighty good friend
of mine and asked him what he thought
I'd better do.
"'Billy, old boy, said he, buy ticket
for somewhere; dig grave and bury
yourself; go up in balloon and stay up /;
jump off the Brooklyn bridge; do any
thing, but don't keep those papers mad.
l took his advice, and here | ann
On his way east Hurt says he met a
man who, deceived by his story, intro
duced him and even got his name posted
for membership in the Manhattan Club
Out of respect for this man the gambler
refrained from cards while at the Man
haitian as visitor, and later had his APP
plication for membership withdrawn.
He went to Europe and within two
hours Of Sandy Hook was in game. A
Wall street clerk was the victim, losing
S3700. He was broke and Hurt proposed
to give him $500 and one-third of all he
could win in games which the clerk was
to arrange. The first game was with
South African diamond merchant, and
netted the clerk $4,000 The clerk had
his 50, 700 and S4, 100 more when the yes
sci reached Liverpool.
Through friends in London he was in
troduced to Lord Roseberry, who had him
posted for membership in the Pelican
club. He learned to play nap and bacca-
rat there and also met Lord Charles
Oglesby and so ''swelled his headn that
he was able to ''rope i'm all his friends
and got so rich that he decided TO go to
Paris.
There he met Charles Fair, but the
latter did not expose him. He learned
rouge ct noir and won at it. Then he
went to Carlsbad and met Theodore
Rothschild. His only regret is that
Rothschild escaped him. He says:
"We swan and drove and had some
dinners. A sure-thing gambler named
Tarbaugh, who represented himself as IA
western cattleman, got Rothschild into
little bunco game aud won $4,000.
81 could have skinned him out of
enough TO make me easy for life, but he
got telegram one day saving that his
wife was very i'll and he had to leave me
and go home. | never had a chance to
meet him again. Wasn't that fought I
could have got the earth from him at
cards, but thought l would have more
than the earth by not skinning him and
using him in other ways.
81 got through with France and re-
turned to England in time to play the
races and lose about 5000, 900. 1 dropped
800, 900 on the derby alone. Then l got
disguised and came home on the Ma
jestic. ultn pesssa 4s re- h.r~-
L dropped over 10 CnlCdRO IN JlIne' 10
win 81, 900 on one hand with Warren f.
Leland, the proprietor of the Leland no
tel. 1t was the same old game Of the
miner from California. I bet $500; he
raised me 81 900. l raised him S., 900, and
he nearly tainted.
''He studied a long time, but finally
called, and | showed down a straight
flush to his four aces.
He looked hard at me for a minute
and said: "Mr. Hurt, you had the deal,
believer said Yes and he sighed and
left the room But Leland is a thorough
gentleman, for next morning he sent me
check for the money. l found time while
in Chicago to learn baccarat from Count
Achilles Verdalle at the Hotel Richelieu,
and the count paid 81 600 for the pleasure
of teaching me the game.
All have got to show for my life is
$4,000 worth Of property, dyspepsia and
a broken constitution. I wouldn't 20
through the past twenty years again for
SlO0,OOO,000, It's hard game to beat,
and there's nothing in it,"