The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-24
From the New York Sun.

ers Who Would Bet Cotton Bales
and Negro Servants.
From the New York Sun.
vicksburg, Miss, June 10.-There are
about twenty of the real old-time Missis-
sinpi river gamblers who linger about
Memphis and Vicksburg, and common
delight of theirs is to relate the glories of
Gambling on ''the river" in the good old
DAVIS before railroads hemmed in the
Mississippi up and down each bank from
source to mouth.
Tom Ellison, now tottering about Vicks-
burg on warm days, and showing the eff
fects of severe rheumatism and y years
of age in every movement, is probably the
most widely known of any of the old
professional river gamblers now living.
The tourists from the cold north in this
region every winter make favorite of
Tom Ellison, and he recounts to them
many a thrilling tale of the time when he
made $4,000 and over in one night and
lost it all the succeeding night.
There isn't any more milling now"
said Tom Ellison the other day, land no
Gamblers either. Look at what they call
Gamblers now-kids, nothing but kids,
who haven't got either sense or manners.
There amt many of us old fellows left.
and it is hard scratching most of the time
IN make regular connection with meals.
The river used to be the place for
Gambling, but that's been dead for twenty
Years, and don't guess it'll ever come 10
life again. But those were the days. my
boy-great days for the town, with thirty
six steamboa all at the wharf at once,
the levee covered with drays, and every
snort with stuff in his pockets and lots of
good clothes.
i guess there was 500 men who worked
the boats between here and New Orleans,
and there's no telling how much money
thew did pull of the travellers. 1t was
dead easy money, too, all The time Every
one who travelled had lots of stuff, and
every one was willing to bet, and bet
high; so when fellow did win he won
right out of the hole at once. Those
southern planters used to lose money just
like fun, and were skinned right and left.
Occasionally they caught on and there
was a shooting match but the boys didn't
take much chance on being plugged.
I've seen forty gamblers on one boat
the John Dickey That was in 81, when
the officers at NatcheZ cleaned all the
gamblers out of town. The whole gang
met the boat at the wharf and started to
come aboard, but the captain wouldn't
let them on unless they promised no to
play a card aboard. They promised, and
he took them on, and the boat came on up
the river.
You never saw tireder-looking lot of
gamblers in your life than them. They
hadn't anything to do, and some of them
looked like they had just as soon jump
overheard as not They kept their prom
Use not to play card, but how they did
skin the passengers on other games.
George Devou got little piece of tin
foil wrapped it around some salt and, sit
ting down near the stove, warmed it and
put it up against his cheek. He'd hold
it there while, warm it again, and put
it back.
Presently a passenger who got &C
quainted with one of Georges pals OBJ
served his actions and inquired what he
was doing. George said he was curing
his neuralgia, and he explained the cure.
After he had done so he kept up the thing
for while, and then he left the cure on
the stove hearth and went out.
Then Georges pal marked the pack
age, and suggested that it would be a
good joke to change the salt for ashes,
Just to observe what strength Devoll' S
belief had in curing his neuralgia. The
passenger, a planter, fell in and changed
the salt for ashes and left it on the
hearth. Devon comes back and begins
his monkey business again, and the
planter comes around and guys George
about the cure being no good, and finally
George is so dead sure he is cured him
self that the planter gets hot and says
hell bet there is no salt in the tinfoil.
George puts him off, and his pal shows
the planter what a dead sure thing he
has got and works him up for George in
great shape. They finally bet-S300 was
the money and, of course, George shifts
duplicate of his first package on the
planter and shows up the salt The
planter was clean 'cornered, but he was
working George on a dead sure thing and
couldn't squeal.
We'll, sir, those gamblers got all on
mat boat, and though they didn't touch a
card, they cleaned out pretty near every
body that had stuff. We landed at a
Woodplle to take on wood and the pass
engers all got out on the bank, and the
gamblers all got to betting about run
ming Jumps, and of course the passengers
dropped in. So they'd run off the gang
plank and up TO tree to jump, when the
lrst gambler would say. Hello, what's
here and stop. Behind the tree one of
the gang had begun throwing threc-card
monte, while the other got up the jump
ING, scheme. The gamblers won just to
make the game good, and the way those
fellows skinned the passengers was hor-
rible
The captain got on to the scheme, and
when the boat started off up the stream
the whole gang-forty of 'em-were Just
marooned there in the woods on a cold
night.
But they took the next boat up or
uown, and worked their way up this way
Or down to New Orleans.
That wasn't gambling-it was rob-
oihg; but that's what went as gambling
IN those times. The fellows had to be
pretty slick, can tell you. When boat
started out of New Orleans, say, a couple
OF gamblers would be on board. They
were often well-educated fellows, and
always fine dressers. All they did was
Just get acquainted with men with money,
ana size up how much they had This
was easily done, because card playing
W.T., WAS the only thing to pass away the time.
-I,htese cappers wouldn't win any money.
1ley were just to do the gentleman, but
"hen they got off the boat their pals
saMe on at some point up the river with
d Iuu knowledge of how much money
mere was on the boat, what men had it,
auu now these men were best approached.
:, III wasn't hard TO get acquainted, and
~ wasn't hard to get up game of euchre
al!er drink. Once the game was on the
Jung was smooth; the dealer fixed the
ueck and dealt out good poker hand to
eue mark, but better one TO his own
partner who promptly declared:
i We got a good hand I'D like tn