Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-05-01
STAKED ON A CARD.
A. Poker Game in Which Two Re-
volvers Figured.

The major had just concluded hi
story wherein he figured as the hero o
a mighty poker game and won thou
sands of dollars on a royal flush, which
he held against another mans foul
Jacks. Every time the circle of ancien
and honorable RECRUITERS of adven
lures gathered in that corner of the
club the major was sure to spring one
of his marvellous poker tales upon the
party, and on this occasion he haC
quite outdone himself and likewise un
done himself, as was evident when the
westerner asked:
'What kind of deck were you us
ing in that game, major?"
why, a regular deck, sir a regu'
lar deck. Same as any other poker
deck" -
Then either you or the other man
must have had jack up his sleeve,
was the westerner's conclusion, 'for
there were evidently five jacks out in
that hand" 5a'
A roar of laughter at the majors ex-
pense greeted this announcement, and
It was redoubled when that veracious
raconteur got ratified and endeavored
to explain that he meant four tens.
Perhaps it was with view to cover
ing the majors embarrassment that
the westerner struck in, when the
noise subsidized, with a poker story of
his own.
81 would venture to say" he began,
''that no man living ever sat in a game
when more was at a stake on the turn
of card than in certain game which
once played in Frisco.
Five of us sat in and we all had
plenty of money to stake, but before
the game was over money was matter
of secondary interest, for three of us
had sat back and seen a card thrown
on which the life of one man, and prob
ably of two, depended.
II say we all had plenty of money,
but that isn't SO, for young Harry
Randall, who was then cashier of
bank, was, as I knew at the time, play
ing with money which meant ruin to
him if he lost. Before the game began
4 tried to keep him out, but he said to
me:
1--WE got to make a heavy win to-
lines on me in to-morrow's papers.
"By chat I knew that he was IN
volved too deeply to stop there, and
the game began. Next to Harry, on
his left, sat Mort Henry, a man who
should have been a professional gam
bier, for he played better poker than
any man ever had sat down to table
with before or since.
''He was fanatic upon the subject,
and any interruption or irregularity in
the game made him furious and even
dangerous, for Mort was, in quiet
way, bad man, and more than one
man had fallen before his revolver.
HE was clear nerve all the way.
through, and during the week in
which the same five of us had played
every night he was a big winner, TAX
ing chiefly from Harry Randall l sat
next to him on his left, and next to me
was mine owner named Smith, who
would have lost thousands instead of
hundreds but for his great caution in
play.
"A wealthy, retired physician was
the fifth member of the party. He
and Smith were going cast on the fol-
lowing day, SO that night was our last
play, and it started high
t'There was no limit, and, though I
was pretty well fixed in those days, /
began to get uneasy at the pace, but
my cards kept me about even. Smith
and Mort Henry were winning, the
doctor was losing heavily, and Harry
was petering out his chips little by lit
tie, the most maddening thing in
poker, and getting up very nasty tenn
per over it.
Whisky was going pretty lively and
Harry was taking more than his share
of it. This made me the more uneasy,
because the more he drank the more
ugly he became, his temper being di-
srected toward Mort Henry, who was
taking it enthusiastically. '@
''As time went on and Harry became
more abusive, saw an ugly look come
dnto Morris face, and once or twice /
snanaged to slip in word, quietly
begging him to overlook the young fell
lows remarks, for was afraid of
trouble
well the trouble came soon enough,
and along with it the most stupendous
and splendid bluff / have ever seen.
Harry had lost quite little money
through the evening, and the play
was steadily getting higher under the
forcing tactics of Smith and Henry,
who kept winning steadily,
''At length it came to a big jackpot,
Mort Henry dealing, I opened it with
three good ones, and was rather in
clined to exult when Smith raised me. !
but rather less inclined when the doc
Stor raised him, and positively doubtful
when Harry lifted him with good,
f.big stack of chips.
Mort dropped out, not feeling quail
lied in putting up SO much on a me-
Diminished pair. I stayed, Smith |
stayed and the doctor raised only to
be hiked back by Randall, who was
stalking his all on lucky chance, as
we afterward saw
MY three were too good to throw
down, and | stayed until afte the pot /
enough money to have
rsnade up all Harry had lost during the
week, the final call was made by the