Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1895-05-25
LIMPY JIM.

The Leadville stage pulled out of
Webster station one evening after sup
per with 10 'pilgrims" for the city in
the clouds. Webster was the end of the
track, and the route from there to the
carbonate camp lay over the summit of
Kenosha mountain, through the north
ern end of the South park and across
the famous Red hill, a doubly signifi
cant title by reason of tho color of the
soil and the bloody murders committed
there by the Mexican bandits, the Es-
pinosos From Red hill the road again
enters the South park, passes through
the old town of Fairplay, once bolster
Gus with the gayety Of pioneer gold dig
gers
Red hill was the danger point on the
first division of the road Near the sum-
NIT is little basin, where the road is
completely hidden from view on all
sides. Little gulches lead up to this
spot from the South park, atfording ev-
cry opportunity for road agents to reach
the place unseen and to likewise make
their escape. "Pilgrims' for Leadville
usually wero supplied with money, and
great deal of wealth originally in
tended for investment i'll the carbonate
camp was turned over to gentlemanly
persons who encountered the stage in
the little basin on Red hill.
The individual who sat on the dusty
old Concord coach and pulled the rib
bOus over six bronChos between Webster
and Fairplay was known as Jim. made
his acquaintance while we were at din
her in the rough board ''eating house"
at Webster. He was tall, slim, mus
cular man, with a swarthy complexion,
dark eyes and heavy mustache, black
as jet from the copious use of dye. He
wore high topped boots, with extremely
high heels, and his feet were small and
delicately shaped. His trousers were of
gorgeous plaid material, but the bot
toms were worn inside his boot tops
A wide brimmed white slouch hat was
cooked rakishly on the side of his head.
Some garish jewelry adorned the front
of his waistcoat. There was jaunty
air about him which was less pro-
nounCed by reason of the stiff and aWk-
ward way he carried his arms | attrib-
uted this to the natural effect of driv-
ing six spirited horses for years over
mountain road.
He had formerly been gentleman of
fortune, and at one time in his career
had amassed considerable sum of
money in tho gamo of chance known rs
draw poker. When he was at the height
of his prosperity, another gentleman of
fortune, late of Texas, drifted unosten-
tatiously into camp and caused the re-
port to be circulated that he was aching
for game. Jim undertook to relieve
the gentleman of tho pain he was suffer
ing on that account, and they met in
the back room of Uncle Billy Coleman S
Palace of Fashion, on Main street.
There was slight controversy in the
early part of the game, caused by re-
mark of Jim's to the effect that people
from Texas seemed to have moro luck
than a Chinaman.
The gentleman from Texas demurred
to this and said there was no such
thing as luck in draw poker. The chance
features of the game, he said, had all
been eliminated by the application of
skill and science He then proceeded to
demonstrate his assertion, which he did
to perfection. At the end of six hours
Jim's earthly possessions consisted of
the suit of clothes ho was wearing.
Everything else he had owned in the
world had passed into the hands of the
skillful and scientific gentleman from
Texas.
The Fairplay gambler arose from tho
table and relieved himself of some choice
profanity, most of which was directed
against himself He declared that he
was "better qualified to drive stage
than to pose as gentleman of fortune. !"
The superintendent of the stage line,
who was present, jocosely offered Jim
a job, and the penniless gambler in a
spirit of bravado accepted it and de-
clared then and there that he would
never touch the 'pasteboards" again as
long as he lived.
The gentleman from Texas took his
departure as unostentatiously as he had
come, but leaving behind him in his
room at the hotel a peculiar wire and
elastic oontrivance which puzzled the
brain of the landlord to determine its
use. Several persons to whom he ex-
hibited it declared they had never seen
anything like it before, but Jim at once
recognized it as contrivance known
as holdout, by means of which play
or retained cards in his possession, Sc
creted i'll his sleeves, which should be in
the deck. The phenomenal "hands"
held by the gentleman from Texas were
no longer mystery to Jim. He now
understood that it was not "Chinaman s
luck" that had beaten him, but this lit
tie contrivance, worn under the cloth
ing, by tho operation of which all ele-