The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-11-09
A GREAT POKER GAME.
Car1isles Play Won for Him His
Present Office as Secretary.

Present Office as Secretary.
Washington Special: One of the
best poker stories l know has the
unusual merit of being true, says
Walter Wellman, the Washington
correspondent. Most poker stories
are fictitious; this one deals with
facts. During the first Cleveland
administration there was a little game
at the house of Mr.. Whitney, Sit
ting in were Grover Cleveland, John
g. Carlisle, W. l.. Scott, Henry
Watterson and the host-just a nice
f~ive-handed game, and a good COM
pany of royal good fellows, as every
one will admit. The play was strict
ly senatorial-$5 ante by the ante
dealer, ~ limit Charley Farwell
straight-around-the-corne Billy
Mahone-blazes and everything goes.
OF course, Mr.. Whitney set an ele-
giant luncheon, with all proper trim
mlngs, and about midnight there was
a good deal of bluffing over the cards
and no end of bantering across the
table. Finally came the deal which
makes the story, and which may have
an important bearing on the history
of the country. Grover Cleveland
skinned the cards which were dealt
him by John Carlisle, and remarked
they were worth a little raise before
the draw. w. L. Scott stayed in;
Henry, beligerent as usual, added
another raise, which was met by w.
G, Whitney. John Carlisle trailed
in. Mr.. Cleveland now tilted Wat
terson, and the others stayed, except
that Watterson again .jesked two
blue chips instead of one to the mid
die of the table. There were sever
al more raises backward and forward
between Cleveland and Watterson.
and the pace became so hot between
these two that the others discretely
dropped out with their single pairs,
all except Carlisle, who continued to
trail in
Finally Cleveland stopped meet
ing the frisky Watterson's ultimat.
um's, and cards we're drawn. Cleve-
tand took one, and everybody knew
he had either three of a kind or two
big pair. Watterson stood pat and
Cleveland sized him up for a bluff.
10 the establishment of every one,
dealer Carlisle helped himself to four
cards. All hands were much amused
at this display of poker innocence,
and winked at one another behind
their cards. Watterson said some
thing to the effect that Carlisle had
been so long away from Kentucky
he must have forgotten most he ever
knew. But when Cleveland had
merely Clipped against Watterson's
pat, and Watterson had rushed in
with another blue, there was more
establishment. Carlisle quietly shov-
ed in two blues, Cleveland responded
with another raise, Watterson held
his cards close to his nose, and re-
turned to the charge, and the Ken
tuckian tilted them again. After
the center of the table had been pill
ed high with blue chips, the man
with the four-card draw making the
last raise, there was a show down.
Cleveland had filled two pairs, Wat
terson had a pat straight, but Car
Isle spread out four aces. As he
showed the blue pile toward the lean
Kentuckian, Mr.. Cleveland exclaim-
ed; "Drew four cards to an ace,
and got the other three, by thunder!
That's genins! That's fnanciering,
Carlisle, if [ come back for a second
term, you're the man | want for my
secretary of the treasury"