Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-04
CARLISLE'S FOUR ACES.
An Incident That is Said to Have Inn
pressed MIR. Cleveland.

An Incident That is Said to Have Inn
pressed MIR. Cleveland.
Walter Wellman in Chicago Times-Herald.
WASHINGTON October 2s.-One of the
best poker stories know has the unusual
merit Of being true. Most poker stories are
fictions; this one deals with facts. During
the first Cleveland administration there was
a little game at the house of Mr.. Whitney
Sitting in were Grover Cleveland. John G.
Carlisle w. L. Scott. Henry Watterson and
the host-just nice ive-handed game, and
a company of royal good fellows, as every
one will admit. The play was strictly sena-
torial-$5 ante by the ant dealer, s. limit
Charley Farwell straights-around-the-c
ner, Billy Mahone-hlazes and everything
going. OF course, Mr.. Whitney set an ele-
CANT luncheon, with all proper trimmings.
and about midnight there was 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 MIS-
tory of the country. Grover Cleveland
skinned the cards which were dealt him by
John Carlisle, and remarked they were
worth little raise before the draw. W. l..
Scott stayed in; Henry Watterson. belliger-
ent as usual, added another raise, which
vas met by William C. Whitney. John G.
Carlisle trailed In. Mr.. Cleveland now tilted
Watterson, and the others stayed, except
that WatterSOn again Jerked TWO Dlue cnlpS
instead of one to the middle of the table.
There were several mole raises backward
and forward between Cleveland and w. ter
son, and the pace became so hot between
these two that the others discreetly dropped
out with their single pairs-aH except Car
lisle who continued to trail in.
Finally Cleveland stopped meeting the
frisky Wattersons ultimatums. and cards
were drawn. Cleveland took one, and every
body KIN wv he had either three of a kind or
two big pair. Watterson stood pat, and
Cleveland sized him up for q bluff. To the
great establishment of every one, Dealer Car
isle helped himself to four cards. All hands
were much amused at this display of poker
innocence, and the players winked at one
another behind their cards. Watterson said
something to the effect that Carlisle had
been so long away from Kentucky he must
have forgotten most that he ever. knew. But
when Cleveland had merely Clipped against
Watterson's pat, and Watterson had rushed
In with another blue, there was more as
constituent Carlisle quietly showed in two
blues. Cleveland responded with another
raise, Watterson held his cards close to the
end of his nose and returned to the charge
After the center of the ia Die had been piled
high with blue chips. the man with the four
card draw making the last raise, there was
showdown. Cleveland had filled two pairs,
Watterson had a pat straight, but Carlisle
spread out four aces. AS he showed the blue
pile toward the lean Kentuckian, Mr.. Cleve-
land exclaimed: Drew four cards to an ace,
and got the other three. by thunder! That's
genius: that's flnanceering. Carlisle, If I
come back for second term, you're the man
I want for my Secretary Of the Treasury"