The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-31
LIFE STAKED ON A CARD.
A GAME OF POKER IN WHICH TWO
REVOLVERS FIGURED.
whether They should he Used or Not
Depended Upon the Turn of a Card.
A Big BIun Raises n Question OF
CHEATING.

wherein he figured as the hero OF mighty
poker game and won thousands Of dollars
on a royal flush, which he held against
another mans four Jacks. Every time the
circle OF ancient and honorable RECRUITERS
Of adventures 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 had quite
outdone himself and likewise undone him
self, as was evident when the westerner
asked:
What kind of a deck were you using
in that game. majOr?"
''why, a regular deck. sir. a regular
deck. Same as any other poker deck"
Then either you or the other man must
have had a jack up his sleeve" was the
westerners conclusion. "for there were
evidently five jacks out in that hand"
A roar of laughter at the majors ex-
pense greeted this announcement. and It
was redoubled when that veracious recon-
teur got ratified and endeavored to ex-
plain that he meant four tens. Perhaps
IL was with a view to covering the majors
embarrassment that the westerner struck
in. when the noise subsidized, with a poker
story of his own.
II would venture to say" he began,
that no man living ever sat in a game
when more was at stake on the turn of a
card than in a 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 proba-
bly, of two, depended / say we all had
plenty of money, but that isn't so, for
young Harry Randall, who was then cash
Ter of bank, was, as knew at the time
playing with money which meant ruin to
him If he lost. Before the game began
tried TO keep him out, but he said to me:
I've got to make a heavy win tonight
orwell, they'll have big headlines on me
in to-morrow's papers"
by that knew that he was involved
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 gambler, for he played bet
ter poker than any man 1 ever had sat
down to a table with before or since. He
was fanatic upon the subject, and any
interruption or irregularity in the game
made him furiotfs and even dangerous,
for Mort was, In a quiet way a 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, taking
chiefly from Harry Randall / sat next
to him on his left, and next to me was
a 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 We're
going east on the following day, so that
night was our last play, and it started
high. There was mo- limit, and though 1
was pretty we'll fi&ed in those days, 1 be-
gan 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 peter
ing out his chips little by little, the most
maddening thing in poker, and getting up
a very nasty temper over 1t.
Whisky was going pretty lively, and
Harry was taking more than his share
of 1t. This made me the more uneasy, be-
cause the more he drank the more ugly
he became. his temper being directed to-
ward Mort Henry, who was taking II
good naturally. AS time went on and
Harry became more abusive, 1 saw an
ugly look come into Morris face, and
once or twice l managed to slip in a
word, quietly begging him TO overlook the
young fellows remarks, for l was afraid
of trouble. Well, the trouble came soon
enough, and along with 1T the most stu
pendous and splendid bluff | have ever
seen. Harry had lost quite a little money
through the evening, and the play was
steadily getting higher under the fore
ing tactics of Smith and Henry. who sxep:
winning steadily. At length II came 10
a big jackpot, Mort Henry dealing. ]
opened 1t with three good ones and was
rather inclined to eXult when Smith raised
me- but rather less inclined when the
doctor raised him, and positively doubt
full when Harry lifted him a good. big
stack of chips. Mort dropped out, not
feeling qualified in putting up so much
on a medium-sized pair. / stayed, Smith
stayed and the doctor raised, only to be
hiked back by Randall, who was stalking
his all on a lucky chance, as we afterward
saw. MY threes were too good to throw
down. and | stayed until after the pot
represented enough money to have made
up all Harry had lost during the week
the final call was made by the doctor and
the draw came.
"Of course my draw was two cards
Mort dealt them out slowly, and they
didn't help my hand any 1t was Smith s
draw. and began wondering IL my trio
wasn't better than his.
az play these, said the doctor, stead
lily, and I saw Harry's mouth, which had
become a little tremulous with drink, SET
firm as he called for one card. My esti-
mate of his hand was that he held a bob
tail straight flush open at both ends, for ]
reckoned that he wouldn't have raised on
two pairs, as he had done, and it proved
that I was right. For once In his life
Mort dealt the cards high, and the first one
off the pack fell face up. 1t was the
eight Of hearts. Never in my life have
seen emotions so portrayed in a mans
face as in Harry RandalPs. BY the rules
of the game he could not claim the fallen
card, but was required 10 take the next
one. Despair, doubt, and a sudden resolve
showed themselves in his face one after
another, and then the young mans eyes
were fixed on the pack from which Mort
Henry had half pushed the next card. II
seemed impossible that Harry could have
seen 1t, yet 1 would have sworn that he
did, as his face lighted up, and then would
have sworn that he didn't as it blazed forth
in anger the next instant.
" i take that card he said, pointing to
the eight of hearts.
" The card is out by the rules said the
doctors
" Don't be a fool. Harry. I put in
l.