The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-30
FORTUNE ON THE TABLE.
The Man With Two Trays and Nerve
Raked in the So. 1000.
Cape May Cor. Philadelphia Press.

Cape May Cor. Philadelphia Press.
Not long ago a carpenter, repairing the
lighthouses adjacent to the lawn of the
New Congress Hall-the old frame build
ing, with its romantic history, where Hen
~ Clay and Reverdy johnson used to
spend the month Of August, having Ions
ago burned to the ground-found a"stack''
of blue chips" wrapped up, with faro lay
out, in a pair of fisherman's oilskin panta-
looms. 1t took the Oldest inhabitant on the
island (Cape May itg3s formerly an Is
find. .4rsoss-
The blue chips and the green baize were
all that were left of the famous Blue
Pig" a neat little two-story cottage erect
ed at the northeast corner of Windsor
avenue and North street, to which place
1t has been moved and made into a sum
mer dwelling. 1t was built and named
the Blue Pig by Harry Cleveland, a
most famous gambler in the days of Pet
tibone, Joe Hall, Ned Pendleton and Cot
onel Martin, all of whom have long since
found without seeking, the innocuous
desuetude of the grave, in which there is
no high card, and where the defunct
gambler can no longer "call the turn
Nothing but solid silver was tolerated by
Harry Cleveland, and the walters always
wore swallow-tail coats at dinner, and no
plebeian could enter the sacred portals of
the blue Pig" because ships of a smaller
denomination that IS were not tolerated.
Congressman, senators, cotton platers and
swell New York bankers much affected the
blue Pig" No higher play was ever seen
anywhere a the seashore than that which
nightly occurred at Harry Cleveland's s,
while the sturdy gamblers listened to
what the wild waves were saying without,
while they played poker devoured yet
loW-legged lover or listened to the music
of the roulette wheel within.
Among the many casual visitors to the
island was that arbiter of elegance among
Crump of the Shakespeare Club. who had
nearly fifty years experience on the turf
The major, in giving some interesting rec
objections of the "Blue Pig" said: ut
was in 1856 the year Buchanan was
elected President. l spent my days at
Congress Hall during midsummer, and
my nights at the Blue Pig Cleveland
was absolutely rolling in wealth, and
spent July and August at the seashore
to play the matured magnihco, and you
may be sure he did it with royal hand.
Il saw the biggest game of poker at the
Blue Pig in 1856, that 1 ever saw in
my life. There were five at the table
Cleveland. schuyler Halsey, his friend,
one of the Philadelphia Whitneys and
two southern planters. The pot opened
with s. ante, and all the FIVE came
in. 1t was understood that the game
was without limit; one of the planters
dealt. Cleveland 'straddled the blind with
$40, and the other planter came in rails
Whitney had only pair of jacks and
went out. The planter who dealt soon
quit with four fours in his hand and
the second planter soon followed suit
This left Cleveland and Halsey in the
game and each, with checkbook In hand,
eagerly scanned the pot and saw each
other and went many thousands better.
The game soon became intensely exciting,
not only to the two players, but to all
the onlookers, and it was plain as a
pikestaff that one of them would go
broke at the end of the game Cleveland
looked confident, but so did Halsey, who
finally saw Cleveland's raise and non
chalantly threw upon the table a check
for 5000. Cleveland raised Halsey 81, OOO
but the suave New York gambler smiling
" went Cleveland $1,000 better and his
face was a study for a Sphinx.
Cleveland could not stand the pres
sure, and angrily threw down his cards
a sheet, reached out and scooped in
the jack pot, which, in cash and checks,
amounted to just $4,000. Cleveland arose
He was feet 4 inches in hight, and fairly
yelled: 'Bluffed, I'll swearr
"Halsey had pair of trays"