The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-06
JAMES BOWlE'S DUELS.
Legends Of the Mississippi River in the
Early Sixties.

Legends Of the Mississippi River in tht
Early Sixties.
Late as the year 1860, the steamers
plying on the Mississippi river were
Just as infested with organized gangs Of
gamblers as are some Of the steamers
now that ply between this country and
Europe, and the scenes thereon occur
ring were frequently of a violent char
acter, for people are robbed nowadays
with much more equanimity in al
ways than they we're in the good ole
times.
During the fall of 1892, the steamer
Orleans, Capt. Davis commanding
running between Nashville and the
Crescent City, became the theatre Of
a rather typical encounter A young
man, of Natchez, going North for the
summer on his wedding trip, had been
requested by number of merchants
and planters in his neighborhood te
collect sundry accounts due them in
New York and some other places which
he proposed to visit.
A gambling syndicate, in some mys
terious way, had gotten news Of this
and had been informed that if prop
erly handled, the young man might be
an easy mark. They watched him
carefully, and shortly after his arri'
val in New York some of their mem
bers made his acquaintance and learn
ed that he would return South by way
of Pittsburg, where he proposed to
board steamer for Louisville, and
after visiting few days in that city,
to take packet for New Orleans that
stopped at Natchez and other points
on the river.
One Of the men who had made his
acquaintance in New York joined him
on the boat at Pittsburg, and, greeting
him heartily as an old friend, intro
duced him to two alleged Louisiana
planters, who made themselves quite
agreeable. Cards were introduced in
the gentlemen's 8 cabin during the even.
ing, and the young man was allowed
to win small sums, 80 that by the time
the boat reached Louisville he fondly
imagined he was complete master Of
the game and the equal Of his oppo-
nents.
The game played in those days was
twenty card poker, that is with no
cards in the deck below the ten-an
excellent game to hold high and in
spring hands and in which the "three-
pluck-one'' or favorite cross-lifting
trick of the gambling fraternity can be
brilliantly employed.
The packet Orleans was differently
built from steamers nowadays, the
men cabin being on the main deck,
directly under the women's, and, in
stead Of the round wheel houses of the
present, those of the Orleans were
square, with fat top which rose with
in two feet of the hurricane deck, with
a distance between these houses Of
about thirty-six feet.
The gamblers had won all their vic,
Tins money but few thousand be-
fore the vessel reached Vicksburg, but
intended to complete their work before
it arrived at Natchez.
But few miles above Vicksburg a
tall man with smooth-shaven face,
who looked very much like preacher,
had come on board and he, with others,
stood looking at the game in the men s
cabin. The dupe was half drunk and
wholly desperate, the iufatuation of
hoping to win back holding him as in
a wise and making him deaf to the en-
treaties and tears of his young wife,
who several times had pushed through
the throng of men, begging him to
leave the game and come to their state.
room.
At l o'clock in the morning the last
dollar Of the victim had been swal.
lowed up by the human river sharks,
and, rising from the table, he rushed
wildly to the sides Of the vessel
doubtless with the intention of antici-
pating disgrace by suicide. He was
seized by the tall stranger, who had
followed him, and by his wife, who
was watching him, and was pursuaded
to 20 to his cabin and seek sleep in
stead of death.
"Keep awake and watch him closely
till I return" said the stranger to the
distracted wife.
Going back to the cabin where the
gamblers aud others were clustering
at the bar, the stranger drew from his
pocket big wallet, and handing a slOC
bill to the bartender, quietly asked
for change. The other being unable
to make it, referred him to the chief
gambler.
"With pleasure, =" said the man, and,
noting the fat wallet, added courte'
ously, "Won't you take drink?'
The tall man assented and casually
remarked that, as he was going to STOP
off at Natchez, he supposed it was
hardly worth while to 60 to bed, where
upon one of the other gamblers, get
ting wink from his chief, chimed in:
''I don't care to so to bed either.
Let's play another game" Where
upon the stranger was invited to join
them, and after some demur he con-
sented.
They allowed him to win some siza.
BILE bets, but just as the day was be-
ginning to break the dealer gave him
a hand that would induce him to bet
still more largely.
The ante was S. and the blind was
$40, the next man put in $40, the
stranger $40, which was followed by
$130. They went on raising each
other in the usual fashion, except that
the hundreds jumped rapidly into
thousands, while the breathless crowd
around them instinctively drew closer
with sense that something was com.
ing.
At last 100000 was stacked up on
the table and the dealer and one Of
his confederates had dropped out.
The man who made the blind and the
stranger remained, looking into each
Q,a1