The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17
TAUGHT NM TO PLAY POKER.
But He Knew "a Game That Was
Little Too Much for Them.
From the 81. Louis Dispatch.

FROM the ~. LOUIS DlSpdtcn.
Ut was late in the EOS. and /. then
quite young man. was first mate on
the Tempest, that ran from St. Louis 10
Memphis and New Orleans. one of our
trips down the river there were three
men on board whose dress and manners
made me think they were professional
gamblers, and shortly after we left ST.
Louis ! found out that their business just
then was to skin an oldish man who
looked like a planter. and who had in his
possession a large sack, containing 500
600 in gold. that he said was the amount
he had just received for the sale of his
plantation in Tennessee.
Il warned him about keeping the money
in the state room, and told him To look
ont for any one who tried TO get him
laughed and said he wanted to learn how
10 play poker, and if he saw he could
win "A few hundred dollars ne would stick
TO the game until he had won or lost
everything. Just as he made this rash
remark CHANGED TO look around and saw
one OF the three suspicious looking men
standing right behind us and listening
10 every word we said / then tried TO
tell Wright-that was his namc-that if
he got in a game with those men he could
not help from losing, although they
might let him win "a little at first. but it
was no use; he wanted to play cards, and
that afternoon / saw him with the gam
blers on deck, and little later the four
went into a state room together Wright
carrying his precious bag of gold that
was marked on the outside in great big
numbers, $4,000, and underneath, writ
ten with q pen, was the name, Thurs
ton Wright
nately, the gamblers cabin had a large
skylight whereby / could look down and
watch the game. After few instruc-
tons to Wright, the cards We're shuhied,
and when several hands had been played
/ saw Wright SO down on the floor and
lit on to the table ms canvas bag, winch
ne opened, and counted out 1000 bright
SO gold pieces.
II thought It was all over but he put
IL all back but $500 which he put in the
center Of the table to cover bet of that
amount made by one of the men, the
other two coming in. The cards were
fixed for Wright to win, and he put his
$500 back in the sack and the other 100
in his pocket. The three men COngratu-
lated him on winning and said they were
tired of playing, but would play some
more that evening. Wright did not see
their game and promised TO come to their
cabin about o'clock and l knew then
that they would take all he had.
That night at o'clock l was again
on hand at the sSylight to see the game
and | feared. the game went Wrights
way for while and then the betting
grew big and finally on one hand he
threw bags OF money on the table with
out opening the bags and called his OPP
ponent Only one of the other men had
stayed i'm and when Wright, after some
lively betting, thus threw Gown four
-
the gambler showed four jacks and all
Wrights money except the Sl,500 he had
won was gone. Hc snealSed out of the
room, looking as a pale as a ghost, and
as soon as he was gone the three men
laughed over the easy way in which they
had gotten the money and put the bag in
their trunk.
"A few minutes later I heard a loud
splash up near the stern. and the cry of
man overheard soon brought the boat to
a stop, but although a search was made
an night no trace of the missing man,
who turned out to be Wright, could be
found.
'''The gamblers left the boat next day.
But strange, to say, they were not as
/ happy as they had been the night before
ana were cursing each other like pirates,
and did not look like men who had sud
denly come into the possession of $50, -
co.
''When they left I went to the cabin
/ and there on the floor was the canvas bag
with Wrights name on it, but filled with
iron washers just the size of $40 pieces.
/ Wright had changed bags on the men and
/ was ahead just 81, 800 on the game.
81 knew he could not have swum ashore
/ with that gold on his person, and so / be-
gan q search for him. and finally found
] him down among the freight sitting on his
/ sack of money and mis- pockets bulging out
/ with the additional S1,500 He told me he
/ had rolled a keg of nails overheard the
I night before and started the cry of man
! Ovar.1,Oar6' him self