Rock Island Argus., 1896-10-13

DAN KIMBALi-
leans. and there's no telling how mach
| money they did Pull of the travellers ." lac
said the other day. 1t was dead easy
money. too, all the time. Everybody who
Travelled had lots OF stuff. and every one
was willing to het, and bct high ~ hat
when a fellow did win he won right out Of
the hole at once. Those southern planters
| used to just lose money like fun and were
skinned right and left. Occasionally they
caught ON and there was "a shooting match
but the boys didn't take murh rhanrc ON
being plugged. I've seen 80 gamblers ON
one boat. the John Dickcy. That was IN
1857. when the officers at Natchcz cleaned
all the gamblers out of town. The whole
gang met the beat at the wharf ami start
cd to come aboard. but the captain would
not let them On unless they pruni-ssl not
tn play q card abnard a hey prumiss5I.
and Inc tcos them on, and the iuai ra,re
| on up the river. You never siw % tir-l,r
looking lot of gamblers in your life than
them. They hadn't anything tn do. and
some of them looked like they'd Just a.
soon jump overheard not. They kent
| their promise not To play n earl: bu;. Lord
| they did skin passengers on dead sure
| games.
They cleaned ont pretty near every
| body that had stuff. We landed ut n
| wood pile tn take wood. and tine passenger.
| all got out ON the iank. and tls. ,,slmi,ls-r-
all got tn betting about running jumps.
and of course the passengers dropped 10.
| 80 they'd run off the gangplank and up To
| n tree tn jump. when the first gambler
| would say: Hello, What's here and
stop. Behind the tree ono of the gang had
begun throwing three card monte. while
| sr,s e-re l.s
| The gamblers won just to make the game
| good. and the way those fellows skinned
the passengers was horrible. The captain
| got on tn the scheme. and when the l,nat
| started of up the stream the whole s-ang
40 of 'em-werc Just marouncd there in
| the woods on u cold night. But they took
| the next tcat nm or down and worked their
| way mp this way or down to Now Orleans
"1bat wasn't gambling: IL was rothing
| But that's what went n gambling in those
times. The fellows had - bc prutty slick.
| I'll tell you. When boat started out of
| New Orleans. say, couple cf gamblers
would he on board. They We're often well
educated fellows and always fine tircSscrs
All they did was just get acquainted with
the men with money and size up how
much they had. This was easily done.
because card playing was the only thing tn
| pass away the time. These cappers would
not win any money. They Were Just to
| do the gentlemen, hut when they got off
4 the boat their pals came ON ut some point
| up the river with "A full knowledge If how
\ much money there was on beard wha,
| men had il and how these men were hest
| approached. 1t wasn't hard To- get nc
| Guaintet. and il wasn't hard to get M, N
| game of euchre after drink. Once the
game was on the thing was smooth; the
| dealer fixed the deck and dealt Out a .-,,-d
| poker hand tn the marx. but better one
| to his own partner. who promptly declared.
| I've n good hand I'd like ~ bct on.
| $50 have l.. replied Mr.. Mark. and
| then they got into beiting. and the stran-
ger got skinned right and left Tne cards
were stacked and marked ON the blcks 50
| that he didn't have any chance at all to
| win. All the playing was done with old
| star backs I've seen fellows pick every
card in n pack and call il without missing
once I've seen them shuttle them one
| for one all through from top to- bottom.
| that they were in the same pu~ition after y
| dozen shuffies that they were in at first
| They'd Just fiutter them up like n flight
Of quail and get the aces. kings. queens.
jacks and tens all together as cssy a. pic.
| A sucker had no more ch.nce against these
fellows than a snowfall has In re,ihot
| oven Every deck was nldTksu-
Billy Peoples used to work on tic low
| er river, and he was IA dandy. He ropctl
in a Judge one day. and the judge. who
wasn't very flush. caught on to his game
He went to the bartender and got n bundle
of wildcat money. wrapped IL .ruurd with
| "A couple of twenties and put some Eves Tn
the middle. They started on cuchrc. and
Dne judge got the usual good poker hand
and Mr. Peoples played in
The judge knew Peoples game was ~
| let him win tn make his final skinnin- all
| the surpr. He l,r>f "a couple of times jiisi
to fash his roll and skin of nvc~ o. Billy
They played TIL supper. aud the judz-
quit tisS winner. After surTrr kiiiy
wanted to or-n up tho game. but 'hr judge
wouldn't have II. and Billy kicked he
! went ashore and told a friend a'-rt:' tho
fellow who had done him. and Just n bc
! WAS telling IL the judge csrn- to- the rail
and Billy pointed him out to his friend
"'why, you sucker. said the friend.
that's So-and-so. from -. Louis he
knows every gambler on tine river.
Billy offered the judge n $50 suit of
clothes not tn tell the story. bu- the judr.
wouldn't hear Of IL. and all New Orleans
heard rhe story when he --ut ~ IN. '-nat
J III amt tirin- you with al NV rrcri-
ie-,:ccs- ] want O. ten ygu stcai tks nd