Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-03-19


from the gold fields of Alaska and
broke every little silver faro bank in
the little faro-ridden town. Thus
writes a Seattle, Wash, correspondent
of the New York Press, Once year
since that night when he came in
with shoestring and went out with
their rolls" the man with the wind
tanned face returned to Seattle search
ing for the golden fleece that he had
found fifteen years ago and lost again.
1t has eluded him ever since, Some
times he has had 1t almost within his
grasp, but each time it has slipped out
and he has gone home with his little
satchel empty. He is strange char
acter, even in this young land, where
strange characters are common, and
mis- failure to make his customary pill
grimage this year has awakened In the
minds of the veteran dealers the mem
DRY of the time when he "broke the
town"
1t was in the old days-or the new
days, rather-when Seattle was flushed
with her first prosperity and was play
ing the host for all the tin-horn gam
blers and thlmbe-riggers and eastern
black sheep that came within her gates.
They were wild and boisterous days Of
afiluence until he came and then they
didn't fully recover from the shock for
two months,
He was different from the regular
patrons of the joints. If he carried a
gun he never exposed 1t and he showed
a distressing want of taste in the dia-
monds which he did not wear. When
he walked into the saloon, where, right
opposite the bar, the biggest game in
town was dealt, and in bis quiet voice
asked what the limit was the lookout
smiled and the dealer pointed to the
ceiling. 1t was an old pantomine and
he understood it. TO ask the limit was
either a greenhorn's trick or would
be sports attempt to plunge, and when
he placed only "ten spot on the
high card the lookout smiled wisely
again and the dealer winked.
But ne man with the grave eyes
neither smiled or winkedl He watched
the dealer caress with his fingers the
dead card on top, as all dealers do
before slipping II from the box The
first card was a jack and the chances
of his winning were just 2 to 10. The
dealer looked at him with plying con-
tempt and then exposed king.
Glow do you want IT." he asked.
an let 1t ride" he answered, and
that ten-spot rode" on the high card
until II had swelled to hundred and
the deal had reached the last turn. He
leaned over and placed the whole stack
on the deuce and king to win at 9 to
/. They took some interest in the
quiet man then and they took more
when the deuce and king were the first
two cards out and he had called the
turn.
He had a chance to plunge on the
next deal, and when 1t was half over
/ llt udu All lllOpt Olh-blultlD buNoolh1s
His stack had been doubled four times,
and when the turn came around again
he repeated his query, What's the
limit" the dealer winked hard with
both eyes. Anything you've got; dust
'er dollars goes here"
Every penny Of it went on the cards
and the FOUNDERS gathered closer.
you've broke usv' announced the
man behind the box. Want to play
any more"
The man looked at him and smiled.
"Brllg 'em on" They got another
banking fund and he ate into that more
flercely than the first one. They
changed dealers on him and before the
night was over every man in town
who could bank game had try at
him, and he broke them all.
Far into the haggard dawn they sat
there and watched him quietly draw
stream Of gold they were powerless
to stem. He played them hard and mer-
cllessly, and when they had to confess
that the town was broke he left them
as quietly as he came. He had won
between $50, 900 and 100000 and he ex.
pressed neither the customary sym
pathy for them nor offered to treat.
He walked out and they talked about
him for two months and then forgot
him.
Just a year afterward he came around
again, as calm and reserved as when
they had first seen him. He played his
game in the same manner, and, though
they treated him with the utmost defer
ence this time, he had no luck and lost
steadily all night, and when he left It
was his turn to announce that he was
broke That was fourteen years ago
and the old days have gone, and with
them many Of the old-time gamblers,
but each year the man who broke the
town has returned. Sometimes he has
won heavily for hours; but only once,
about six years ago, has he approached
anything like his former coup. That
one time he was playing against the
original clique that ne had made pen
niless before, and for a little while it
seemed as though they we're doomed
again.
He was $4,000 to the good, and half
the town was watching him. He
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