The herald., 1896-07-12
FAMOUS MEN VINO
ENJOYED POKER


Araerican game of poker, when exam
ined in it's various aspects. is founo 10
contain embodied in its records much
that is of interest to the historian, the
dramatist and the man of letters. Inere
are antiquarians VINO assem- tndt
: draw poker is one of the most interesting
Qames in the world as regards its origin
and development. A book entitled 'Po-
ker Stories" published by Francis p.
Harper and edited by J. b. b. Lillard,
is of value not only to the casual reader
who wishes to while away an idle hour,
4 hut also to the student of human nature,
who can learn much that is of interest
to him by studying statesmen, soldiers,
actors and men of affairs in their hours
Of relaxation. That the data furnished
BY this little book Of poker stories are
worthy of the attention OF students VIII
be seen from the following extracts:
"General Grant once interfered in a
most tunwarranted and arbitrary manner
with q poker game that was paying me
= big profit" said Andrew Danner. 1t
was shortly after the battle OF Sniion,
and we confeds were feeling pretty bad
iy down in the mouth. was on the ad-
vanced picket line one bright moonlight
night, and the yanks had post only a
few hundred yards away. We shot at
each other until we got tired or the sport,
then we swapped newspapers, coHee ana
tobacco, A dare devil young yankee cor
poral walked right into our post, sat
down on a log as unconcerned as you
please and asked us If we knew how to
play draw poker. Did we? We rather
thought we did. Had we any green
backs? few. Then he pulled out
deck of cards and we began to play.
Pretty soon another yank came over.
then another, until there were six of
them, and we all joined in and played a
wide open game, forgetting that the
cruel war was not over.
WANTED TO KNOW WHO WON.
Luck came my way and ] sono had
everybody but the yankee corporal
broke. The rest were squatted around,
blue and gray, watching the game, when
there came that ugly 'c-l-l-ick ick' 80
familiar to the soldiers ear. We looked
up and there stood yankee sergeant
with four men, their muskets cooked
Members of the Forty ninth. consider
yourselves under arrest said the SER
\ geant. oh, come now, sergeant, the
corporal began, when horseman reined
up behind the guard. and he concluded,
General Grant. by hokey! the blue,
coats got up looking like lot OF whipped
schoolboys and saluted their command
en- who eyed them as sternly as sphinx
They filed in front of the guard and
started for camp. When their backs
were turned on him Grant removed the
cigar from his mouth and with cynical
smile asked the confederate nearest him:
sWn0S aneaQ! on. we are, Sdll ttic
defender of the stars and bars. Those
chumps you've brought down here can't
play poker little bit. But they can
7ight, general remarked. Have to
sometimes said Grant dryly, and rode
away"
when the committee waited on Hanni-
bal Hamlin to notify him of his nomina-
tion to the vice-presidency they found
him in the hotel in the midst of a game of
poker. Ham1in, In telling this story,
used to say that they ruined the only
good hand he had held and broke up the
game.
WEBSTER AND CLAY PLAYED.
Daniel Webster was not only great as
q lawyer and statesman, but great also
as a poker player. So was Henry Clay.
OF course this was in the early days
when poker was still in the rough. Even
in this crude state it appealed to Clay's
gambling instincts. He played for the
excitement, however. and not for the
gain, and used to lose a large part OF
his congressional salary at cards. He
was calm under defeat. Only once was
he known to lose his temper, and then
the circumstances justified him. AT
some western hotel a professional gam
bier had introduced himself into the
game. For some time he cheated with
out discovery. At last he laid down three
aces when Clay had two in his hand.
Clay'S anger is described as something
terrible. He slowly drew himself out
of his seat and rose to his full height.
He drew his pistol and the man made for
the door, Clay did not follow him, but
expressed his Indignation by walking
around to his chair and shooting a hole
through its center. Clay knew how to
preserve his poise under embarrassing
circumstances. He sat down one Satur-
day to a game of poker and never got up
until it was time to go to church. With
the cards hastily stuifed into his pockets
he appeared among the wcrshipers. AZ
ter the service, wh.f, talking to the rec
tor, he put his hand into his pocket and
pulled out pack of cards with his hand
kerchief They 1uttered to the ground.
Clay, nothing abashed, picked them up
and restored them to his pocket. quietly
remarking that they must have been
placed there as a joke
A JACK POT INTERRUPTED.
Paul Neumann, once attorney general
Of the Hawaiian islands, used to be fond
of telling anecdotes about some of the
royal games. A favorite tale referred
to Ahe period of the rebellion which came
near unseating the monarch. A big
jack pot was in progress when messen-
gers arrived with the information that
riot was in progress. 1t was decided to
10 home the moment the jack pot was
ended. AS the king placed his final bet
on the board the report of guns was
heard.
Run for your livesl" cried Kalakaua.
Out rushed the players Kalakaua with
them. When half way home he made
them stop and play out the unfinished
jack pot. "And do you know" said Mr..
Neumann, 1--WE were SO nervous that the
king ran in the joker for an ace and
Scooped the money with an alleged hand
of four aces. After the riot was over we
discovered the trick, but as he had been
q loser all summer it was hardly good
form to say anything"
General Garfield was an expert poker
player. Generals Sheridan and Grant
occasionally took a hand in a friendly
game. Once the two latter heroes were
travelling on steamboat together.
Among the passengers was a young Eng
lishman. A 50-cent limit was arranged
between the trio. While a pot was in
progress the Englishman got up to light
a cigar and requested General Sheridan,
who had passed out, to play his hand.
1t consisted of four jacks pat. On the
EngliShman's return he asked how the
hand panned out.
"Oh," said Sheridan, "the general bet
SO cents and l called him and won the
pot"
WELL" blurted out the Englishman,
when he had recovered from the first
shock of surprised chagrin, I've heard
of military discipline but I'm hanged if
I've ever heard of it going that far
POCKETED THE STAKES.
Poker was much played in camp both
north and south during the intervals Of
active warfare Whom A