The Portland daily press., 1896-05-09

/ GulU 200 Wl1M6Is <1lGGE S0ppGE DIN
wanted to open up the game, but tn,
| judge wouldn't have it, and Billy kicked
He went ashore and told friend abou
the fellow who had done him, and just a
he was telling it the judge came to tn,
rail, and Billy pointed him out to hi
friend.
"'Why you SUCKER said the friend
that's SO and so, from st. Louis. Il,
knows every gambler on the river
Chilly offered the judge $500 suit O.
clothes not to tell the story, but the judg,
wouldn't hear Of 1T, anu all New Orleans
heard the story when the judge got off tht
boat.
"Another old gambler was Glaascock
| Starr Davis was a great old boy. jim
McLane's mother allowed him SO, 900 6
year not to come near her, but he was
broke nearly all the time, for all that
and he had to gamble to make his way
Hank johnson was daisy, hard play
| er. who never wore pair of boots worth
less than $40. Glib Cohern and Tom
Mackay were the dressers of the river. AL
their winnings used to go in clothes.
They'd send to Paris for their under.
clothing and all that sort Of thing. They
were great rivals in those days, when
dress went for something. Dock Hill
was MoLane's partner. Then there was
Big Alexander, who worked out at Nat.
chez; Jim Mcdonald, dead shot with
the pistol; Ashlook, who could do more
funny work with deck of cards than
ever saw before or since. couldn't name
them all. They Were good fellows, fire.
with their money as water, after scheme
ing to bust their heads to get it. A few
hundred didn't bother them any more
than chew of tobacco would you.
What DRINKS they used to get on after
they came In off trip. And clothes
They were all dressers. They wore soft
black hats, black clothes, high-heeled
Eoots. low-neoked shirts, with big loose
collars and ties, and frilled bosoms. Each
had solitaire breastpin and bigisolitaire
ring, and one OF those big, loud gold
chains going round the neck three or four
times and hanging down over theiI
breasts. They didn't drink anything but
wine, and they'd ride across the street
in hacks rather than got mud OIL thei1
shoes. They were fine fellows; educated
men, who could talk to anyone about any
thing, and as polite as anything you ever
saw. There used to be some big games Oh
every boat. Poker was mostly the game.
They played bluff and brag great deal,
and the betting was high.
90 saw a man from Hopkinsyille, KY,
lose his whole tobacco crop in one night
and get up and never mind it particular.
ly. Many time see a game player
and play them all in. Men often lost
their goods, playing in their way bill.
I've seen them betting bale of cotton al
| crack, and it wasn't at all uncommon
to hear an old planter betting off his mig,
gers on good hand. Every man who
| old planters used to play in their body
servants, yGluing them all the way from
| $500 to $500. I saw little oo1ored boy
stand up at $500 to back his masters
faith in little flush that WASH t any good
ON earth. The niggers didn't seem to care
particularly about it, and it was SO COM
mon that nobody noticed it particularly.
Gambling was comnonlsr then.
"Why it wasn't moth ing but gamble
from the time boat ieft St. Louis till il
reached New Orleans. I've seen e. fare
game, three poker games and monte run.
ming in the cabin, and the deck hands
playing at ohuck-a-luck. The gamblers
would come in disguised in hayseed
clothes to skin the passengers. Maybe
there'd be four or five on the boat. When
| q passenger would squea1. the captain
would ask him to pick out the man who
robbed him, and the gambler, il nabbed,
would have to give up the stuff and &c,
| off the boat anywhere the captain chose
to run her in. The boys used to have
false whiskers and wigs for these COCA.
sions, so that when the kick was made
they COULDN'T be picked out under their
DISCUSSES. Many time I've known them
to jump off the boat into the water be.
fore the boat landed to get away before
the kick was made and the victim could
look at the passengers and find his man.
I've swum ashore myself, many time.
There wasn't much prosecuting then if 6
fe How was caught. The captain was
boss, and he made tho man give up, put
him off the boat, and that settled It,
They didn't judge a man right away.
They wers great old times then, and
they'll never come back"