Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-23
AN ANCIENT JERSEY JACKPOT
A Poker Episode Old Enough to Sport
Whiskers. g., Ia
THE AFRICAN THAT WAS IN The GAME
II Took Three Days and Several Hum
drcd Deals to Open n "inckcr'-
And Then the Shell Was
broken by n Kiss.

The old settlers around Cedar Lake, At
lantic county, n. j., are still talking about 1
a remarkable poker game that was played
there away back in the '4Os, the principal
features of which were a series of strange
deals and an enormous jackpot.
AS the neighborhood chronclers tell 1t,
relates a correspondent OF the Globe-Demo-
crat, 1t happened this way In 1S45 the pine
forests around Cedar Lake were hunting
grounds for sportsmen from New York and
Philadelphia. Deer were plentiful in those
days and every fall and winter Isaac Hob
ron, who kept a tavern on the Egg Harbor
turnpike in the heart OF the pines did a
land office business
When the sportsmen were not ranging the
woods in search of game they put in their
time telling stories and playing cards in
the big reception room OF the tavern, and
1t Is recorded that enough money changed
hands under the roof of the Hebron tavern,
before fire wiped 1t out OF existence, to buy
every inch of land in Atlantic county at
$40 an acre.
william Traverse George Whitcomb Har-
vey Duncan and Richard Potter, prosperous
merchants from Wilmington, Del, played
the stiffest game that was put up at the
tavern. They came to the pines regularly
every fall and stayed two weeks during
around the premises could get into real
swift game of poker II he felt disposed any
time that the Wilmington quartet happened
to be around.
One afternoon the four men got around
table and started a game. They rarely
played together, and when they did their
playing was watched with good deal of
interest by other guests, because pot with
$4,000 or $4,000 in it was common thing.
The four men on this particular afternoon
1fut1n fNrn 10 Of hn,,r
occasionally slowing away within them
selves one of Hobron's famous appejack
toddies. Finally the toddes livened the men
up and more ginger was put into the game.
But force it as they did, 1t was impossible
for one man to get much the hest of an
other. and at the end of three hours play
ing they found that each had pretty nearly
his original capital.
At last Traverse dealt and he was given"
an opportunity to make jackpot which
he did. The ante was 81, and every time
the widow" was fattened meant SO to
the man who could win the pot.
Traverse passed the cards to Whitcomb,
who quickly dealt them. Nobody caught
openers" and the pack went to Potter. who
failed to do any better than Whitcomb had
and the cards went to Duncan, who said
as he picked them up and prepared to deal:
'Ill give you all openers, boys, so that
you can get a little fun for your money"
But he didn't. The best hand out was
held by Traverse, and that was ace high.
Ten times the cards were dealt and nobody
caught an opening pair. In the center of
the table was pile of banknotes that made
the spectators eyes water.
81 never saw anything like this before"
said Potter. ''since l began TO play cards
These cards have been dealt forty-four
times and nobody has got as high as pair
of jacks. II beats the d-l."
Some sort OF witchery appeared to have
gotten into the cards. Forty-four more
times were they dealt and not man caught
openers.
The game began about o'clock in the
afternoon and 1t was now about IL o'clock
at night. The pile of money on the table
grew gradually and the crowd around the
players became more deeply interested.
The players worked till IL o'clock, and
yet the Jackpot had not been opened.
81 move that we adjourn for one hour"
said Potter; perhaps IL we get away from
the table little while our luckll change"
The men agreed to take rest for an
hour. The money in the pot was taken in
charge by Hebron and the crowd was treated
to steaming toddies in rapid succession by
the four players.
II never saw cards run that way before
In my life," said Traverse. 81 think the
DEVILS in 'em. and he may stay there for a
month. I'd be just as well pleased to let
each man take his money out of the pot
and stop the game"
Not mueh!' said Potter; "if the DEVILS
really in the cards, I'm going to stay with
worth having now. and I'm going to try to
get it,"
Whitcomb and Duncan took the same
view of it that Potter did, and II was
agreed that at l o'clock the game should be
resumed and It was
The cards were dealt until o'clock In
the morning, and nobody had been able to
open the jack pot, which had now grown
to splendid proportions.
The crowd surrounding the players be-
came excited over the strange run of the
cards, and they began to wager among
themselves that certain deals would bring
openers" to some one of the players. At
last some OF the men became so boisterous
through their interest in the game and the
eXhlaratioI of Hobron's toddes that it was
decided tc lay the game over until the
afternoon, when it would be continued from
the point where 1t was dropped.
The cards had been dealt 23S times. and
no man had held as high as pair of jacks.
The jackpot now had some thing like 81 100
in 1t, and each man WIS anxious to win 1t.
The players went to bed, hunted in the
forenoon, and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon
sat down to finish the game. The story OF
the peculiar run of the cards had spread
throughout the neighborhood and when the
four men sat down to the table the big
room was crowded with men, many of whom
had driven a dozen miles to witness the
playing.
A new pack of cards was demanded by
Traverse. "If the devils in that pack we
quick he can shift"
His satanic majesty appeared to be equal
to the test he was put to, for deal after
deal was made, and not a man was strong
enough to open the pot
Supper was brought to the players, and
they ate from the card table. After it
over playing was resumed, but with
no change in the run of the cards.
Finally, Potter suggested that Hebron be
permitted to cut the pack. He did. but 1t
made no difference. Then different men
were called upon to "slice" the pack, but
that brought no change
At / o'clock Whitcomb remarked that he
feared the devil had started out to break
them ALL and then take the jackpot him
self. The dealing continued till O'Clock
with no openers out and then another
twelve-hour adjournment of the game was
taken, and there was then in the jackpot
nearly 81, 500. rs
The crowd was wild, The men who had