The San Francisco call., 1896-08-02

Cavendish Trist, Whitfield, and our whist
queen, Miss Kate Wheelock, sitting at the
same table playing the game we all love so
well, was tire at never to be forgotten. In
our childhood days we used TO hear OF
"Cavendish,'' in later years we read OF him,
and every word in his many works on the
game, for several'years we have been in cor
respondence with him, but not until the
sixth congress did We enjoy the long-looked-
for moment of meeting him face to face. A
few years ago he sent us a life-size photo of
himself, which adorns the walls of the TEist
Club rooms of this City. To US he was q large
broad shouldered man, about feet 3, in
weight about 225 pounds stern and gruf,
and If the time ever came when we could look
at him, play a rubber of whist with him or
take him by the hand and give it warm grasp
of welcome that time would be the supreme
moment in our whist life. This pleasure we
anticipated SO many years came at last, and
with it disappointment.
Mr.. Henry Jones "Cavendish" is about 5 feet
g inches in height weighs about 155 pounds,
a little stopped when he walks, wears full
beard and combs his hair well back from his
large forehead, as his pictures always repre-
sent him. He made great sacrifice to attend
this congress. His health was such he should
never have crossed the Atlantic but he says he
! felt as we did that he would attend this con-
gress If he had to be carried on stretcher He
returned home on the Lucania, which left
New York on July 4. We had the pleasure OF
spending several days and evenings with him,
one of them in his pleasant parlors in the
Montauk Club, Brooklyn, the night before he
went down to the Oriental, where the congress
was to be held. In getting his luggage" ready,
as sick as he was, he would break out with
something that would cause lots of merriment.
One of his remarks to Weems: s.What an idiot
my dear wife must be. What do you think she
put into my luggage? Forty-two shirts and
enough collars, cuffs and handkerchiefs and
stockings to furnish regiment, just as though
there was not laundry in this blarsted eoun-
try" The master is a great conversat1onist,
many years retired from the practice OF medi-
cine and surgery, and has all of the 'tneedful"
to spend the rest of his days in luxury and
comfort, surrounded by his whist friends
N. B. Trist comes from New Orleans. He is
the "father of American leads" All whist
players in America know of him, but to talk
with him, to see him, to play whist with him
why, you want to get up and throw your arms
around him and hug him. One can't help but
love him. At the congress he was the center
OF every group. All eyes were upon him at all
times. Whenever he sat down to play the
table would be Immediately surrounded.
When Mr.. Trist arrived at the Oriental on
was soon escorted into the dining-room, and in
a moment the hundreds who were seated arose
to their feet and stood cheering and clapping
their hands Tor several minutes. He needed
no introduction.
Two life-size portraits of him adorn the
walls OF the Trist Club rooms of this CITY, one
of them sent to the club by the New Orleans
Chess and Whist Club, Mr.. Trist being one of
its founders; the other donated by the ianitor
1t is strange but true that Mr. Trist has never
written book on the game, but has contrib
uted enough to whist literature to fill a dozen.
One OF his last articles appeared in Harper's
Weekly July /. Knowing Mr.. Trist as well as
we do, most intimate acquaintance he would
have us say, if we said anything, that the
fads that the whist wind is blowing around
the country find no favor with him. The
leads and follows, the discards and echoes have
never changed, and so far he sees no reason
why they should. The calling for trumps
in the original lead through an honor turned
with all sorts OF irregular leads, is not worthy
of any notice, and loses two tricks when it can
possibly make one. THE CALL will soon pub
lish something quite interesting from him.