The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-19

of His Kind Counted Their Vie
tims by Hundreds.
From the New York Times.
Pomona, Cal. April 11.-Among the old
people who have come from northern and
colder climates to spend their remaining
days in this land Of sunshine and flowers
is Daniel Kimball He has chosen Po-
mona valley as his abiding place. and ev-
cry day he may be seen sitting amid the
magnolia trees and orange groves on his
little ranch place. He is Il years old.
and is probably the best known ex-profes-
sional gambler in the Mississippi river re-
g.On, and in his day was one Of the most
famous in the whole west. He has calls
almost daily from present members of the
''profesh," as Daniel calls his old-time oc-
cupation, who are either spending the win
ter in this semi-trOpic region or have hap
pened down this way from San Francisco
or ST. Louis. The late Mayor Carter H.
Harrison of Chicago said, when he was in
Los Angeles several years ago, that Dan
KimbaH was thirty-five years ago the
most princely and bonanza-like gambler
ever known from New Orleans to ST.
Louis, and that he himself had seen Kim
ball make $4,000 to $4,000 in one nights
operation. The old man has been worth
$4,000 and 100000 several times in his
life, but now he is reduced TO a few thou
sand dollars, and II IS only by extreme
care of his dollars and unusual domestic
prudence that he and his aged wife make
ends meet throughout the year.
There amt no more gambling now"
said old Mr.. Kimball the other day, land
no gamblers, either. Look at what they
call gamblers noW-kids, nothing but kids.
who ain got neltner sense nor manners,
There amt any of us fellows left, and it's
hard scratching most of the time to make
connections regular with meals. The Mis-
q m
bling. but that's been dead for over twenty
years, and don't guess it'll ever come TO
life again. But those were the days, my
boy-great days for the best river towns,
with thirty-Six steamboats, at the wharf
all at once, the levee covered with drays,
and every sport with stuff in his pockets
and lots of good clothes.
Il guess there was 500 men who worked
the boats between st. Louis and New Or
leans, and there's no telling how much
money they did pull off the travellers. 1t
was dead easy money, too all the time.
Everybody who Travelled had lots of stuff
and every one was willing to bet, and bet
high, so that when a fellow did win he won
right out of the hole a once. Those south
ern planters used 10 just lose money like
fun, and were skinned right and left. Oc-
casionally they caught on, and there was
shooting match, but the boys didn't take
much chance on being plugged. I've seen
forty gamblers on one boat, the John
Dlckey. That was in 81, when the officers
a. Natchez cleaned all the gamblers out
of the town. The whole gang met the boat
at the wharf and started TO come aboard,
but the captain wouldn't let them on UNI
less they promised not to play a card
aboard. They promised, and he took them
on, and the boat came on up the river. You
never saw tireder looking lot of gamblers
in your life than them. They hadn't any,
thing to do. and some of them looked like
they'd just as soon jump overheard as not
Ihey kept their promise not to play cards,
games.
George Divoll got little piece of tin
foil, wrapped it around some salt, and
fIn =fg !
and put 1t against his cheek. He'd hold it
there awhile, warm it again, and put it
back. Presently a passenger, who had
GOT acquainted with one Of Georges pals,
observed his actions and inquired what he
was doing. George said he was curing his
neuralgia, and he explained the cure. At
ter he had done so he kept up the thing
Tor while. and then he left the cure on
the stove hearth and went out. Then
Georges pal marked the package, and sug
gested that It would be a. good joke to
change the salt for ashes, just to observe
what strength DivolPs belief had in cur
ing his neuralgia. The passenger, a plan
ter fell in. and changed the salt for ashes
and left it on the hearth. Divoll comes
back and begins his monkey business over
again, and the planter comes around and
guys George about the cure being no good
and finally George is so dead sure he's
curing himself that the planter gets hot,
and says he'll bet there amt any salt in
the tinfoil. George puts him Off and the
pal shows the planter what a dead sure
thing he's got, and works him up for
NTeOIBe III great shape. 1neY nnallX bet
$500 was the money-and. of course, George
shifts a duplicate of his first package on
the planter and shows up his salt. The
planter was clean 'cornered' but was
working George on dead sure thing and
couldn't SQueal
Well sir, those gamblers got all on
that boat; and, though they didn't touch
a card, they cleaned out pretty near every
body that had stuff. We landed at a wood
pile to take on wood, and the passengers
all got out on the bank, and the gamblers
all got to betting about running iumDs
and, of course the passengers dropped in
So they'd run off the gang-plank and up
to a tree to jump, when the first gambler
would say: Hello, whats here?' and stop
Behind the tree one of the gang had be-
gun throwing three-card monte, while the
others got up the jumping scheme. The
gamblers won, just to make the game good
and the way those fellows skinned the pas
sengers was horrible. The captain got on
off up stream, the whole gang-forty of
'em-Were just marooned there in the
woods on cold night. But they took the
next boat up or down, and worked their
way up this way or down to New Orleans.
That wasn't gambling-it was robbing:
put that's what went as gambling in those
Times. The fellows had to be pretty slick
II tell you. When boat started out of
New Orleans, say, a couple of gamblers
would be on board. They were often we'll
educated fellows, and always fine dressers.
All they did was just get acquainted with
the men with money, and size up how
much they had. This was easily done, be-
cause card playing was tina
only thing to pass away the
time. These cappers wouldn't
win any money. They We're just to do the
gentlemen; but when they got off the boat
their pals came on at some point up the
river with full knowledge of how much
money there was on the boat, what men
mad 1t, and how these men were best APP
preached. 1t wasn't hard to get acquainted
and 1t wasn't hard to get up a game of
euchre after drink Once the game was
on the thing was smooth; the dealer fixed
the deck, and dealt out a good poker
hand to the mark, but better one to his
own partner, who promptly declared
I've got a good hand I'd like to bet
so have L. replied Mr.. Mark, and then
they got into betting, and the stranger
got skinned right and left. The cards were
stacked and marked on the back so that
ne didn't have any chance a all to win
All the playing was done on old starbacks.
I've seen fellows pick every card in pack
ana call 1t without missing once I've seen
phem shuttle them one for one all through
from top TO bottom, so that they were in
the same position after dozen shuff1es
That they were in at first. They'd just
1utter them up like flight of quail. and