Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-08-01
A GOOD POKER STORY
The NEW MAN m THE NEW FAR
MONY SELECT CIRCLE.

He Was In the Grocery business and
Hadn't Time 60 PRACTITIONERS. He Join
cd the Party For Two Evenings and Sold
Out Hts Grocery Store.
81 saw story IN paper recently.
said AN old sport at Wizards the other
day. which told how two slick stran-
gers from the Windy City MIXED
poker game in an Indiana town and got
away with all the money in it. That
reminds me of another story of the same
order
I'm the town of New Harmony are
located a number Of gentlemen of great
taste and considerable means. For
years the mainstay of this crowd was
playing euchre and whist, but this was
finally changed by the arrival of two
characters who organized and taught a
class in poker. The first of these was
the son of a Frenchman. who lived on
an island down the river. His father
was worth in the neighborhood of $780,
600 or $500, 900, and he kept his boy
well supplied with money.
"Wen. this progressive youth organ
lied a poker game in the peaceful vii
lage of New Harmony. There were
about six in the party, and it was their
custom once q week or more to meet at
the hotel and indulge in a friendly,
quiet game, but one where the only
limit was the beautiful blue sky. The
Frenchman played game of bluff from
start to finish. He would pike along in
the pots until some one thought he had
fair hand and would open for a few
hundred dollars, when the Frenchmar
would shove from 81, 600 to So, 600 dol
lars into the pot before the draw, ano
nine times out of ten the other mar
would have TO go to the pack.
''There was another player in the
game, the hotel keeper, who was alsC
after the spudR He was the only one
who could beat the Frenchman- Tim,
after time the latter would push In hi
roll and send the hotel keeper to th'
pack. But once in awhile the Latter
would catch his antagonist mapping anC
would come back at him with anothe
raise, getting back in one pot all h'
had lost during the remainder of TIT
evening.
lone spring day a well dressed, quie
: looking man drifted into town and pu
: up at the hotel. In the course of tim
he was introduced to all the crow,
4 about the hotel, and they found him
s most congenial companion He was onl,
e a moderate drinker, but liked to gathe
! q crowd around him and smoke and tel
y stories After a week of this he told tn
i boys that he intended to locate ther
and open a fancy grocery store II
went away for few days, and when b
returned he opened up near the hotel
Such store as he opened had neve
{. been seen in the place prior to this time
He kept imported pickles. came
shrimps, fine cheeses and everything O
that order, supplemented with stoc
Of the choicest wines, liquors and cigar
Owing to his congenial habits his stol
'e soon became the loafng place Of ii
poker playing crowd, and they ofte
! gathered there 90 ~. evening &C lists
\ to his stories and to drink and smolz
IN Many invitations were extended TO IL
re quiet man of business to take n hand !
IN the game, but he invariably replied TIL
he knew nothing about playing poke
K, He had, he admitted, played the gan
~ and liked it pretty well. but he won
y say; You boys have nothing to do t
9, morrow and can afford to stay up q
i :. night if you want to. have my bus
IN ness to attend TO and must get arouI
IN early TO open up.
. a Zone night, however, when the CROW
ok had been drinking more than usual al
IN were feeling particularly good, they I
ia fused to take any excuse and insist
Gu that he must go in with them He HI
been drinking himself, and he final
~ consented TO go to the hotel and take
M hand for awhile In the game t
OIL Frepchman played his same old tricl
- Every time the storekeeper would po
er his head out Of his hole the Frenchm
d. was waiting for him with club a
20 hit him hard The game broke up abe
ay 8 O'Clock in the morning, and it W
We found that the storezeeper was {
=, about $4,000. Was he sore? Well
"a should say he was. He had told the
no he said, that he didn't want to pla
i've that he couldn't play. and that he COZ
not afford to lose the money. Fina
rps he said: Il have been thinking for sol
err time of putting a clerk in charge of ]
ca stcre, and am going down to Lon
wv vile tomorrow to get one. Then W
zee have more time to play with you boy
SIC True to his word, he went TO Louisvil
,oe and several days later a man came
IN and went to work in the store. Mo-
re- said he, i am ready for game tonig
and warn you am going to brin
pile Of money with me- / am Diet
mined to win back what l lost or
all that have left, which is consid
able Well, the gang felt sorry for hi
g a He was a good fellow, they admit
if but he had no business playing pol
a However, his money was as good
her any one else's, and if it was in the ga
ide they must go out after it
hat ''The game commenced early
les, night and lasted until in. the morni
My Again the Frenchman tried his old I
and tics, bat somehow they did not We
) of Every time he came at the storekee
ney the latter was loaded. Finally, abou
the the game broke up, and the fancy
bly, ceryman walked down stairs. was
ing his hands and face and went to the
tier pot, where he took the first train on
hire town. He had soaked the FrenchI
lies for &26, 200 and had picked up SO,
e, more from the small fry. Investiga
ed" showed that the supposed clerk
rted really bought the store, and the last
ccsa .:~:ee crowd heard OF their $50, 900 the smC
nee, spoken storekeeper was spending
i'm, abroad. He took a crimp in that p,
the game that was never ironed out
re- Washington Post