The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-14
How II Caused Postpone
ment Of a Wedding.
RawSOn Had Been Losing and
Forgot Until Too Late.
Finally Pulled Out With 81 5000 on
Four Kings and an Ace.

Settler, "when, away back in tho flfties "a
wedding was postponed on account OF a
jack pot In which the prospective bride
groom was deeply interested.
"In those days poker was more COM
monty played at the state capital than it
Is today, and there were some pretty stiff
games pulled Oft in the hotels and star
chambers around town when tie Legisla
ture was in session. One OF the hard, 81
players with which the regulars had To deal
was young Jim Rawson of Egg Harbor.
lie ran general merchandise store down
there and was mixed up In the oyster
trade, so that no always had money TO
burn, as the boys say nowadays
In the winter of 81 Rawson came TO
Trenton TO help push bill. in which he
was interested, through the Legislature,
ana one evening he got mixed up In
game OF poker In the United States Hotel
with Sol Travers. Jerry Holcomn and
Dick Collins, three Of the gamiest
players that ever drew cards. The game
was innocent enough when IL started, but
along about 3 o'clock the next morning IL
had assumed proportions calculated 10
make an ordinary player gasp when the
bets were made. Rawson was the young
est man at tho table and had probably
played poker less than any OF the Others
but he had money and nerve and the way
he used both of them made the other thr,
keep their eyes open. There wasn't much
difference In the mems winnings up To
breakfast time, but all of "A sudden the
cards got freakish, as they will sometimes,
ana began To run against Rawson.
The players wouldn't give up the
game and had their breakfast brought 10
them They laid down the cards long
enough TO eat, anu then went at it again.
Rawson' s hard luck kept up. He turned
his hat around, crossed his legs, got up
"A l. 4
new packs or cards, ana did everything
that the superstitious poker player does
to change his luck, but IL wouldn't
change. His money kept drifting away
until 10 O'Clock in the forenoon, when he
counted up his assets and found that he
,ad 500 left. He had fed about $500 10
the tiger, and naturally felt little sore.
AT las jack pot was started about 10. 30
O'Clock, and the cards were dealt around
"a dozen times and nobody got openers.
Hurry up, boys, and open it, said
Rawson. '1'ye got TO eaten that IL. 40
train I'm going to be married tonight,
and must be in by 8 o'clock, dressed
tor the occasion.
But the boys didn't seem TO be able Go
hurry. They dealt and dealt but, some
how, the right kind OF openers wouldn't
fall, and finally there was "a snug little
pot of about 5000 on the table. At IL. 30
Iravers opened the pot for 500. Holcomb
g feel just as II was going to win
pot, said Rawson, writing some
res on piece of paper and throwing
III on the center of the table with what
money he had left. I'm shy $50, boys
but guess I'm good for 1t.
" Your check is as good as your
money, said Travers.
q" Every bit, said Holcomb and Col.
lins.
f" But you'll never catch that train,
remarked Travers.
Z" BY tl un Ter = exclaimed Rawson. Il
forgot all aUout that. He looked at his
watch and found that he had three min
utes in which to get to the station.
There's no use trying TO make IL now,
he said, they'll have to postpone the
wedding. I'll telegraph that I've missed
the train. At.ll 10 "A messenger WAS sent
10 the telegraph Office with dispatch ana
the game went Oh.
The pot was $1,000 strong when the
mon drew cards, and l want to tell you
now of the most remarkable set of poker
hands that l ever saw dealt Irayers was
dealing Holcomb called for one card,
Collins took one, Rawson drew four anu
Hravers took one. There was business
. cad, everybody saw that. 1ravers
made a bid for raise by betting SO,
which was lifted 500 by Holcomb and
Collins raised that 500, so that when IL
came around to Rawson il cost Si25 20
come in Everybody thought he would
throw down his cards, but he didn't; ho
slowly drew check book out of his
pocket and wrote "a check for $1,000 and
showed it up thus raising Collins S175.
"Nou could see right away that the
other players thought be waS biufiing.
1ravers met the raise ut once and added
five hundred to il. Holcomb saw that
and raised 1t another five hundred. Col
lins simply saw the raise and Rawson
lifted it another thousand.
drawers settled back in his chair and
eyed Rawson FOR minute. You've got
pretty good nerve, old man, he said. but
you can't make me lay down, not on a
four card draw, any way. Then he saw
Rawson's thousand raise, and increased
IL nve hundred.
- / call you, said Holcomh showing in
fifteen hundred
=" Il might as well take a chance for
my money, said Collins, laying $500 ON
the pile. Rawson put down another ckecs
for 500.
well, BOYS, said Travors, I'm sorry
for you. I've got four queens. lie
rev them on the table.
That beats my four Jacks said Hol-
comb, and my four tens, said Collins !;
But 1t doesn't beat my four kings. said
Rawson, spreading out his cards. ho held
four kings and an ace.
" 'Thundertion, what a draw ex-
claimed Travers
:" Twas pretty good said Rawson.
raking in the money; and ! got them all
in "a bunch. 1 held up an acc.
"Rawsou pulled in $4,000 and $3.50 of
it came out OF the pockets of the other
three men. 1t was the biggest jack pot |
ever saw.
How about the weddingS" asked
listener.
"oh, yes, meant to tell you about
that, said the old settler. You SEQ the
girl that Rawson was going To marry had
mind of her own and when tine tele-
gram came saying that he had missed
tho tram, what did she do but jump
Gbourd the ears and come up TO Trenton.
reaching here about 8 clCck i'm the
evening Rawson was mighty glad 10
see her, too. They won't out aUd hunted
up minister, and got married. Ten
they came back 10 the hotel, and we AL
had u mighty nice lay out. / don't know
whether the woman ever found out why
RawSon missed the train or not but !
reckon n she did she would have more
ser So than 20 kick much because she
seemed to be pretty level headed girl. ~