Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
AHEAD OF THE GAME S46,700.
Result. rs Usual: stayed IN 'h'ii "e
Had to Borrow the Price
of u Drink.

From the Chicago Times-ierald.
l asked Tom FitZ, VINO during TIVE mop
kins administration owned one OF the Dig
s,.t gambling institutions in the city. his
highest winnings and losses IN a siNs1e
nigbt at faro. Said ne: IN those days
took NV meals at the Boston Oyster house.
4 certain red headed waiter served me. He
was kind and attentive, and his tips were
moi small ones. BESIDES. he received a fair
salary. But as regularly is Saturday
night rolled around ! would lind him in
front Of one of my tables. and he never
.rot AWAY with a cent. ! watched him play
for two years, and finally one night told
him that l didn't care Tor MS money.
In other words. l barred him from the
rame We'll, on Saturday night, while l
was busv in another part of the guiding.
This waiter bought Il stack Of chips from a
dealer. and by the time l got back to the
table l SAW him raking in the chips as II
there WAS no ceiling or roofing to the build
ing and that some cloud from above was
raining them GOWN at him Tou nIay' hon ~ "xt i.
rrcriug every minute to see his luck
change. But it didn't He couldn't lose.
Th. limit was $iyn. and he played IL In
lie than an hours time | was counting out
white chips to him at SO apiece. ana the
yClluwS were SJ-.
Won about $4,000. His luck seemed 50
| Phenomenal that | sent out for another
Gralcy. hoping in this way TO. break his
! charm. But he won on. ] sent for another,
|, and still the chips Went his way. l dealt
| myself for i little while, but he would
whipsaw mo at every turn. ! quit him,
! and turned him over TO one of the luckicst
| hank dealers that could be procured in
Chicago. Eut he couldn't beat him.. He
would nut his bets down b!iDdly. and the
cards would come his way. He didn't play
'Sodas' nor single outs nor double outs
He put chips down and they went back to
| him twicefold. lie called the turn u half
| .1nz.u times for the limit.
Anon noon Sunday, when all the deal
org we're tagged out. and il looked as if
he would oGn the shop in Il little while.
! called for his chips. | had had enough.
Nv that time h" was fairly trunk. He
| tri,5 10 count. but he couldn't. In fumblirg
with his chips he knocked more than 500
on the floor, to be picked un 10y the hang
| e,S-ou.' He was ahead Of the game Sft. 200.
took him aside and explained to nm mat
/ IL no went out of the building with that
much money he would be robbed. He. con-
scented TO let me keep 1t Tor hlmIaI but
The S.oa. | gave him this much in big bills,
and told him that anytime he wanted the
remainder and would come sober he could
Three days elapsed and l heard nothing
Of MIN. I became alarmed and sent one
OF my men out TO hunt him up. His where
abouts could not he aScertained. But about
closing time on the following "Wednesday
night he walked in. OF course he was
broke. He had forgot how much he had
left with me. and when ] counted him out
$1,000 hee seemed dazed. He acted as If So
her. He got 70 the steps and hesitated.
CninS and commenced TO pIav.
AT first his former luck ran with him,
but in the course OF an hour he struck a
wrong streak. and before daylight | had
every cent OF the $4,000 in the drawer. and
ii belonged TO me. 1t is a fact that outside
of whisky and a few. meals he had bought
he hadn't provided himself with a single
thing. In the way of personal apparel he
hadn't bought gven a shoestring. AS he
arose from the table he looked a me ap,
buv me a drink ! handed him SO and