The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-15

for the fact that three of the players are
dead and circumstances have so changed
with the other two that the telling will
not hurt them.
1T was the climax of a week or more of
general play, in which the five had
achiG3 distinction as the most vicious
plungSs in all the crowd. They had mark
ed one another's play, and had occasional
ly encountered on another at this table
or that. but it was the first time the five
mad sat together and by some quiet agree
ment that was not known to the general
party they had arranged for an unlimited
game among themselves. Two other men
beside myself had suspected something
and we followed them into the Pirates
own car. where the battle was to be
fought, asking for the privilege of looking
ON. After some hesitation it was granted
and then saw for myself what the posi-
biities of poker are.
white chips were 500 each. reds were
$1,000 and blues 5000. Each man bought
100000 stack to begin with and they
did it as coolly as if they had intended
playing for beans. Ii was a case where
money was inconvenently bulky, but the
checks were as good as Bank of England
notes
For an hour or more there was no par
ticular excitement. The hands that were
shown were nearly all small though two
or three fulls and fiushes were called be-
fore there had been much betting AS
believe, the players were an studying one
anOthers play, content to let a few oppor-
tunties pass before they learned The stvle
of game they were against. II is impossl-
BILE to say this positively, though for they
all played Closely, and we on-lOokers saw
only the hands that were shown down.
1.-THE Pirate I set down, after time,
as the poorest player at the table. 1t was
not that he lacked nerve or Judgment, but
-, l1, xrr.e- 81,
stalking at least half a million dollars on
the expenses of the trip in playing for
sale of the road. and the poker enormous
as the game was, was minor excitement
And anyhow il was all velvet as | said
even allowing his title 10 be legally per-
feet.
THE canniest Of the party was the Ar
menian, and he alone of them all seemed
10 remember the value of the chips all the
time The ante was two white chips call
ing five and again and again finding Moth
ing in his hand TO draw to, he threw down
his cards, refusing 20 make good on his
ante. An exact opposite TO him was a
Russian nOblemen who played with an
parent recklessness, repeatedly drawing
four and even five cards, but coming in on
every deal ana forcing the play once or
twice in way that looked snspiciously
ike blufling. When called. however. he
always had soTethng to show, so that no
one Ielt lulte sure OF DbIn.
"A young Englishman who played fourth
stood ntt;e show. He had the gambling
fever badly and was a Dlunger fast
enough. but the champagne and brandy
and soda he had lived on for week had
shaken his judgment and his nerves. If
not his nerve. The governor of a western
state, who held fifth hand, on the con
trary played the typical American game
without a culver, and, so far az / could
see, without a mistake.
Gradually the game grew hotter and
the cards bowed stronger. An occasional
clash Of a straight or q flush with high
or hand stll brought out heavy bets. Sew
eral times there were raises Of twenty
thousand at a time and once a, hundred
and tfty-odd thousand went in single
pot. I grew almost dizzy thinking Of the
money values, but kept my attention as
closely as possible on the play. Luck ran
against the I1nglishman. and at midnight
he dropped out, signing a check for large
sum, in addition to his original stake
fancy it hit him very hard, but he car
ried his loss as Englishmen do, and after
looking on a bit went off 90 bed. Nobody
wanted his place, so the game went on
with four a the table.
There was some drinking done. II
would have been heavy drinking for some
men, the Russian especially taking his
champagne in goblets and occasionally
dashing 81 with brandy, but neither he nor
any Of the others bowed any effects from
t. and the play went on steadily through
the morning hours, growing heavier all
the time. but running with toleraby even
luck until the Russian began losing and
after time bought his second hundred
thousand dollars worth Of chips. The