The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-07
GAMES FOR QUEER STAKES.
MEN WHO LOST THE CLOTHES OFF
THEIR BACKS.

YOrk-An Indians Loss of Wife,
Boy and Every Garment, in n
Climbing Poker Game in the West.
From the New York Sun.
II never saw anything like that" said
the gray-haired, young looking man in the
club smoking room, except once, and that
was among the Indians"
They had been talking of practical jokes.
AS some of them were old enough to re-
member Kenward Philip, of course they
talked of him, and one man had told of
how Tody Hamilton one night brought
Philip to utter and complete discontinue.
PHILIP, as the story goes, had played some
prank upon friend of Hamilton's which
had transcended the limits, and Hamilton
had vowed vengeance.
The two met, one summer night, near
Alderman Lynch's place, and, after the
usual civilities fell to matching pennies.
1t happend that luck ran in a most as
tonishing way in Hamilton's favor. Philip
never could resist the fascination of any
game of chance and doubling the stakes
again and again, but losing at almost ev-
cry turn, he was soon penniless. Hamil-
ton saw his chance and took Philips mon-
his ferry fare, though he knew Philip lived
in Brooklyn.
Philip proposed to play further, and put
up first his hat, then his coat, vest, shoes,
necxtie and socks. Hamilton won them
all. As each article was lost Philip hand
ed it over, and at the last he stood bare
footed, with nothing on but his shirt, I'M
derclothes and trousers, while Hamilton
had bundle of secondhand clothing of
no earthly use to him. His resentment of
Philips i'll treatment of the other man,
however, was enough TO fill him with sat
isfaction when the joker. beaten for once
at his own game, started uncomplainingly
| for home. Il wouldn't have done it TO
| anybody else on EARTH" Hamilton says
when he tells the story, but it was a very
| slight punishment for what he had done "
That was the story that called forth the
remark from the gray-haired, young-look-
| ing man about Indians and blackberry
jam.
you didn't know there ever was a
town built with the proceeds of blackber-
| ry jam?" he asked. why, that's an old
story. It's away UP in the northern par.
of the Michigan peninsula, and it's called,
or it was when l was there, Church's
Landing. Church was a yankee who went
west long ago to seek his fortune, and
| happening along toward the Straits of
Mackinac in the blackberry season, was
dIudLeu dt the SIGHT VI the wiz berries
growing there. 1t was wilderness then.
but it was the most fertile kind of a viii
derness, and better than that, 1t was
| right on the shore of the great natural
waterway from the west 70 the east
Church had some money-not a great
deal, but enough to start with. He also
had yankee gumption, and best of all, he
had a wife with a business head on her
Anybody else could have done what he
did, providing he had had those three
things and had stumbled on just that OPP
portunity, but as ii happened, he was the
man. What he did was to embark in the
manufacture of blackberry jam, not by
the gallon, but by the hundreds OF hogs
heads. You see, his fruit cost him noth-
ing but the gathering, for 1t was Uncle
Sans land until IL afterward became
Church's. There were miles and miles Of
1t, all covered with fine fruit, growing
wild. And IL seemed as If Providence had
made special provision for the gathering,
for there were great numbers of the most
worthless Indians / ever came across liv-
ing right there, and although those In
dams would do monstrous little to save
themselves from starvation, they would
make their squaws and children pick ber-
ries for just about as little as Church
was willing to pay them.
THE result was, as l told you, that he
built village with the proceeds of black
perry Jam, ana " was no SiOucn OF a VII
lage, either. when ! was there. / should
think it likely that II is a city now, and
I'd make a small bet that IL Church and
his wife are still alive they own the whole
of il. There were saw mills and grist
mills and various shops and general
store there when ! saw 1t, and a couple of
good wharYes on the water front: and
them. carried freight between Churchs
and other places on the lakes.
THE Indians never did much except eat
and drink. Church traded with them some.
naturally, but he wouldn't sell them any
liquor. Whether II was moral or business
principle that prevented him. / couldn't
say. But the dusky vagabonds would get
liquor sometimes and somehow. and when
they did they wouldn't stop drinking until
II was all gone. I'VE seen three or four OF
them lying dead drunk alongside Of a dis
carded whisky barrel that they had stolen
somewhere and taken to the waters edge.
They would pour a few gallons OF water
into IL and roll IL around until they had
weak grog, and then lie and drink Il by
the quart. When they would get hold OF
the carcass Of any kind OF an animal
they would eat until Il was all gone. Per-
haps they would gorge themselves like
buzzards when they had food. It was
then that / formed my estimate OF Indian
character. and / never saw the noble red
man OF tradition. there or anywhere else.
Il was wrong. though. in saying there
was nothing else they would do. They
were the worst gamblers / ever saw any
where, and 1t was there that / saw the
match to the story Of Kenward Philps
game.
Il suppose these Indians. like others.
have their own gembling games. which
they played before they acquired the white
mans vices, but ! don't know them.
do know that they understand poker, and
gether there IL pretty certain to be pack
OF cards. I never saw them use chips.
Just why they don't 10 not very clear. but
4 imagine they can't appreciate the fact