The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-01
THE OLD SPORT.

/ wonder what has become of the old
sport. Search where you will, through
the familiar haunts of Broadway, down
at the summery Branch, up at Saratoga.
and you find him not. he has gone with
the good things of his day, and you dis
cover him not at all The old sport was
n character in his way, and we mourn
him as mourn the mocking birds that
have ruifled their feathers and muftlCd
their voices in the chill of the Winter.
Do you remember Price McGrath. one
of the most picturesque figures that ever
dealt n cardY Mcirath had New Orleans
training under Morrissey. and later ran
the big Washington house which grew
into fame Us the home of the sporting
Senator. Many government salary has
gone over the green to frics McGrath
when that gentleman was In charge of
the Tenth street place.
And then old Price encountered Sora
toga 1t was his habit in those DAYS TO
say that nothing in Saratoga was tit to
eat. McGrath had bic stock farm down
near Lexington. In his annual visits to
Saratoga he used to take along his own
"Soutbdown' mutton and his spring
chickens fresh from the blue grass pick
Ing.
Then he would give his dinners to his
intlmates and they were among the feastS
which Saratoga remembers. They used
to drink champagne OUT of the big gallon
cup which Tom Bowling won in Balti-
more In the days when two miles and
quarter was not too far for a good race
horse &c 20. Old Price would BET his
money over the green and on his horses
with equal abandon, and no died rich.
They miss old "Pa" Sampson this year,
too. "Pa" used TO be "A settled figure
about the Saratoga clubhouse in otner
days, and no gamer man ever pulled
card out OF the hoX. PAS last eXper-
fence at the spa was in 1893, when he
opened quiet game in one OF the hotels.
He had "A $40. 600 bank roll and gambling
house in Denver to draw on in case he
got into trouble.
He had cipher system, and his word
for another ten thousand was to be drag
the seine" PA" played along with
varying success until Tom Williams,
and few of those people struck him.
That bunch met Pa" in n social way
one night and swept his bank roll out of
existence He promptly telegraphed TO
Denver, Drag the seine. -
The seine was properly dragged and
PA" opened up. The same bunch of
peopls hit him again, and it took Just
half ight OF heavy play to maze shat
ten look like 30 cents. Again went that
cipher message to Denver: Drag the
seine. "
The seine responded. Pa" opened the
box and was ready for business. A new
contingent of New Workers went into tho
rooms one dull night and hegan To shoot
ut the ten. Before the day had dawned
PA" had seen the last dollar of tnat ten
thousand go To man across the table.
Then he sent this message which has
passed into the humor of the gambling
world: Drag the seine, and don't throw
out the minnows.' But Pa" quit the
season some hundred thousands to tie
good, and he is living in peace and quiet
at the Palace Hotel, in san Francisco,
and has quit the pay forever-so he says,
Tom Williams, the long Californian. is
missed these seasons. Ii has been three
years since he visited the Branch or
Saratoga He was over then with
bunch Of horses and played the limit in
all tho big games about the resorts In
New York and at the Springs. Tom is
game man with his money, and never
knows what 10 is to quit
1t was In the World 5 Fair year that
Tom got into tho hottest thing of his life.
a lot of them were sitting in the
Wellington cafe one night and u member
was bewailinR the fact that oil the games
were closed. Tom had little amateur
outfit in his trunk which had been
means OF amusement in his private
rooms i'm san Francisco. lie offered TO
denl for the thirsty crowd in his own
rooms /. they were willing to stake
on the oicloth board he had in his
baggage The crowd was willing and
the game opened in Toms room at IL at
night
There was Cleveland man named
steele I'm the game, aud along about
o'clock he was seventeen hundred to the
good and no asked Tom how much ho
could bet on the turn. Anything on
earth. " said Tom.
Steele called tho turn four times in sue
cession at a thousand time and when
he quit Tom owed him over sixteen
thousand. Steele was the Did sort and
whits. lie would not leave the game like
that SO he dropped back TO regular play
and STAYED with it At 10 O'Clock next
morning tho gamo closed and steele drew
n check for Ion, Williams, saying that he
might have somo s2LOo0.
Jack CLinn. Georgo Morgan. Steve
Gage and others sa. In the game Every.
one was seasoned man. hat they AZ
laud,d tie young Californian whom 10
closed the box at 1913 in tho morn-
ing The box aud the deck are part Of
tbs ndornment OF Williams bachelor
nrartments in san raucisrc.
AS it is with Chipn sld Williams and