The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-19

against him that made him unpopular.
He would go up to a faro table and throw
a gold piece on some card. 1t would gem
orally be a SEQ piece II the card lost
ne would throw down another on the same
card, and II it lost again he would throw
down another with the remark addressed
TO the dealer. If that loses tn kill you.
The strange part of 1t was that he had
done repeatedly and had killed four and
think five men under exactly those cir
cumstances. The gamblers had come to
know him, however, and more than one
of them had determined to shoot first IL
II came to a third winning from him.
steve Whipple used always to have a
bank going in any town when there was
anything else going on to attract a crowd,
and on this occasion he had a game at
Marysville, where there was some sort of
a fair in progress. 1t was next door to
the theater. and was from the time it
opened the favorite game in town. Laugh
ing Ed generally dealt. One night he was
behind the table as usual when Long.
Haired Brown came In. Steve was stand
ing around watching things generally. and
saw Brown come in. He was not a fight
ing man himself. but he made up his mind
to take a hand in any disturbance that
might occur. so he took care to stand
close by when Brown began playing as
usual. He threw a $50 piece on the five,
and stood watching Il without a word.
One five had already been played, so there
was three others in the box. The FIVE lost.
He then threw another twenty on the
five and lost that. Then he pulled out
slug, as the $50 piece was called and
threw that on the FIVE. which was now
case card.
"'If that loses, you smiling son of
gum he exclaimed, IN kill you
Probably there wasn't a man in the
room who did not know what he had al
ready done, but 1t was a matter between
him and the dealer, and the others, eX-
ceptlng Steve, drew away little. Steve
drew a little nearer.
Laughing Eds smile did not fade away
In any degree, perhaps because 1t couldn't,
but he looked up pleasantly, and with
lightning-like motion of his right hand he
juggled the money drawer just trifie,
and then he kept on dealing, possibly
little more slowly than before.
1.-THE five of spades was stil in the box.
So was the four of spades, and the crowd
looked anxiously for the five to appear.
AS Laughing Ed slid one card after an
other from the box, each one revealing the
next in turn, all eyes were looking for the
two black pips that would show first.
Presently they appeared, and I think ev-
cry man in the room held his breath while
the card was slowly uncovered, for II was
the losing card, but there was general
rustic when 1t proved to be the four.
Brown never moved or spoke. His eyes
were as intent as every one else's, but he
looked as cool as Laughing Ed did Slowly
and still more slowly the cards came out
till on the next to the last turn the five
showed up the loser.
Laughing Ed had uncovered II so slow
ly that his eyes were the first to catch the
black edges of the two pips on the side of
the top card, but the instant he saw them
he sid the top card off like lightning and
before 1t had left the box he had shot
Brown directly between the eyes. As the
bad man fell Laughing Ed exclaimed, You
lose, Brown, and actually raked in
Browns bet before Brown was dead and
he died almost instantly.
LAS he fell Steve Whipple fell beside him.
but when with some surprise they picked
him up they found that he had only faint
ed. The coroner was in the room, and in
five minutse' time he had impanelled a
jury and heard the verdict, which was
not simply an exoneraton, but a hearty
commentator OF Laughing Eds quick
ShOtff