The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-08

REMARKABLE GAME ON AN OCEAN
STEAMER, WITH AN AFFIDAVIT.
Five Men Try n New Deck and Get "a
Sequence of s'FuIIs" from Skies and
Aces to Tens and Ftves.

NEW 1Of(h, aug. IA poker story,
soberly authenticated and, as all concerned
admit. needing so to be, came into port
yesterday morning on the Hamburg-Ameri-
can steamship Columbia. 1t is attested not
only by the signatures of the five players
Themselves, but nearly a quarter of the men
of the first cabin passenger list, the hands.
ETC., and they are willing to stake their
regulations on the facts in the case. And,
finally, Captain Vogelsang thought the in
cident of such Importance that he had d
limited edition of the declarations of the
players struck off on the ships printing
press, in order that copies of it might be
put among the archives of the company.
1t was Monday afternoon the big hands
were dealt. AS he gathered up the cards
Mr.. Muller said: '"These cards are getting
pretty gummy, here, steward, bring US a
new pack"
The steward brought a new pack, still
sealed. and handed them to Mr.. Stepp. He
broke the seal and then shuffied the cards
seven or eight times. Then he handed them
to Mr.. Muller to cut.
Between him and Mr.. Muller sat ]. A.
Filcher, secretary of the California State
Board of Trade and publisher of the
Placer Herald of Auburn, Cal. He was
able to see all that was going on. Mr.. Null
Ter cut the cards and Mr.. Stepp dealt them
out. 1t was a quarter limit and the pot,
which was a jack. was small. The eager
ness of each player to top each raise,
however, drew a big crowd around the
table and the pot ran up to $40.
Finally Mr.. stepp, of San Francisco, said:
This is only a friendly game, and we
don't want to get too much money in the
pot, 50 I'll cali"
seligman looked sorrowful and laid
out his hand toward the pot.
Hold on" said Wilde, and he threw
down three sevens and two deuces. There
was a gurgle from Meyer. He slammed
his eight full on the table, eXclaiming: IF
this don't beat the devil, 1 don't know
what will. I've won two steamer pools and
I've got this pot. Look at that hand"
WHAT have you got, Muller?" asked Mr..
Stepp, the dealer.
i've got mines full on fours," Muller re-
Piled, putting down his cards.
And l." said Mr.. Stepp, have got tens
full on fives."
There was al expressive silence in the
who was very pale and agitated. Finally
he spoke. Gentlemen" he said, Il won't
take the pot. l protest that the deal was
square. You saw me break a new pack of
cards and shuttle them above board. You
saw Mr.. Muller cut them and me deal
them. But such a lot of hands I've never
seen in my life. I've never heard of any
thing like it. If 1 didn't see it with my
own eyes / should call the man a liar who
told me that such a thing had happened
on a square deal. Therefore, in justice to
me, we should have a new deal"
A storm of protest greeted this. None
of the players would listen to any such
proposition. Its worth $500 to any poker
player" said Mr.. Muller, ito be able to
say that he sat in such a game"
Finally every man IN the smoking room
was called up to see the hands as they lay
on the table, and Mr.. Filcher said; II
want you ali to give me a statement in
writing, signed by each one of you, be-
cause If l go back to California and tell
this story without such a statement, L
will be called three hundred kinds of a liar,
want to say right here, he added. that |
was sitting at Mr.. Steps elbow when he
shuff1ed and dealt the cards, and 1t was
absolutely on the square"
The statement given above was then
made. Each of the players and Mr. F1lcher
got a written copy ana the copies prlnIeo
tributed among the men passengers. Fol-
lowing is the affidavit made by the pas
sengers:
the Columbia, while engaged in a game OF
draw poker, saw a new deck OF caTds passed
to the dealer by the t9bWiarsd' sb T9e stamp mp
and dealt, the following remarkable fact
occurred: The first man opened the pot,
9 1ftb raising in turn. cards were drawn,
one each by the first, second and third men,
the fourth and fifth standing pat. On cali
the completed hands were as follows: First
man six full on aces; second man, seven
full on deuces; third man, eight full on
man. ten full on hves. Respectfully SUBJ
mitted to the unbelieving public as a truth
full poker story"
The Signatures appended are: J. De Witt
wild, New York; c. ~Seligman, Los Angeles,
Cal; Alex ]. Meyer, Richmond. Va; Louis
Muller, New York; Charles Stepp. San
Francisco (dealer). The words L was, a
witness to the game and certify to the
truth of the above are attached by. j. A.
FiIcher, publisher of the Placer Herald,