The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-01

challenge, but they looked at each other
doubtfully and Meade shook his head.
Then Morrisey said: Wen deal for
you as long as you want to play, OF course,
but we don't deal unlimited fac to any
man on earth. It's the rule of the house,
and we can't break t. 1t did not sound
sportsmanlike, and the crowd was disap-
pointed. for Morrlsey wasn't the man we
expected to see backing down from any
kind of a square proposition. but nobody
could say anthing. The etiquette govern
ing such matters is too strict to allow of
any protest against the rules of the house,
and there wasn't a man there who would
dream OF doing It, Walton spoke up,
though, and said that It seemed a pity to
balk the play. I cant put up a hundred
thousand he said, but I'd like to go into
a pool that would do 1t, and back the
bank
This proposition struck the crowd fav-
orably, and Morrssey himself agreed 10 It.
He and Meade went into the pool readily
enough, and put up l think 1t was, half
the money. Walton took a slice of II, as
he had said he would. Stuart took a
share ana so did Abel and there were
some others. The limit was declared off
and the deal went on.
At first, fast as the play was, there was
very little advantage either way. for 1t
was win and lose, lose and win, alternate
ly. The bets were tremendous The blue
chips were put at a thousand dollars each,
and several times l saw stack Of TWEEN
ty on a single card. Once there We're
thirty-hve in a single bet That was the
largest sum / ever heard of staked on
single turn of q card in faro and the
bank lost 1t. Luck varied for three or
four deals but after a time 1t turned In
the politicians favor, and he pressed IL
relentlesslY until after a tme-something
over half an hour, n / remember correct
lyle had the banks roll in his pocket.
Naturally enough, he wasn't satisfied
with that. He was still $4,000 out, and
the luck was his way. Neither was the
crowd satisfied. Even against his run of
luck they all believed the bank had the
best chances. SO, after a little more talk,
another pool was made Of another hun
dred thousand, and the play went on
again on.
Il never saw a man hold his nerve the
way that player did. He was playing the
heaviest game ever played, ana yet he
was as cool as If 1t had been penny ante.
Win or lose It seemed TO make no differ
ence to him. and he played on as delb-
erately and thoughtfully as II he had had
some way of calculating which way the
cards would fall. And 1t almost seemed
as II he had for the luck held, and in less
time than it had taken for him to get
away with the first pool he got the sec
ond.
The excitement was greater and greater
The players blood was up, and he wanted
more, though he was now $4,000 ahead.
Morrissey and Meade had had enough,
though they, too, were ahsad They didn't
like the unlimited game, and didn't want
70 90 into a third pool, but there were
n b. tt.x.t.s A. f....s
was up, and after some little talk and
hesitation third one was formed, though
II was not a hundred thousand. There was
a go,d oeal Of money in the room, but the
sLcriiest rnen had lost a good bit Of theils
ard the others we're scared Of the lu. *
something Ike 1fty thousand was Hcraped
together, though, and once more the game
starlcd
This time it wasn't played to a finish,
for the luck held with the politician til he
fairly fought The bank to finish After
he had won S3s OcG more the dealer--I think
Walton was kold,ng the box at the time
for they had changed dealers half a dozen
times or more LOST his nerve and refused
to deal again. ma there wasn't man in
the room who would take his place SO the
game closed and the nights record has
never been broken so far as l know.
This same politician was a famous
short card player. too, in his day." contin-
ued Leigh. IN those times poker was not
I.lnyed as much as Il is now, for the draw
had not lccn introduced. / won't undertake
TO give dates but ] know that thirty or
forty years ago less than fOlty--poker
wasn't as much played as casino. cribbase,
Boston and Whist. II was later than that
when hearts came in, but all these games
were played in the gambling houses of the
city at that time for tremendous Stakes.
ana the politician was noted for his sue
cess at all Of them. He played Doaer. too,
later on, Int a wac toward the dime when
Re gave up gambling, and there were 9TH
er-men who played that as well or better
than he did
1T was perfectly true and he made his
boasts Of 1t that he could hold his own at