The herald., 1898-11-12
A STORY FROM LIFE

Talking about poker games," said John
| G. Northcut, as he sat in the rotunda of the
Palmer house, Il saw one last spring just
before l left Dawson City, that beat TO-
20 and 30 cent show all to pieces. Poker is
the national game in Dawson. They play it
Itwenty-four hours a day and there's many
bag of nuggets changes owners-I was
about to say during game, but game never
ends there.
Il was in the back room of the Eldorado
saloon one night, and the game was pretty
lively. Seven men were playing. Six of
them were miners we'll known about the
place; the other was chap who had Just
got in from st. Michaels. In one week he
figured in three shooting scrapes and had
won many an ounce of dust. 1t Just seemed
like he couldn't lose, and no matter how
many big hands were out this chap always
had the top notcher.
The boys were suspicious and they
watched Powell-that was the name he said
was his, Dick Powell. They watched him
like q hawk, but they couldn't turn up any.
thing crooked. There wasn't a doubt but
what the fellow fixed the cards every now
and then, but be was the slickest ever seen,
and there wasn't man in the party who
could spot his work; but they made such in
siruating remarks as If had such great
luck I'd expect to get killed over stack OF
chips some time
The game went on for about three hours
after l got in the room, when little quiet
circus happened. Powell had dealt the
cards. l was standing behind him, looking
on. 1t was jack pot and the second man
opened it. 1t got two boosts before it got to
Powell. but he stayed. When it came to the
draw 1 was thunderstruck to see Powell
draw to king and four-spot. thought he
had made mistake in his hand, and wa
simply making the best of bad stay. All
of the boys took three cards except Dave
Hollingsworth, and he took two. Powell
of course. took three, and you can shoot me
for an Eskimo if he didn't get three more
kings. Everybody seemed to hook for
there was some of the liveliest betting
around that table ever saw. The pace got
too swift for them, however, and all drop.
ped out except Powell and Hollingsworth.
'Dave was from somewhere up in the
Butte district-a quiet, inoffensive sort OF
a fellow, but good grit and the best shot you
ever saw with the revolver.
"Those two kept hammering away at each
other, and everybody was watching them
without saying a word. You could see from
their faces though, that they were kind OF
pityng Hollngsworth, for from past events
they were confident Powell would gobblc
the dough. I never thought anything else,
for I'd caught flash OF the four kings early
in the engagement.
FINALLY Powell showed up a stack of chips
that Just about covered everything in front
of him. 1 guess there must have been $500
or 5000 in the pile. Dave looked straight al
Powell for some minutes, kind of trying to
figure him out. I thought he was going to
weaken, and could see POWELL raking in the
pot.
Finally, Dave drew long breath and
standing up said: I'm agoin' to call that,
Powell, but jest wait mint er two SO as
kin satisfy myself amt nervous
'1'll wait on you,' says Powell.
"Dave picked up the five of spades that
happened to be laying face up on the table,
stepped over to the wall, about twelve feet
away. pinned the card up about on level
with his shoulder. Then he walked back to
the table, drew q six-shooter, and before
ANYBODY realized what was going on he fired
five shots at the card, clipping out one of the
spot. with each shot, clean and pretty as
though you'd done it with a knife. He laid
the gun down on the table with just the one
load in it and said:
"I CUES amt very nervous. I've got four
queens
Powell looked at him a second and then,
without giving himself away bit, he said:
That's good and he showed his four kings
into the deck.
Powell left Dawson the next day, and
I heard as was coming back to the states
in July that he was killed in game at
Skaguuy Chicago Inter-Ocean.