Evening star., 1898-03-05
HE CHEATED AT CARDS
The Punishment Melted Cut to a Disbonest
Student.
An Incident That Occurred N Number
of Years Ago at the University
of Virginia.

iaiking about poker said middle
aged man TO coterie at Chamberlin's the
other night. reminds me of something that
occurred about twenty years ago at the
University OF Virginia. That was about
the hveliest epoch in the history of tbe
university since the war. or for that mat
ter, OF that before II, when the life led by
the students Is taken into consideration.
There was big crowd OF devil-may care
young men there, most Of them with plenty
of money, and they made charlottesville
and surrounding Albemarle fairly hum
These kindred spirits formed a society,
which took the name of ELI Bananas
Here the speaker smiled at evidently
amusing "reminiscences. There Is no tell
ing what the Eli Bananas didn't do. For
Inc quintessence OF mischief and dcviment
they tock the laurels. There was nothing
downright bad about them. but their antics
were awful. Fantastic were the tricks
they played and grotesque their jokes. Be-
tween freaks the Ellis were pro:.e to poker
ara IL was customary down there for the
plaSef TO assemble at this or that stu
dents room. That brings me to nv story
ohe coterie OF poker players comprised
sons or some of the best-known and wealth.
lest men in the south. ard into IL was in
troduced young Nirginian who was gifted
with many attractive traits apparently hug
whose artecodonts were not particularly
brilliant. I'll call him Dick LUrk bu; that
wasn't his name.
Most of the other fellows I'm The cote,ta
Rad rcommates, who were boning up for
the final eNaminatiors-it WAS well along
IN the spring. and Lurk h.d quarters to
himself on East Lawn. Consequently the
poker began to he PLAYED exclusively in
his ROOM When the evening seemed pro-
pltlouS, the word would be passed around
at supper that three Kentuck' would be
IN order, ard at O'clock or thcrea bouts
the players would assemble at Turks
Lurks luck was siupendous. He won
steadily, and the game was pretty
stiH, his winnings were substantial Ii was
noticed latter while that he always passed
out when somebody had a particularly big
hand on somebody else's deal but that ha
always held top hand when there were
big ones out against each other on his own
deal Then somebody noticed that the
seals were always broken on the half-doZen
new decks of cards provided each night
before the game began, and that Lurk in
dealing always closely scrutinized the
cards as he gave them out.
AT last, one night. the son OF famous
confederate general. who now lives in Bal
timore, became convinced that Lurk was
cheating. Picking up the deck that Lurk
had just dealt, and out of which he had got
a hand with four queens against an ace
full held by yong kentuckian, the
young man said quietly:
Some one is cheating at this game, and
Lurk. think it's you.
Now, at the University of Virginia such
a declaration, il improved, meant some
body's death to a certainty, and in an in
stant the party was on its feet
Just wait a minute, gentlemen said
the accuser, quietly, I've been watching
this man. Let some one examine the backs
OF these cards with this magnifyng glass
THE Kentuckian took the glass and
closely scanned the geometrfcal designs on
the backs of the cards.
BY Caesar!' he calculated. every court
card is distinctly marked Examination
by the other players quickly proved the
truth of this.
There was a consultation over what
should be done with Lurk. who stood with
head hung down, overwhelmed with the
proof against him. II was decided that he
was not worth calling out, as he was not a
gentleman, and the verdict was that he
should make restitution of all the money
he had won since his participation in the
games and suffer ostracism in the univer-
sity. He was compelled to sit down and
write out a check for all the money he had
won. the memorandum books OF the other
players showing the amounts they had lost
at various times, and he was kept under
surveillance until the Charlottesville bank
in which he kept a heavy account, opened
next morning One of the party rode down
to Charlottesville and cashed the check
and then the sentence of ostracism went
into effect.
That fellow had the nnheard of effrontery
to remain at the university until the finals
were completed He was there six weeks.
No student, or professor, or servant, or
townsman. no man or woman, white or
black. spoke to him or took any notice of
him. He attended the final balls and no
one recognized him. lie was not quzzed
in lecture room or addressed by a pro-
fessor. Still he remained until the univer-
Sity closed for the session, but he might as
well have been in the middle of the Sa-
hara desert so far as intercourse with peo-
pie was conc arned."