Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-01-27

zone OF tho weathiest men in my
town hasn't got cent to his name.
paftl George Witherby OF Butte, Mont,
in n Washington hotel cnfe few nights
ago. says the Washington Post.
The men in the party eyed Mr.. With
srby.
Fact, assure you," he went on.
"The man has the use of the money.
lie uses 1t in his big operations just
as freely as il it belonged to him, and
he ia rated A No. for the whole pile |
by the commercial agencies. Moreover. !
be made every dollar of the money him,
self. All the same, he can't call
soumarquis of IL his own. lie told mo
himself only the other day that he
didn't have the price OF nacktie 10
cash that belonged to him, and that II
he happened to be called upon to pay
In coin Of his own for ths halfHoling OF
his shoes, he'd probably have to 60
barefoot.
"Up to about four years ago, as most
Of you know. Butte was probably the
warmest gambling town in this coun-
trv. There were half dozen games en-
every block, and they weren't sinoth-
sred up on the top floors, either, not
perforated with peepholes, with
house man al every hole to size up
the proper people or the dangerous ones
that tinkled for admittance. They were
run full blBst on the ground floors, and
the clatter of chips and the rattling OF
the wheel marbles were Just as common
sounds in the ears of pedestrians on the
main streets of Butte as the moan Of the
tamale man is ON the streots OF San
Francisco A II of the joints were called
clubs, and there was a very wide
pamut between the best and the worst
of them.
"At faro hank you could get any
thing you wanted in Butte, from two
bit to no limit at all. and all the rest
of the games. from mustang to fly loo
and stud poker we're run on the same
acale to accommodate the purses OF
both paupers and performers There
was no municipal supervision oil the
games at all. The only exaction was
that every layout should be run strictly
on the level, aud this was not muni-
cipal exeacti0n, but was rule that
proprstors of the big institutions took
10 hand and enforced. If the manager
of puntiug game got caught in the
most venial sort of crooked work, or
even an attempt at crooked work, hla
place would be closed up in jig time by
the chief of polics. and no explanation
would be given why this was done,
But the big bank proprietors would
know why it was done.
"Weli, this wealthy man of Butte.
now without cent of his own, was
one of the most profitable patrons OF
the high class games until the reform
administration came along, about four
1. years ago. and swept about eight out
4. of ten hanks out of existence and forced
NJ the surviving institutions, the Leading
"a ones of the town, to carry on business
M strictly ON the quiet. He made most
n OF his money in working Montana't
gen folds. and he was shrewd in
weston and rafting good business
man.
"He had gone back to New Hamp
shire and married the sweet heart o
his boyhood after no began to pile W
money iu Montana. He got 9 prize
"a too. and he knew 1t, and he did every
81 thing in the world for her but the on
~ thing that abe most wanted him to do
and that was quit gambling.
LATTER awhile I'll let the banks go
n Jimmy he'd say to her, i want t
give 'em ore good, hard welt, and &c
n at least some of it back, and then yu
and I'll spend our evenings playiu
checkers and you wont worry an
NJ more.
"well. you all know how it goss whe
~ fellow stacks un against another man
~ game for the purpoae of getting hi
ii money hack. The player plays wit
H desperation and imbecility, and hs get
worse mired all tho time. That va
!. what was happening to this man whe
II his wife got into the game. She VIZ
and is a pretty level. headed and accom-
rlished woman, and clever enough
M keep the smartest men on their nett
- on any subject.
g& . 'Tom, said she to her husband vel
i early one morning when he reache
home with worried look on his fac
s you know Pm no Mrs. Caudle AT
that haven't sat up to lecture yo
lt You've been up ut the bank, haven
H you, Tomf"
VA Tom, owned up.
IA :" And you look as il you we're b
pretty hard. suppose you were?'
8 'Middling hard, says Tom.
M Jewell. now she went OF, II
E been hearing to-day that the first ra
men don't play bank any more, sin
% they've been compelled to 60 about
% in skulking kind of way. And, aft
a having had the honor Of your acauair
tM ance and your regard ever since l W
& a little girl in short frocks, it is Gle
S to me that you belong to the tribe
tirst.rate men,
IN ION 5nlOk6u uib ClBdr huu hopb l
mouth closed
M :. Tom, Mrs. Tom went on, Il
lieve that you just naturally love
v gamble; that you were born that wa
that you have passion for ventura
"a your money just for the exciteme
the mental stimulation of it, An
right?'
Tom fiicked the ashes from
cigar in way that said yes, but
4 kept still.
''tWelI, said she, after pau
n I've got scheme. Gamble with M
."Tom told me afterward that
thought at the time that his wife '
DELICIOUS from anxiety, and that
looked at her pretty hard.
n '-.Well, Timmy, said Tom, III
N you.'
N 1T was such novel sort OF r
N pusition, ne said to me afterward. 4
1t was SO ipsinuatingly put, besid
X that just couldn't help but agret
IN it then and there, and to stand TO
Hk afterward.
~ ''Well, this couple started their t
# handed game of draw on the very n
N night, and Tom told me that from
IA very go-otf he never had so much
playjng cards in his life. Not that
IN wife didn't know the game. He
taught her tho game OF poker soon a
they were married, and on his ey