The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-14
He cheated at Poker.

Talking about poker" said a middle
cording to the Washington Star, reminds
me of something that occurred about
twenty years ago at the University of
Virginia. This was about the livelicst
epoch in the history Of the university since
the war, or, for that matter. of that be.
fore it, when the life led by the students
lis 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 sur
rounding Albemarle fairly hum. These kin
dred 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
the quintenssence of mischief and devil
ment they took the laurels. There was
nothing downright bad about them, but
their antics were awful. Fantastic were
the tricks they played, and grotesque their
jokes Between freaks the Ellis were prone
TO poker, and it was customary down there
for the players to assemble at this or that
Students room. That brings me to my
story. One coterie of poker players com
prised sons of some of the best known and
wealthiest men in the South and into it
gifted with many attractive traits, appar-
emily. but'whose antecedents were not par
ticularly brilliant. I'll call him Dick Lurk,
but that wasn't his name
Most of the other fellows in the coterie
had roommates who were boning no for
the final examinations-it was well along
in the spring, and Lurk had quarters to
himself on East Lawn. Consequently the
poker began 10 be played exclusively in his
H.
the word would be passed around at sup
per that three Kentuck' would be in or
der, and at O'Clock or whereabouts the
players would assemble at Turks. Turks
luck was stupendous. He won steadily,
and as the game was pretty stiff his win
nings were substantial. 1t was noticed
after a while that he always passed out
when somebody had a particularly big
hand on somebody's else deal, but that he
always held a 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 a 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 Young Kentuckian, the
young man said quietly:
" Some one is cheating at this game, and,
Lurk, l think it's you
Now, at the University of Virginia such
declaration, if improved, meant some
body's death to certainty and in an in
slant 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 magnifying
glass
THE Kentuckian took the glass and
closely scanned the geometrical 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. fo US o
There was a consultation over what
should be done with Lurk, who stood with
| head hung down, overwhelmed with the
proof against him. 1t 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
| be mad won since his participation in the
| game and suffer ostracism in the uniVer-
| sity. He was compelled to sit down and
write out 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 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 unheard-of effront-
cry to remain at the university until the
| finals were completed. He was there six
weeks. No student, nor professor, nor SER
want, nor townsman; no man nor woman,
white or black, spoke to him or took any
notice. of him. He attended the final balls
and no one recognized him. He was not
quizzed in lecture room or addressed by
professor. Still he remained until the uni
! versity closed for tine season, but he might
| as well have been in the middle of Sahara
desert, SO far as intercourse with people
was concerned
-s-o>-e-4-A-