Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-09-01
A GAMBLERS NERVE.
NAILED HIS CARDS TO THE TABLE
WITH HIS KNIFE.

iNAlLGO TITO OHhOo ~ l1G IA6LE
WITH HIS KNIFE.
rhen Calmly, but Rapidly, Atwood Pulled
His Revolver and Turned to Pay His Re-
spects to the Man Who Had Shot Him
From Behind.
The coldest nerve ever saw displayed
by any one, said the gray haired young
looking man, twas Jack Atwood when,
after being shot at from behind, he paused
to nail his poker hand to the table with a
bowie knife before turning and drawing
his own revolver to return the fire.
Atwood was queer fellow in good
many ways Physically he wasn't much
to look at, but he had dandificd habits
that seemed curiously out of place in a
man whose business kept him constantly
in association with the toughest men in
the country at the time-I am speaking of
the lumbermen on the upper Mississippi
80 years ago-and who was, in fact as wild
as the widest of them.
He was good deal of politician and
was suspected of writing some of the most
violent articles that appeared in the local
papers. There had been a great deal of
scandal about member of the state legis-
lature from Minneapolis-call him Davis
for some time before the fight that l
speak of, and Atwood had been among
Davis most violent critics.
''This particular night there was quite
a crowd in Bill Galloway s gambling house
on the east side of Minneapolis, near the
old Fort Smelling road. Atwood was play
ing poker with four other men. Two were
lumberinen, friends of Atwood's, and the
fifth was St. Paul man, stranger to
me. 1t was the first game had ever seen
played with $40 goldpieces for chips. Of
course for the heavy betting they used
paper money, for as the ante was one chip
and it took two to come in there was not
chips enough to bet with when the big
hands came Limit games were not much
in vogue in Galloway's place at any time,
but the table stakes usually meant a few
hundred dollars at the outside, and this
was the largest had ever seen up to that
time, for each player had good sized
wad, and there must have been $12, 900 or
SIS, 700 in sight at least.
Nothing special occurred for over an
hour, when there came jack pot which
was opened for 500, and somewhat to my
surprise all the players came in. 1t was
jack for five chips in the first place and
had been sweetened once, SO there was
$500 in the center before the draw. The
second surprise came when each man drew
two cards, excepting Atwood, who stood
pat. They were holding their cards close,
SO none of us around the party knew what
any player held, but it appeared later that
Atwood had four lacks
The opener put up another hundred on
the strength of his three of kind. The
next one raised it 500. The third did the
same thing and so did the fourth. He was
the St. Paul man, and he had caught
fourth seven spot while the others had not
bettered. Atwood made it thousand to
play. One, two and three dropped out.
Three of kind was no kind of hand for
that struggle, and that is what each of
them had. The St. Paul man was de-
lighted, though he tried hard to conceal it,
and he came back at Atwood with another
thousand. He was ahead OF the game,
having about $4,000 III front OF him at the
beginning OF the deal, while ATWOOD had
only about half that, That left him
enough TO raise St. Paul once more ana
ne dld t5 promptly.
suppose l II nave 70 can you, salo
une latter' seeing IL $ taole stakes, Due III
sorry you maven more money WIN you.
nave ooo III tne pahk, said Az
Woou- II you care 10 TAKE my cnecA' II
seana @ announcer raise.
Onecks were hoo III sreao iasor ac uai-
loWay >, ana che 81. faui man nesie1teu ~
naturaiiy enough, puo one ol AO"oou
cheh6s spoke up Il cash your cneck ior
you, JACK ne sfsiu' anu JusC oneii ene snoO
ca.n1. ..n,
Ano on s.no0 " 'ie iooiu was iniu"ay
ueOweeI 0no ialo anu .lio pohoi uioiea, "iiu
AOmoou saV WIN ms oeioA 'oMalu ~.
laws nsau eiiOereu Uiie looili no.seiessiy
GI'u e, 1i.'u n.eu o9 9ooi, % uo 90" u
oiiooolhs run oeniiu ~ lulii :" lif,ii ~
ony 0oi,11i anu uol D,'s
wouia naNo uo,io ~ nc ltsuli ooon O,, ,l,ii
uruilA ~ anu nan iiau WIN l"so as "9ii
uo plopap,y woulun naso W, in,seou nis
snoo' onougn' II le iitun pSeii uiinAlls. :.
was " maVciiihs5 AO"oou oloeoiy anu ileui,
seen laws eheer. AS ~ was' saw one
ieio Gnu u Aemoou y, nusO'loiao uis,'ppee, ,
ho Vil9 AnSuohO ono eno0 rang ouo anu d io. y.
stfeah snow on ms chech' puO ho oiun
Curn ms neao' ne res'cneu uowl as quicA
as IerreO ana drew Khlle from some
wnere peiow tne ilne ol one SaDle .op lay-
ing ms cards lace down on ene tapie Win
ms 3 ielI manu- a1 1ne same instant,
me game stahds as II Isl ne salo
WlCnou6 quaVer IN ms voice as ne uroVe
tne knlIe tnrougn the cards ana the Dalze
cover Geep lnto Che Wooa, WIN vicious
sGaD. Inen just as quickly ne reacneo ior
MS MP pocKe5 ana stooo racing around
Win revolver IN MS nana ieVeled at
LAWS.
Two oener shots rang ou6 as ne rose.
Ihey We're hred by AtWoods friends, pu5
To-. .',.,. sS - =. - "ts g
So -, I, ,,,o,+ ,.,ith +h~,, go.