The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-09
POKER RUINS A BANK
--
Game That Brought Disaster to
Reno Financial Institution.
JOHN LOVES LUCKY PLAY
AN INSTANCE IN WHICH FOUR
ACES WERE COLLATERAL.
f-
Banker Who Furnished Funds to
Loves Opponent Closed His
Doors After the Play.
(Chicago Inter Ocean.)

(Ch1cagO Inter ocean,
Another poker game, or rather the con-
tinuation of one which began when John
Love, Colonel Reed, Lucky Sanders and
Plugger Joe struck the mining camp, two
months before, was on. The ''parlor" of
the Reno hotel, with it's side door opening
into the bar, was the scene of the con-
test. More than thousand times the
little old marble-top table had been fairly
covered with greenbackS, silver and gold,
while seated around it prosperous miners,
like these four, had battled with Dame
Fortune.
John Love had come to Reno from the
east. Big, jolly and good-natured, he was
the brunt of all the jokes the horde OF
miners in the hotel could conceive. But he
was a poker player. With dve, cards in
his hands and a high sta elk Of yellows
and blues. he would back his Judgment
until the last check had passed into the
hands of his adVersartes and the last
dollar from his pocket. These four played
for cash and cash only.
Put you papah in the stove. Gentle
men nevah ask favorS in a gentlemen'S
poBah game, Colonel Reed had frequent
~ observed when paper was offered in
lieu of cash. And the colonel was a
poker player also. He played with calm
deliberation which threw his companions
entirely off guard. Lucky Sanders, so
called because of his good fortune at
poker, his first name having never been
known to his companions, was quick
prayer. "A glance at MS uVe cafuS ana
mis- draw settled it with him.
Plugger Jones had acquired his Chris
tan name because of his anxiety to spend
all his waking hours at the Reno hotel
poker table. When Plugger got up in the
morning his first act was to low to
some one that he wouldn't mind sittin'
in. He rarely failed to have d quorum
seated about the marble-top table before
the dinner bell was heard 1t was so on
this occasion, and Love and the colonel
seemed TO have all the luck. Thus the
game ran until Lucky and Plugger saw
their piles of checks each representing
500 disappear one after the other. Lucky
was dealing and he asked Plugger who
sat at his right, to cut the cards.
''ShuckS. Go on. Ill see if can't drap
on somethin' without cuttin'," he said.
GREATEST OF THEIR GAMES.
The pasteboards were dealt without the
cut. The colonel, as usual was in calm
elaboration after picking up his hand.
Jones seemed suddenly to become serious,
and threw his cards into the discard with
an oath. Lucky peeked at his just as
Love covered the colonels ante with a
$40 raise. Lucky'S cards followed Plug
gers into the deck. But the colonel came
back at Love with $50 raise. Love looked
again and raised the pot another $50. The
colonel met the raise and called for two
cards.
You uns are up against t'other now, 1
guess" Lucky remarked. Love stood pat
and bet a hundred The colonel studied
the cards a minute and raised hundred.
Love raised q hundred more. So did the
colonel. Plugger nearly fell from his
chair when Love made another raise and
suggested that 'the limit be draDped."
The colonel agreed, ard began to count
his pile. Seven forty-three,' he said. as
he pushed it into the center of the table.
Here's four seVenty-nine All l got
here. I'll write you an I. o. u, >" Love
said, pushing his pile into the mass of
greenbacks and gold
mo gentleman would offah papah," the
colonel said as he had under similar cir
cumstances a thousand times before.
The remark seemed to anger Love.
''Plugger burn UP all the cards but our
hands" he ordered, and Plugger gathered
I'D the discards and deck and threw them
Into the open stove.
Colonel. [ propose to see them cards of
yourn. VIII you trust me on the honor of
a gentleman to leave the room for more
money? Write your own name on the
back of each card"
BANKERS BECOME THEIR hackers
The colonel did as requested and passed
over his hand face downward for Love
to mark. Then Love left the room. He
bent his footsteps toward the larger of
he encountered the president of the in
stitution, George Thomas. Pulling his
cards from his pocket he laid them be-
fore Thomas, and said:
George, me and the colonel is a-goin'
! it. What's them worth?"
| Thomas eyes fairly stood out of their
| sockets as ne surveyed the DdSIeDOdruS.
| s'Them's with the whole sheebang,' he
replied.
A few minutes later, Thomas, with his
| pockets bullying. accompanied Love to the
Reno hotel parlor.
! Colonel. this gentleman sees yo raise
and raises you a thousand" Love said
| laying stack of bills on the table with
| the heap of greenbacks and gold.
The colonel glanced at Thomas. wait
! ten minutes. No gentleman would offah
papah." he said. and he forthwith disap-
| peared from the room. He walked around
| the corner of the hotel to the SECOND
bank of Reno. Stepping to the cashiers
window he asked for ''Bill Dawson" the
owner of the institution. Bill came
, around the partition.
Bill. lool. at these an tell me what
yo' think they is wuth.'
A glance sufficed Bill ''Holy snake:
and grasshoppers," he said. Colonel
them is worth every cent in this bank"
/ Two minutes later Bill Dawson and the
! colonel appeared at the hotel parlor
/ Dawson saw Thomas and nudged tn.
colonel. The two bankers glared at eaei
other. but neither spoke.
See you and raise you five thousand
the colonel said, laying a pile of bills il
the heap.
By this time the news of the ferc,