The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-03-11
SHERIDAN'S HAND.
SPRUNG TWO ACES OF DIAMONDS ON
CONKllNG IN A JACK POT.

Very Much Embarrassed When His At
tention Was Called to the Error = The
Little General Wanted the Story Kept
Quiet. but 1t Was Too Good.
az was in a poker game, writes
correspondent of the Washington Star,
sin the winter of 1879, when Senator
Conkling and General Phil Sheridan
were players. 1t was four handed
game, and John Chamberlin was the
other player. This game at Chamber
Inns was always for So limit at first,
with the understanding that along to-
ward morning after couple of hours
of warming up, anybody could suggest
the removal of the limit if he wanted
to. The way Conkling and Sheridan
bluffed each other that night was eau
ton. Both men seemed to strike out
luck altogether as an element in their
good natured play against each other,
and as both Of them caught fine hands
occasionally when engaged in this tug
of war of bluffing neither of them could
get an exact line on the other, and it
was better than play to study their
faces at the show downs. Conkling was
having all the success during the latter
part OF the night, and it was fun to
hear Little Phil softly utter dark and
woolly things. under his breath when,
time after time, Conkling would show
hand consisting of nothing at all after
having scared Sheridan out or produce
a gorgeous set of tours or full hand at
such times as Sheridan, deciding that
the senator was blufing, would call
him.
''Bite him, Sheridan, Cham berlin
would say amusedly on these occasions,
and Sheridan would tell Chamberlin to
20 to the dickens and call for another
deck of cards.
1--WE started the last round of jack
pots with new deck. Sheridan dealt
the first mess himself, and after it had
gone around and none of the three of us
could open it Sheridan opened it him
self. Neither Cham berlin nor l had
any right to stay on our hands, so it
was left between Sheridan and Conk-
ling, who staid. Conkling took three
cards and turned his little pair into
threes Sheridan dished himself out
three cards and bit his cigar hard when
he saw his hand. He made So bet to
draw Conkling out, and the senator
raised him $25. Itpassed between them
with these $50 bets until there was
nearly $500 in the pot, both men scru-
tiniZing each other pretty carefully at
each bet.
"'I don't know SO much about you
this time, said Conkling finally, and
think I'll just call you for safety
Both laid their hands down at the
same time. Conkling had three mines,
and he looked at Sheridan strangely
when he saw the color of Sheridan s
three aces. Both Chamberlin and my
self also saw what was wrong at the
same instant but we only smiled and
let the two men have it out. Sheridan
had broad grin on his face and was
just about to rake in the pot. Conkling
was gazing at the little man of iron
with a puzzled look in his eyes,
"'Oh, l say, there, Phil, just wait a
minute, said be- DO you really thin
that pot belongs to your
Belongs to me?' said Sheridan.
well, it does if the nose on my face
belongs to me. And again he reached
over to hoe in the pot.
"Conkling ran his hand through his
hair and again stopped Sheridan with a
gesture.
"'I don t remember ever having seen
that sort of thing before, he said. Did
you, PHILIP
"'See what sort of thing before?' said
Sheridan. What in blazes are you talk
ing about, Conkling?
For reply Conkling put one finger
upon one of Sheridan aces and then
pointed to another one of the aces.
L never saw jack pot won with
three aces, two of which happened to
be aces of diamonds, said Conkling,
smiling.
Sheridan looked at his hand, lying
face up on the table before him, and
his face became fiery red. The conster-
nation on his countenance was really
funny.
Why said he after a minute,
blamed if I don't believe I'm nothing
better than an involuntary swindler.
That other ace, you see, is a club. l
opened the pot on pair of red aces,
and they were, of course, these aces of
diamonds. Chamberlain, turning to the
amused boniface, turn me out of doors
as a fraud and short card player, will
your
And have the army fire volley
over the ruins of my housed? replied
Chamberlain. Hardly. Anyhow, I'd
rather see you and Conkling engage in
a rough and tumble fight over the thing.
Go ahead, the pair of you. Well see
fair play, turning to me.
: "Of course the extra ace of diamonds
had slipped into the deck accidentally
before it left the manufacturer hands,
but Sheridan, when he had in measure
recovered from his surprise of the reve-
latlon, made a humorous pretension
that he had known the whole thing all
along and convulsed the three of us by
feelingly appealing to Conkling to re-
frain from exposing him to the world
for the sake of his family and all that
sort OF thing. The hand being foul, the
pot was OF course divided !"