Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-12-02
WHEN TINE GAME WAS BIG.


money favofite ~ lnHlesiuc. ~ X. !
ne clouds Of smoke fhat r0se UP w ", ~,
.r0wded POOL rom. inc - b'tn
,rsviiy backed. There were vth,l
rsrses in the race. hD; che wise one
srnrfd that Meidicsome ought so WIN
.cs fufqn." A..
The telegraph instrument clickfd. the
,siograph uperaeur anloufrtd On
spare Perfume" was on In she leai'
'~ryran IL second Bony Roy u fhfp'
Neddlesome length behind. -.
No one paid much ntten,lvn 70 'n,s'
f,r Inc horse ahae has she lead q; enc
rtar, doesn't always win The race.
"As I was saying" Findley resumed
IN a reminiscent strain u reinen!pt
Nhrn there were tweriy-tw1 Tar.
horks riirnIng on Main street anu
Around Missouri avenue"
Here tho voice 4 the operafor ptVhe
IN and for minute everybody ciH' w
the cool room kept dulst.
"Ip ghc Ftrosrh." the caller tnou.u'
"Tyran u ahead. Meidlesone " ee
oud-Tywn wins"
Tvraf, wee an s 10 1 shot. Fird'y
lore M che sicket on Meddltsome anu
sat down 90 resume the cpnve fHa. ilu'
Money cHnked. ttF the bJokmik, -
PAID out lttie. for very few had pet
bn TyTan.
'.Thcre w,s picr,y u money IN iho'e
aaya." he wcnf on. There waanf any
moas all faru--thcrc WIS some roulette
rhuek and che like, bgi the gums IN
The Old dayr wnnsrd faro or poker
That was the time when there we're
rial sports. zoo. What do you fhink ~
a mnn with 5000. no shoes on hil fesf
Ard n deep snow On the ground. Wen.
pnc shine there was a gambler flmsd
Cotton wers broke, lie was IN inc
hardc-< kind VI luck and coulint raise
n stake. lIo foafcd around che gam
bling homo an his cicshos rot alcsk
ind fringy and his shoea wcre fnll VI
holes.
"Hc was in che old Senate. down near
tho p1iicc station. A frisri came
phuyg an,i lent him SO Cotton bought
q stack Of chips and went az fhe faro
myouf In dead ,arncHt. Luck Wa with
him and he stacked M ,he chips HIGHER
man a ot'a back. He played fas, and
furious all night. At one slime he had
nearly s2.0o0 In ffont Of him on the
eabis. There was snow or shc grouird.
u WIS coid outside. Cotton didne own
an ovrrvnat aud there wtre holes In his
shoes that you could throw "a cat
thsuuch. IFS luck ewtchcd. but he
never stepped. lie lost that $4,000 and
bet shc last dolrlr of u on "a turn. jus,
- rame "a n he had q million In his
ysckrr. Then he got up and yawnsd.
borrowed nifty ccqTta 90 70, n hrcakftst
ansi walked out Into she snow. THIS
OHtpp was a sport for you"
'or~st times. ch." said "a man who
had bought a ticket on the next race
and sat down near Ffndiey.
II should rufns yes. Police never
bothered ur then. They have eighteen
policemen on the force ind I've seen
half Of them In n gambling houre gt
once. And that reminds me. one time
I WIS turning n roulette wheel IN
Fou~h pirect near Main. Eigh. big
coppsrr werc sitting around va, wble
bctslng like q house afirc. All OF a
sudden the door opened md Tom Speers
stepped IN. Those coppers raised like
a lock ~ bhekbirda and began 60 TAX
about arreatinR me. The dhlcf rpat
several times yer, rapidly, took Eooh
look af the Policemen and wulked out
the door. Then there was a great rua-
tie among sho policemen. They ran
out every door. Next morning when
Chief spseru went 90 hls Once he found
halt Of the boss politicians In town
walllrg there GO make a tax for th'
pollcemcn. These coppcra EVt - lee
turc that 80. ncyfr forgot. but thal
was an
Some biz plays came up In thos'
timse. I suppose" suggested the mat
who Ind edFrd IN 10 listen.
Eyes. the heaviest player who can't
around was Texas Thompson the kill
Grille lsed 10 be< everybody TO a stand
atill. Once Thompson came into vhs
Senate and pulled a chair up 20 fh'
faro hyoU- lie didn't cit down IN IN,
chair. he gQ up on ire lack OF X und
planted hts high heclsd boots on ths
rca, u the chair and beran 10 49,, ths
chips a'ouud. ife sat on nhc huek OF
that chair fourteen hours ana whoa ~
tpt down he was 400 winDer."
A mnn handed ffndlcy q cigarette
bU he save II hack. II donN smoke,
he r1id and he went oni
"Nowudayn we have got nothing bul
POOL rtomn aud craps. Why. do yol
know n pool room pays 1900 ever,
nensh 10 the telegraph company ans
q all goeN 70 New York. That don.
de- n town ony rood. gucfs WI
ncyar zee any more Of the good %
days.
Among the cluster Of men who "a.
nHteninr 10 firsiiey was william III
Christie. che veteran bookmiker nn'
sporting man.
"Bniy' Christie knows more abou
the history ~ sporting men and Eam
blers than nearly any man In town
hAaN IN ItNAHNNNiAlH W " lfNA fN'a
with Frederick Remington, she nrus'
before Remington became famous. ~
worked IN the old Marble Hall o
Main street. as Tar hack ~ ~. an'
those days he knew every gambler q
81 miIence In the Wea,.
II remember when blg games wer
plentiful here" said Christie. 'Suc
fellows as Canada Blii. Van Trlpleti
who We called Obi Trip Charley Rosi
Dutch Charlie and Alex Porter USED
make the Marble Han their hang on
Canada liill was the most unique char
acter ! ever knew. lie was grcn
handle three cards. ! guess, when h
was horn, because don't think an
man could have learned anything
the point % perfection that he handle
monte, Blll was an English gypsy, II
had little heady eyes, and nlwa,
dressed like a farmer, lie won fol
tunes ana gave his money away. II
knew or cared nothing ahouet the valu
Of money and hts fayurlte game WI
old fashioned casino. I've seen ~
and Dutch Charlie play casino Z.
chair he never had a room. one tin
h. took notion that he would drcl
Up and stun all she fiaihy sports
town. He appeared at the Marble ia
dressed In a short, black bumbizli
coat, a broad hrimmed plush hat, plui
vest and blue Jean trousers. He look,
like a Rube made up for the stage,
These gamblers used TO have son
great fun around the Marble Ha
Spence Rogers. the Westport Hpof
used 90 be Dragging all the time abol
the fox chase that he took part In. o.
simo, Just 20 Snow that he was 4
hunter ne brought iu "A fino silver r