The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-07
HE CHEATED At POKER.
F~unishment Noted Out TO n Dishonest Student
by Society ana the Faculty.

Punishment Melted Out 20 n Dishonest student
by societJ snd the Faculty.
From the Washington Star.
Talking about poker" said q middlo.aged
man to q coterie at Chamberlin's the other
night, reminds me Of something that occurred
about twenty years ago at tho University Of
Virginia. That was about the nveliest epoch
in the history of the university since the war,
or, for that matter, Of that before It. when tho
life led by the students Is taken into considera-
tion. There was q big crowd of devil-may-csro
young men there, most OF them with plenty Of
money, and they made Charlottesville and sur
rounding Nbemarlo fairly hum. These kin
drod: spirits formed q society. which took the
name of Ell Bananas"
Here the speaker smiled at evidently anus
the Ell Bananas' didn't do. For the qTuintes.
sence. of mischief and dev!lmcnt they took tho
ianrels; There was nothing downright bad
tSci: JOKES. Between froaRs tho .ksiis were
for the players to assemble at this or that stu.
dents room. That brings me to my story. Ono
of't the b 5. PRokk DowPn ray Snd % Saptiiea 'G men q i in tn the
South, and into 1t was introduced a young vir-
gtnian who was gifted with many attractive
not particularly brilliant. I'll call him Dick
Lurk, but that wasn't his name.
Most of the other fellows In the coterio had
roommeteS, who were boning up. for the final
examinations was we'll along in tho spring,
and LuTk had quarters to himself on East st
evening seemed propitious, tho word would DO
would be in order, and at 8 o'clock or there
abouts the players would assemble Mt Turks.
n nn5 =; ,Ss r was, s %ss DTs,9s ,t HI I Sfs s s4IsGdllly;
were substantial. 1t was noticed after a while
that he always passed out when somebody had
deal. but that he always held a top hand when
there were big ones out against each other on
the seals we're always broken on the half dozen
now decks of cards provided each night before
the game began. and that Lurk In dealing al
ways closely scrutinized the cards as he gave
them out.
AT last, one night, the son of a famous Con.
became convinced that Lurk was cheating.
Picking up the deck that Lurk had just dealt,
and out Of which he had get a hand with o four
Some one Is cheating at this game, and.
Now, at the University of Virginia such a
declaration, If improved, meant somebody's
death to a certainty, and in an instant the
accuser, quietly. i've Been watching, thi.
these cards with this maeaifyine glass.
"The Kentuckian took the glass ard closely
scanned the geometrical designs on the backs
ny Ctesari" he circulated, every court card
is distinctly marked Examination by the
other players quickly proved the truth OF this.
''There was o consultation over what should
be done with Lurk, who stood with head hung
down. overwhelmed with the proof against
him. 1t was decided that no was not worth call
ing out, as he was not a gentleman, and the
verdict was that he hould, make retitution OF
all the money he had won ince hi participation
in the game and suffer ostracism in the untver-
sity' He was compelled to sit down and write
out q check for all the money he had won, the
memorandum books Of the other players show
ing the amounts they had lost at various times.
and. he was kept under surveillance until the
Charlottesville Bank. in which he kept a heavy
account. opened next morning. One OF the
party rode down to Charlottesville and cashed
the check and then he sentenc OF ostracism
went into effect.
"That fellow had the unheard-of effrontery
to remain at the universyti until the finals were
completed. He was there six weeks. No stu
dent, nor professor, nor servant. nor townsman.
no man nor woman. white or black, spoke to
him or took, any notice of him. HI, attended
the final balls and no one recognized him. He
was not quizzed in ~alectire room or addressed
by profes 5Or. Still he remained until the uni
versity closed for the esason, but he might AS
well have been in the midle of the Sahara
Desert, SO far as intercourse with people was
concerned