The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-07-15
HEED.THETI niger.
Unlimited Betting in Biggest Game
Ever Played.
VERY NERYy POLITICIAN
WHO WON sils.OcO IN A SINGLE
siTTlyG DROPPED $4,000 As A
A4oTI5R. AND THEN BEAT OUT
TfJR BANK FOR $2sS .OOO-A FA-
NOUS NIGHT IN JOHN NORRIS
sEY,s Old GAMBLING HOUSE.

IL r.
NOUS NIGHT IN JOHN NORRIS
sEY,s Old GAMBLING HOUSE
Cliieago:Inter oceaH: In New York
gambling house the other dag Tom
Letah, one Of the oldest most pictur-
esqgo sports" who stiil llngeF. spun
yarrnb for an hour about games he had
seen ahdi6f some in which ne had play
ed. Perhaps the most Interesting Of
these was his account OF the historic
game In which a prominent politician,
who isstiil alive, won s2ss.OOO, after first
losing $4,000. at faro, thus making a
tot winning OF S11S,OOO in single sit
ting. II 10 certainly true story, for
there are. a dozen men still living who
saW tie game, but the details have
never, It IS thought. been told In print.
rtas politician, now an old man, was
In his youth bold and successful card
player, understanding all games, and
notably skillful at short cards. but pre-
ferring faro to any other game. He
was, curiously enough utterly Indifer-
ent TO the percentage which the split
is said to give the bank, and played
doubles as freely as he did case cards.
cldihlDg thatthe split gave him as much
advantage as 1t did the bank, II not
more. "If card splits he used to
say, II win and lose on the same turn.
and 1 get half my money back. AS
figure it am 50 much ahead, II was
queer figuring, to say the least, ara
LEIGH, who Is certainly good authority
on such matters, declares that he never
heard anybody else reason in the same
way. However" he adds. "the old pol
itiGtan was dead game sport and was
mighty lucky at faro Whether his pc
cuiiar figuring had anything 10 DO With
his success IS more than can say"
'grhat particular game OF faro, which
stifi holds the record, was played in
16tn MorrIssey's famous house in
..ty-fourth street, which was for
htnsner Of years as we'll known as the
big. hurly congressman himself was
known. There was many gallant
struggle with the pasteboards there, but
there was never q one there or any
where else, so far as / ever heard IN
which any, man Won $2.SS, 600 stFalghi OIL
the reel, playing against bank, and IN.
which there was single bet OF $SJ,V0V
settled by the turn OF one card.
pBIlly Meade was Morrissey's partner
at the time, and they were well used TO
big games, but even they had not the
nerve to hold the bank alone against
this man as he wanted 20 play. III tell
yoil how 1t was. He came in one night,
ih1aded for bear and began playing the
limit almost from the first, That Of
itself was a notable thing for the limit
al that house was something to frishten
the average man. NiorrlRey would take
$500 bets right along from any mar VINO
had the nerve to make them, but highsr
than that be would nat go, ard even
that was good deal heavier than any
body had ever played right along Tor
steady game.
$50, when this man began making
Ssn6 the regular pet in his play there
Ma q good deal OF excitement ~ the
room. Nobody else thought Of playing,
and he had the center OF tile stage, rs
We ,i,sed to say when l was an actor
tnrselt attire old Bowery. EverSbois
crowded Dir to watch the play. thinking
az course. that 1t would only last for a
deal or two. Even that would havf been
somethinr worth seeing and taiRlng
about. But deal after deal went on and
still he Kept 1t up, now, winning anu
nov losing. but slowly and gradually
getting behind, without FOR q moment
losing his nerve or hesitatlnS In ms
play. H. ,.or don't
Know how the news OF such things t"av-
els among sporting men. II IS larry
Vonderfui and never could explain IT,
but ! do know that before me game
mad gone on for an hour II was known
"a every gambling house up to%n iaas
somebody was PLAYING imii game as
Wnrrlsseg's, and nearly all the se't
known gamblers In the CITY cane 10
see It. .., ,,.,t ,ho
old house at No. y Ann stree, was
tbeee He was a Providence nan ori%i-
naiIS INT he cut a wide swntn In New
Work. John McCormick,of No. Is Broad
vnvc was there. too. and so were George
C.11A and 10 Abel. Abel was the mqn
who never played on either side OF the
tahIe himself, at any game df cards hni
who got rich by backing other men
games
"f4e could furnish the moneg for any
gambler he knew to be straight 10 ruil
: hank, and would take a PERCENTAGE OF
, INC winnings as his profits II was 9
good game OF itself and he played II
sor MI II was worth for long time.
iThen there were jim Stuart. % Boston,
J6bn bennett end PatTle. whose reai
S,ane was Peterson, but who was never
called by ang but MS NICKNAME, ana
how he got that / don't know.
IThp big room was c'Owded wlth
,,,ch n group as you would not see To-
gether very often. all Of thcm intensely
Interested and ar watching the play N
rIIence II went on for some hours Win
t,sryine luck. but with the tendency al
tSays toward the bank. until the PLACER
vas siP8e00 behind, md being himssit
5nvlnced that he could not win OUT,
lselered that he would go on no longer
under the limit rule,
Take of the limit, though, he SAID
and / will play another hundred thou
Snnd AGAINST the game This was
baIr-raistng sort OF proposition. coming
40 IL did from n man OF this sort VINO
,vns Hkeig enough to put 1t all on IN
Four or Ave bets. even after he Ind lost
~ much ns he had We nii knew shat
Ss was very rich. and we could see that
bis blood was up for sure. or course
[gasn't in II, fog ! was one Of the little
Csbca but there were mon enough In
the room who were ready 10 pick up
4he gauntlet even when Morrissey ana
Weode refused They made trcmen-
doita winning and we all thought for n
moment they would accept the chal-
iongc hut they looked ut each other
AnubtfulIy and Meade shook his head