The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-11
GREAT GAME OF FREEzEoUT.
$50. 900 WON BY THE HOLDER OF A
BOBTAIL FLUSH.

From the New York Sun.
Jersey Shore, Pa, Sept, S.-They had all
been discussing the fine points of the great
national game Of poker in the office of the
Hotel Dunllle in this place the other day,
and some very fair stories of games OF
freeze-out, stacked cards and monumental
bluffs had been related by the drummers
who were in the town overnight, but it
remained for Charles c. Campbell, re-
tired capitalist, who is known all over the
East in numbering circles, to relate the
bona-fde story of one of the greatest
freeze-outs in the history of the American
game.
ut was back in 1885," said he, that 1
saw one of the most remarkable exhibit
lions of nerve and incidentally of properly
making use of the time-honored freeze-out
game, in all my experience. At the time
I was engaged in numbering operations in
the Atchfalay bayou, $50 miles north OF
New Orleans. Business called me to the
Crescent City, and arriving there, l found
that Ii was necessary for me TO proceed
at once to Cedar Falls, place on the Ohio
nearly 100 miles west of Pittsburg. In
those days the great river steamboats,
were in the zenith of their glory, and the
Mississippi boasted some of the fastest
boats of their kind in the world. The
Great Republic had left for up the river
the day before, so that 1 found that l
would have to wait until evening and go
up on the Eliza, then one of the crack
boats plying between Cincinnati and New
Orleans. had engaged a stateroom, and
boarding the boat an hour before it start
ed. 1 went down into the saloon and there
met, through mutual friend, the cash
Ter of a big New Orleans banking house,
who, l later learned, was going to Cincin-
natl with $50, 900 in cash as the agent OF
his house to commission merchants in the
| CITY of Pork He seemed an exceedingly
pleasant fellow of about 50 years of age,
was an excellent raconteur and, more
over, had a reputation as a nervy poker
| PLAYER Time passed quickly in CONVERSE
ton with him, and we were both stand
ing on the deck as the gong rang for the
| landing boards to be taken in preparatory
to our immediate departure.
"Just before the gangplanks were hauled
in a hack drove up TO the wharf and
! three well-dressed, big-mustached men
| Jumped from the vehicle, one of them
| stopping to place a biil in the hands of
! the jehu, made for the plank and walked
| aboard just before the gong rang TO go
| ahead. We both had an opportunity to
| examine the men as they stood together
near the rail. My new-found friend, whom,
| for reasons the story will disclose, l viii
not name closely scrutiniZed the trio and
| then said: I know those chaps. They are
| professional gamblers, and they are evil
| IDENTIFY after some lamb to pluck on This
! boat I wonder If 1 am supposed to be
| their game. If so they may be disagree
! ably surprised, for there IS something in
| a satchel in my stateroom which may
| cause them the loss of q few dollars.
with this enigmatical remark the cash
| Ter slowly sauntered into the saloon, and
! it wasn't ten minutes before l saw the
| gamblers engaged in earnest conversation
| with him. It afterward came out that
| they had heard that the bank was send
| ing $50 coo up the river with him, and,
! knowing that he was a dyed-in-the-wool
pokerite, they had determined to inveigle
| him into a little game and thoroughly
pluck him. Unfortunately for them, they
reckoned without a big bundle of notes
which was in the possession Of the cashier.
but concerning which ne wasn't telling
anybody.
There was Jolly crowd of sporting
men on the boat that night, and after din
ner some ten or fifteen repaired to the
smoking room, where stories, quip, and
jest passed quickly amid the clink of
glasses and the glow of fragrant Havanas.
Al about II o'clock, remember-We had
just left Natchez-one of the gamblers
suggested a little game, and the cashier
consented, although he had strict orders
from his house not TO play with money in
his possession, 10 play few hands with
them. 1t was suggested that the game be
played in the saloon and thither eight
y.f erAfr fhorn & h.
cashier whispered to me-
g" Watch out for something that will
open your eyes. This game won't last
more than one hand, and there are going
to be three of the biggest surprised men
who ever stacked up against a Tartar on
a Mississippi boat
This communication certainly aroused
my curiosity and gave me a slight ink
ling of what proved to be the stiffest
game of pure and unadulterated bluff that
I have ever seen in poker game 1t
was evident that the stakes We're not
going to be a few picayunes, as both cash
Ter and the trio laid out big rolls of bills
on the table. There was a tense move
ment and an expression of excitement as
one of the gamblers produced a new pack
of cards, Shufiled them and handed them
to the cashier who sat to the right to
cut The latter made the cut, and the
deal commenced. / was watching the game
closely, ana i saw d LOOK OF great S&llS-
faction come upon the cashiers face as
he picked up his cards The ante was $1O
and a limit was made OF the sky-high va
riety. There was fun for some body and
all four players seemed to be after the
lions share of it.
1.-THE look of satisfaction on the CASH
ier's face was observed by the gamblers,
as one who was watching the game close
ly could see by the covert glances they
cast at one another. The lamb however,
didn't seem to notice that they were sizing
him up, but proceeded to count out a
wad of bills. Each man, on looking at his
cards, Clipped in his eagle and the draw
for cards commenced. The gambler op-
posite to the cashier discarded two, the
one to his right drew one. the lamb didn't
ask for any, and look of puzzled surprise
and furtive anxiety crossed the physlog-
Monies of the others Was il a bluff?
Well, the dealer took three cards and
seemed vastly satisfied. The man to the
right of the cashier, whose bid it was,
threw 500 on the middle of the table. The
cashier went him $500 better. The dealer