The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
GAMBLING'S PALMY DAYS.
Old DIN kINBALL'S MEMORIES or
mn MISSISSIPPI BOITS.

$50 ~''fs hf'A' - 1HA'' h'hi''
who died In this valley last Monday. was ono
Of the best-known survivors Of the Mississippi
River gam blers Of ante-war days When called
u9on by a census enumerator or an assessor Ia
give his occupation he always replied Retired
gambler" and for several years he had been
known from San Diego TO Los Angeles as the
old.time Mississippi River gambler. In 1892
he and his wife came from 81. Louis to south
crn California to live. and II was then that he
abandoned his vocation, He had saved a few
thousand dollars from his winnings at the card
table in his last years. and with this money
bought a little home in an orange grove. His
Abandonment Of gambling was complete.
From that time he never touched cards again
n."cr. IN fact. had any In his home. Profess
siorhl gamblers from all over the United States
fock to the semi-tropics OF California in the
winter months. and the little kimhall cottage
out among the orange trees has been visited
by old-time associates OF the veteran at the
green table many times every year. The very
day he took to his bed last month he was Wis
tied by two widely known professional gam
hlers from New Orleans. who were out here for
the season.
Kimball was probably the best known faro
dealer and round table poker player there was
on the Mississippi River steamers In the last
half dozen years previous to the civil war. The
lat" ittnrncy-Gen"ra Garland once said that
the originator Of many Of the fundamental
principles Of draw poker as il IL known to-day
was ban Kimbnll. The old gam bier was known
everywhere from Now Orleans to st Louis.
and to-day there are very few men over 30
years of ago in the Mississippi Valley who
have not at least heard Of him. He was n fine
typ" II the old fashioned gambler. He was
prodieal in his living. ready to bet on any
proposition. quite abstemious in his habits.
courteous to women. seldom excited and
never ashamed of his calling. He often regis
tered himself Daniel Kimball. gambler at
hotels. He was as famous for his reckless eX-
'ravaGance as for his unusual winnings In his
younger days. When the First Louisiana Regi-
ment was formed in 1851 to 60 to the civil war.
kimball dined the commissioned officers at the
old 81. Charles Hotel in New Orleans at a cost
OF 81 400. He never Quarrclled and seldom
raised his voice. He was sensitive about his
eagre schooling and his bad grammar: he
was particularly well informed, on the other
hand. on the history Of his country and the ar
fairs Of the day, He knew personally all the
leading men Of tho day who travelled to any
degree forty years ago. He used to narrate
anecdotes Of games of cards in which Henry
Clay and he were both participants in 1919 and
1S4". when Kimball was beginning his career
as n gambler. He had a genius for faro.
and his winnings on many occasions exceeded
$1,000 In one night. Hc was employed at a
salary OF 5000 n week for several years by Il
club in New Orleans simply to deal faro every
n,s"V ~ ,"p Me'A' '"S'' "nen ne gre"
"o",' - "e 9""ts was RAISER 'o etooa
80 - s'"io''ns
~ - Wv, u Inoie were d
"'n"., y, a'n'e VIZ" M Winnings aesre-
H' ~, " i''''o III '"e,Ne nohIhs'
nu y S''n, ~ money WIN u reckless mana.
no " eto"" u '''enus constantly apout
''n, "lu W d '"ases','ns S'Vahu slooto
,eos .oI.u"a'e suno'ers' III ms olu age ne nut
ne ,oe,n 'ose'her ana sa'eu e'.ooo or so.ooo
ny uea,ns ,aro. anu WIN 'hat ne came and
"".'' ."ea'"y III southern 'a'iorh'a LOT the
i,e. "S uass' i q d group OF trlehus ne
"N Nv a. o'io" 'of'h'ehe oe-
~ uca'n'
'he "os' "onueriui gamolihg Gays TINS
.'"nt,s "a " Z hno"h were from ABOUT 1851
80" nat ""e when poker anu faro ne
. . ~ s""e ,"ey are !" h"eIica' ana
WV" r'HeI was ueNelopeu' L'terai'y every
I,hn except clersymeh IN the MISSISSIPPI
~. w e'u l" sah,p'e !" '"ose Gays ana
""o"n 'e'u'ao"o c.riey"eh at 'haC
'"n' ~ . on norSe races An tne statesmen
""o y, II ""S' au" SCUM eaholel 10
" iha'e seei, al ne poiltl'ai
10y W." va ~ anu my years ago.
.N,''' eh't'ou n"''s' aoou' u gahpIhG
."oe, ie"rle ho"auaSs can nave no idea now
=. n"".a y a"'" 'o'e'seeu 'heir 'a'herS
"'u"'H'
saunders the 'as' Ten years previous
w tm' wv war were 'he Greatest sports 'he
WIN u e'er seen ou1 'heS got 700 aVarI-
.,.u9 oet"n'e "lsnoneSo ana brought ABOUT
,"' 'o"n'ai, u PROCESSION thaC one heed not
ne ashamed OF as II was once conducted.
Whew What elegant fellows and what SPEND
tbrifts tho Nise,aginn, pi,a. aauhass
un .a NV -i'se''s,ppi hN'r Ea"plers were
wheh 1 came on the stage OF operations. A
hundred dollars didn't bother them INV mora
than n cigor would ono -, &c
- " - "'"u NV VI US now anu
cinthes Ihey were all dressers. They wore
soft black hats, black clothes. hIph- heeIed
hoots Iow-no,Lod .h;r., Iii "a. 80
sauas. - VIZ" "k ,oose
collars. and ties and frilled bosoms. Each
had a solitaire breastpin and a big solitaire
ring ,,d am ., thoao III -
ms Nv o"e VI .'oeo olE iohg goa
chalns going about the neck three or four
times and hanging down over the chest Tbov
didnt drink .nvtbiro brt NV as NV,
'n", L"A ""''n,h@ ou' WINE, anu they
would ride across the streets in hacks rather
than get mud on their shoes. They were fine
soIIo,s odr,,.od ,nan ,.ho ,on,I ..mN ""o
'e'owe' euuca.eu men, WHO could talk 10 any
N OlT I N M EAru nINf