New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-04-26
HE STA ED HIS LIFE.
aWlLDcAT" SMITHS THRILLING GAME
OF SEVEN UP.

The Doughty Pioneer Beat His CO.
manche Captor, Big Laugh, at the
Game and Then Rislxed HIS Life
Again to Save a White Girl Captive.
Old ssWildcat" Smith is just about
the last living one Of that famous band
of pioneers who drove the Indians to
the mountains, killed the panthers and
bears, and blazed the tracks through
the trackIess wilderness. He does not
look like a lawyer, but he has, never
theless, sat upon camp stool and de- /
cided cases of the greatest Importance. /
He does not bear any very marked re- /
semblance to general, but he has COM
manded considerable force in battle,
and, while military critics might have
complained that he was deficient in
strategic ability none ever charged
him with lack of valor Few people
would discover in his face or manner
any of those traits that distinguish a
duelist, but he has demonstrated that
he possesses them all in an eminent de-
gree by ordering ''pistols and coffee for
two" more than once. Upon one occa-
sion he had the audacity to invite Gen
eral Houston, who was at that period
president of the republic, to s'come out
and exchange shots with him. He says
that the old warrior ''foored" him by
coolly making note on slip Of paper
and putting 1t in his desk. In answer
to the enraged challenger's inquiry the
general simply said: ''Mr. Smith. you
are the fortieth.. When I have killed
these other 80 scoundrels who have
challenged me, Twill accommodate you.
Be patient sir.
Smith came to Texas in 1885 and
served in the Texas army through all
the long wars with Mexico. He was
also soldier in the great civil war,
and when that ended he enlisted to
fight Indians and remained on the bor-
der until there were no more Co.
manches to shoot. He has been a man
of war from his youth up, and in his
old age he carries a soldiers musket
with fixed bayonet, and continues to
make war on all kinds of game and
''varmints- He wanted to go to Cuba,
and when the boys insisted that he was
too old and feeble he threw off his coat
and challenged the whole company to
fight him.
Upon one occasion Smith was cap
tured by a rowing band of Comanches.
many of whom were we'll known to him.
They frankly told him that they intend
ed to make him run the gantlet and
burn him at the stake when they reach
ed their village on Devil river. The cap
tive had a flask Of whisky. which the
chief took away from him. After tax
ing several drinks the old warrior asked
Smith if be could play seven up.
Smith proudly boosted that he could
beat any man living playing that par
ticular game This answer appeared tc
put the Indian on his mettle, and he al
once proposed that they should halt by
the side Of the warpath and play fol
the highest stakes that mortal man eve1
waged on game of chance-life. F.
Smith eagerly agreed to the proposal
and they sat down under tree anc
dealt the cards on blanket The othe1
warriors dismounted and anxiouslJ
watched the game The chiefs name
was Big Laugh, so called on account O
a natural grin that marked his features
( After a short time they stood 6 to 6
and it w as Smiths deal. He ran tn
cards off and turned jack from tn
bottom Smith had won his liberty, ant
Big Laugh told him he might go, blu
} the Texan had something else in view
He might easily have walked away, bu
, he determined upon another act whicl
5 marks him as generous soul possessed
5 of the highest courage. There was
, young white girl tied on one Of tn
! ponies. who was weeping in the mos
? piteous agony.
2 Smith coolly proposed to play anothe
/ game, stalking his life against the lii
erty of this young girl. Big Laugh wa
l evidently pleased with the white man
5 courage, and after taking another drin
: he began to shuttle the cards Th
: young girl was cut loose from the pom
: and made to stand on the blanket
while the thongs for binding Smith, i
s case he lost were thrown at her feet
5 Again they played close game, and a
the end of short time stood 6 and
S but it was Big Laughs deal Wit
), what awful interest that poor girl mus
have watched the turning Of tia
: triumph The Indian slowly dealt til
+ cards. and, peeping at the trump,
Z : hideous grin spread all over his face.
Il was sure that all was lest and We
just in the act of springing at, b.
throat" says Smith, 'swhen he turne
the queen of hearts for trump. E
:. could not give me, of course, and I bel
both the ace and Deuce Of hearts"
= Big Laugh was by this time hilariou
i ly drunk and in a. most excellent goo
!. humor. Hanoi only kept his word ar
Of gave S1uith and the young girl the
Is ibegty, but he furnished them two p
Of -nies and allowed Smith to take his gu
= The liberated captives reached the Sc
/, Element in i safety, where Smith
i strange storyawould never have BET
+ credited had not the young girl borl