The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-25
Uncle Bill Saw a Spook and To k a
Shot.
WAS SURE OF HIS MAN
HAD SEEN HIM KILLED OFF
ONCE BEFORE.
But, Like Bad Penny, Steering Re
turned and Now Uncle Bill Shows
the Little Card Game That Always
Reminds Him of His Exciting
Mix-up With Ghost.
Chicago Inter OCEAN,

Chicago Inter OCEAN,
Some people say that ghosts are
against nature and against reason. and L
won't say but the bulk of the argument
is on their side" said Uncle Bill Smith
in his snug little camp on the north
branch of the Saranac- I'm not much
good at argument. but I once saw a
ghost How do l know il was ghost?
Well. sir. l shot him full of holes and he
just faded away. 1t was an experience
that wound up my gold seeking and sent
me back up here in the Adirondacks to
guide for living / am not saying but
that I'm pretty comfortable up here,
specially during the hunting season, wnen
all you gentlemen come up; but there
are times when things are SOW and
almost wish that / were back in Denver.
or wherever the height of the agitation is
yes sir. 1 was born and brought up
broke out afresh and dad said it reminded
him of the days of 49, / made up my
mind to see some of it, even if l didn't
get any gold or silver. ] was as strong
could shoot fast and straight with any
kind of gun. We don't use revolvers up
here, but dad brought one back from
California, and he taught me all there
was 10 be learned about it.
II don't believe there was tougher
crowd west of the Mississippi than ian
INTO IN Denver WneE L LANDED WITH Sl.ODV
in cash. which 1 had received for a
claim. That seems lot of money now.
but it didn't then when the mining fever
ran high. My partner was old Frank
years ago because he happened to be in
the way of a gang that was shooting up
the town and he had no gun with him.
He never was so careless in the old days.
Frank knew every card sharp and horse
thief in the west and he put me on to
some valuable points. He admitted that
/ could shoot for business, but he said l
was too green to go around alone. We
decided to outfit again in Denver and
after a bit of rest, to strike out for some
likely ground that we had heard about.
parlors? No? Well, if you had been with
in hundred miles of Denver in those
days you would heard of them. l can
see them now as Frank and 1 did the
nrst time l ever entered them You see,
/ was a green backwoodsman and they
made a great impression on me. Danforth
had the whole second floor of a preten-
tiouS wooden building. A bar ran across
one end of the ROOM The faro banks
were in the center and the poker tables
at the other end, screened off by wooden
partitions with pictures which were not
quite what they ought to be, though Dan
forth said that they were high art. 1t
was said that Danforth was second son
of a wealthy English family who had
come west to make his fortune, and gone
broke. Then he opened his gambling
parlors and he hourished.
Danforth's Reputation Was Good.
No squarer man ever went into the
business. He was no milksop. you under
stand. There were card sharpers out in
that country who would rather face a
lynching party than look into Danforth's
steel-grey eyes. He had shot more than
one man, but never until the other fell
low had tried to get the drop on him
The coroners jury always brought in a
verdict of self-defense, and on several
occasions they thanked him for putting
out of the way a bad man who threaten
ed the. good name of the community.
From thess circumstances and others
Danforth had a good reputation
Il went there because my partner. who
was curiously opposed to gambling. ad-
vised me to if 1 was determined to take a
flyer. Danforth's was filled with the usual
crowd when l entered. and it was all so
new to me that hesitated some time be-
fore trying my luck. 1t was handbook
ing crowd on the whole, but one face at
tracted me. 1t was that of a boy, pos
sibly q years old. with his hat pulled
down over his eyes. He was a stranger,
as / discovered later and Danforth after
his fashion. was looking him and me over
because strangers always bring with them
an element of uncertainty in a gambling
room You never can tell how they will
take their losses, and whom they may
shoot. l was no chicken even if / was
green in gambling. and / guess Danforth
sized me up as able to take care of my
self. He sauntered up TO the boy, who
stood near me. and said:
This is good place to get out or
What do you meant? asked the boy.
Brace game EN-?
No, sir; It is square game. This is
Danforth's place, and I'm Danforth It's
a bad business for boys. That's what 1
meant
II overheard this conversation. and IL
interested me. because it bore out all the
reports that l had heard of Danforth's
general character.
Needn't worry about me- Danforth.
=
pulled out a wad of bills And when
that's gone I've got more. don't soueaI
when l lose. I'm out for fun. Never
''Danforth saw that it was no use. and
he walked away.
Funny sort of a duck to run gam
had replied We continued the converse
lion, We sat down together at the faro
able. L didn't know the game. The boy
showed me how to play, and by following
game fascinated me. / was fair poker |
player. but faro was new.
Starts a Small Poker Game.
Several nights later when 1 dropped
INTO Danfortns l met the boy again. He |
seemed to be merely killing time. I've |
never been drinking man. as you gen. |.
boy and l did drink a lot. We played a |
little faro, and again l won, all the time |
sitting by the boy and talking to him in |
hat my partner and | had 5000 TO the !
good which we were going to make |
'lp.OJO before we gave up prospecting. | |
guess the liquor went to my head bad. |
or when the boy proposed long about !
that l should get my partners |
money and my own and come back for a |
ypme of poker with him and a middle |
tged, prosperous looking man named /
orake, whose acquaintance we had made. |
jumped at the bait
Il know Frank wouldn't mind nv Dor
owing little, and as 1 don't want to be /
taught in pinch and bluffed off the |
,oard brought to Danforth's the whole /
1000 Drake said he had come wesl 10 |
invest in mines, and 1 never knew wheth- |
II he was straight or not. The boy order |
d the drinks from time to time. because |
Is he cheerfully explained all the big
bots were coming his way. At o clocS
was out 1000. and playing reckiessly to
ecover 1t. The boy seemed as sober as
when We sat down. and Drake apparently |
vas cross He had lost heavily to the
10Y. The latter. was dealing. when the |
Ioor opened and in came Danforth and
ny partner. Frank Hollis. Frank had>l
discovered that the money was missing.
md, surmising that l had taken il 10 |
)anforth,s, he came to keep me straight. !
recognizing my description. I
brought him into our room.
" Thought I'd find you here, Bill said
frank softly.
A<.-