Arizona republican., 1899-05-23
WON AN ISLAND AT POKER
A emar kabie Game in Which fling
 naliefoa Was inc viClim.

These stories about Speaker Reed indulging in poker while crossing the
 pond" said an army officer remind ne Of stiff game played by pay master in the navy with King Malietoa
 several years ago. I guess this was about the healtiiest game ever in dulg6d in by a foreigner. Malie5Ca
 had heard Of the great games played
 by Kalakaua. king Of Hawaii and the Samoan thought he'd like tC' take
 little brush on this line. 1 suspect
 that Kalakaua had done just as many American poker fiends-had tod al
 most unreasonable yarns about his
 winnings-and his boas5ed good luck
 made others think that the average
 American poker player was an easy
 king t0 go against. Well, Malieto&'s opportunity to test his belief came one
 day when an American man-Of-war- never mind which Cne-sailed into the
 harbor of Apia His stern determina-
 tion tc take the thirty-second degree in the mysteries of the great American
 game was satisfied to the fullest ex- tent, and for years afterward he was going around trying to get sC.n7 Cne to kick him off the island and declar-
 
 fool with French roof. Among the officers aboard the man-of-war were Paymaster, 3 Iieutenant and an assist
 ant engineer, who had burned the mid night lamp studying poker at AnnapO- lis, and had prosecuted the study in season and cut of season ever since they left that place. In word, they
 were all three just about as smooth poker players as you could find in g mcnth's travel
 There was trader among the white residents of Apia who was known to come tc the front with pretty stiff game. and Malietoa soon arranged through him game with the officers. By invitation and appoint lnent the king and his friends met the officers in the. private parlors of a Flu rupean, and before the evening was half gone Malietoa began to feel his oats and requested that the limit, ! small one, be taken off. The old cOdg- CT had won several pretty fair jack pots and felt his importance and abil- ity to clean up the whole crowd. Of the limit came. and for several hours MalietCa had amos! phenomenal luck. i winning jackpot after jackpCl The more he won the more reckless he be- came, and when something was said about closing down he entered a large and emphatic protest The game pro- ceeded and the healthiest jackpot of the night was C1 the table. Sevara. hands had been dealt around without any Cne having expressed his ability to open the pot. when the king, with T look Of surprise and a smile of pleas 1 ure and triumph combined, announced i that he would open it S20 worth. Every 1 player stayed. The paymaster drew three cards, tho lieutenant the same l number, the assistant engineer took | two and the tra1er enc. Maliet0a showed his blood by standing pat | The paymaster saw this and raised ! him S25, while the others stayed. Then i the king raised again. and the pay master threw in S25 more. IL was be- | coming too interesting for the other i players. and they dropped out. Alter i the kings last raise the baymaster ! hesltaJed mCmen-. put his cigar 10 1, one side and shoved $50 to the middle | Of the mahogany. The king put up tine l equivalent in Chilian silver dollars. tfe l currency Of the islands. and, drawing | small sack from his pocket. enpticl ! lcS contents before him and excileslIv | placed in the pot the funds Of the royal | treasury of Samoa. amounting to S7J i in silver. The psy1naster's face grew serious, and he locked at his royal ;}p- ] ponent in a .aesitadu puzzled sort Cf | way. Could this be a Samoan An Sin he hal run againse2 Had this kingly copper coIOred son Of 2 gun learned i the art Of poker playing from visiting traders years 5efcTe. and had he been ! playing 'pcssUm all the evening" Hav- | six or seven months pay in his inside | pocket. the p3ymaster decided n ] chance some of it in finding out.
 After a few moments of undecision | he drew s579 in gold and silver from his pocket and added it to the pot. | which now covered the table. Malietoa gave a gasp and called for a glass of | lava 10 steady his nerves. This he gulped down and anncuncG1. that he | was out Of funds, requesting at the ! same time that the paymaster take Eis word for $500. But there was nary a take, the paymaster only smiling and | looking fxediy at the pot. Then the l excited monarch offered to put up the island Of ManOnO. enc of the finest in | the Samoan group. against the $500. To this the paymaster consented and | a transfer deed of the property, duly | signed, attested by the trader. who was 2 notary public and witnessed by the |