Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-06-23
TWO NERVY LOSERS.
EACH DROPPED A FORTUNE AND
SEEMED TO ENJOY THE LOSS.

EACH DROPPED A FORTUNE AND
SEEMED TO ENJOY THE LOSS.
n Lighted n Cisnr md Calmly
Went Back to Sheep Herding and
h Other S,milingly Started In
Anew and Made Half a Million.
"Thcre's no way of telling i%n'advance
how n man is going to take his complete
wiping out In q game of chance" said the
ex-mayor Of q Colorado city when tho talk
Mt the club drifted around to tho subject
of hard losers and the other kind.
"There's no rule about it. Two seen men
of long tested gameness go all to pieces
after big losings; seen. them suddenly
struck speeches., rs weak MS children.
with their lips trembling like those of
women who IRE about to cry. On tho
other hand, Two seen chaps with low fore
heads and weak chins, and regulations for
crawfishing and backing water in tight
places. stand four square to the finishing
wrcnches of long runs of fearful luck and
take their bitter medicine with hearts APP
parcntly rs brave as their faces were weak.
Probably the best educated and the most
highly organized men arc the hardest
losers.
"The gamest loser 1 ever saw was a
sheep herder who didn't look to have
enough character to him to stuff n gnnt
pclt. He was punching sheep Oh the Idaho
cage ranges for S25 u month and his grub
when an aunt in Connecticut whom he
had scarcely ever heard of, much less seen,
died and left him S1S, 900. He didn't nave
to come east to get tho money; a lawyer
handed 1t to him in u bundle in Pocatcllo.
He went to Jim Hosford's faro bank and
told Jim that ho wanted to make a few
thousand dollar bets. Hosford told him
that he'd better hang on to his money.
The herder told Jim that he wanted nc
ton on his money, and that if he couldn't
get it at Hosford's layout, why, there
were others. So Hosford dealt them from
tho box himself, with u 81, 1000 limit. l
saw tho whole play. It only lasted As
minutes. The hcrdcr wasn't in it ut any
stage of tho game. Coppcrcd or open, he
couldn't land right. 1t was the ~ficrccst
run of evil luck I ever saw a MAJ have ut
faro. When tho hcrder had lost S13, 600,
Hosford said to him:
"'You'd better pinch out that remain
Ing $4,000. Ombrey; give yourself a
chance
"'You hand me out another boxful,'
AOpAACN LAC 1OAOCA. "lClA 1 SCU CuOuHu,
I'll quit
1.-The mar was perfectly cool and COL
lected, and he laid down his last five ST.
600 bills without q tremor. He picked
four straight losers. BY that time tho box
was out, and Hosford rifflcd EN- and
started another one. Tho hcrder watched
them slip out for a minute, and then he
put his last 81, 900 on the high card. That
kind of long shot playing don't do for
cinch work, and the bet trimmed him
out. There wasn't a particle of contrac-
ton to his features when no struck a
match and coolly lit q cigar. I think those
who saw the play felt q good deal sorrier
for him thar he did for himself.
Bud said Hosford to the herder,
I'm no hog. I'll just split tho difference
with you,' and he began to count out half
of the money he had won from tho sheep
man.
"'No, you won't,' replied the herder,
but you can give mo q drink and a bot
tie to put in my pocket
"'Better take a couple Of thousand and
run to Frisco or Denver and have q whirl
out of it, anyhow persisted Hosford.
"'I've had my whirl, was the mans
reply. He wasn't sulky at all, and he
didn't try to look abused. He was simply
Oil man ana oil game.
"'Whcre are you bound for now?' ask
ed Hosford after settling for tho drinks.
"'Back to the old G-8,' said the herd
er, and he started for tho ranch an hour
later. He had bought three blue flannel
shirts, a pair of top boots and a poncho,
and he took these things along with him
in q bundle. They were all he got out of
his S1S, 1000. Ho was found frozen stiff on
the south bank of the Snake river the next
winter.
"Tom Vanbrugh, who in the late seven
ties ran the two biggest layouts on the
Pacific coast, ono in San Francisco and
the other in Portland, and who died a few
years ago in Melbourne, Australia, was
another splendid loser. His rival in San
Francisco was Byron McGregor. Nc
Gregor had a big faro layout on Kearny
street. The two men didn't particularly
fancy each other. McGregor went up to
Portland in tho summer of 1878 and buck
ed Vanbrugh's bank there to a %standstill.
Vanbrugh closed the Portland place. Then
McGregor brought his winnings down to
Vanbrugh's San Francisco bank, and,
with an almost unprecedented run of luck,
lasting for more thar a week, he closed
Vanbrugh out. Vanbrugh realized $780,
900 on his California Investments and took
the bunch to McGregor's Kearny street
place. McGrcgor dealt himself. Van
brugh's luck seemed to have deserted him,
and he lost every dollar of his money. He
was broke.
"'Vanbrugh,' said McGregor to him.
after the last turn out of the box, I'll
give you 100000 q year and a percentage
If you'll run a No. 2 game here for me-
"'Much Obliged said Vanbrugh, but
I've worked too long for myself to be
traotable in another mans employ. I'm
going to take a sail, anyhow
Would $4,000, say, be of any use to
you to make a srart9' McGregor asked
him. The two men, as I say, weren't
particularly fond of each other, but they
were very square and generous chaps.
Not giving you a short answer, Mac,
we haven't been on good enough terms for
that, replied Vanbrugh, and he walked
out. An hour later he was the most genial
and collected maj in his party out at the
Cliff House. A lot Of his friends offered
to start him going again in San Fran
cisco, but he smilingly asked them not to
talk business during hours Of diversion.