Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-15

on the lower Mississippi, Red, Ouachita
or White rivers which did not carry a bar
and on which gambling was prohibited
was unknown said LIE Clere, a gray
haired southern planter, to a c~orrespon-
lent at New Orleans of the New York
Press.
"Gamblirg in those days was as neces-
sary an adjunct to travel as
was the morning cocktail, the hourly
whiskey straight, the after-dinner julap
or the evening punch. ~ /
Nearly every planter in the south
played cards, and a great majority gaua-
bled for larger or smaller sums. | navel
seen stacks of gold and silver and pAes
of bank notes amounting TO thousandsfYtl
dollars staked on the turn of a hand.%GlI
have seen rich planters broken at one
sitting, and not infrequently have heard
the. crack of a pistol which told that some
unfortunate maj had sent himself INTO
eternity. 1t need scarcely be said that
there were dishonest and rascally CAMP
lers who made it a business to cheat ana
rob travellers: but as a rule the gamblers
on the Mississippi We're honest, as far3as
the word can apply to their profession.
Cheating at cards was a dangerous busi-
ness in those days, and short shrift when
caught or NARROWING on a sandbar IN
the middle of the river usually ollowed
discovery. But there We're ~scoundrels
who did nothing else except travel up and
down the rivers in search of victims. I
recollect a quartet Of the latter class
became notorious. They We're Leon Pa
RADIO, Jack Hellerig, Hans Smart and
jose Savern. These men Travelled on the
four rivers I AVE named for several
years. and many a planter and trader
was robbed. and at least half a dozen
We're shot down before the officers Of the
river craft suspected them.
ON A COTTON BOAT.
1.-The four desperadoes were travelling
on the cotton boat Rebecca, in SO, when
Henry Travis, a planter on the Ouachita,
and an old friend of my father, got
| aboard at Memphis on his return from
tina city, where he had sold his cotton.
The men apparently We're strangers 70
each other, and all said they We're plant
ers in different parts of the south. In the
evening the four men seemed accident
ally to meet at the same table, and dur
ing the game for some trifling amount
\ Travis stood looking on. One OF the men
politely invited Travis to come in, saying
they were merely playing as a pastime.
Travis was entirely unsuspicious, and
when he sat down the rascals knew they
had a victim. The play was raised in the
course Of an hour or two from a tWo-bit
limit to a dollar, and from that to five,
then to ten, and finally, at the sugges-
tion of one of the four, n under protest
Of one or two, the limit was withdrawn.
Travis had been permitted to win right
along, and was several hundred ahead.
At last the u~nsuspecting planter held a
hand Of four kings and an ace, and the
betting ran up to $500. Three of the
others threw down their hands and the
fourth stayed and raised Travis another
$500. Each man had contributed his
money and Travis was about to raise his
opponent, when his eye caught something
suspicious. He Immediately arose and
exclaimed, Your are a damned scoundrel
sir!'
1.-THE planters words We're scarcely Out
of his mouth before a pistol was fired and
Travis fell, shot through the heart. Ii
an instant all was confusion. The foul
gamblers declared that the dead man hac
drawn on his opponent first. and as e
pistol was found lying by his body, they
were permitted to leave the boat at the
next landing.
KNEW THE GAMBLERS.
"UnfortunateIy the only man on the boa
who knew the gamblers was alseep at tht
time, and when he was awakened ana pc
fore he was informed Of the situation al
the men had left the boat. When he die
hear the story the man wrote a note con
tanning the information of the identity o.
the mulueIeIS. anu lidu ~ Value Wv
the body of the planter.
'"Travis had only one son, Il young fel'
low about IS, who was at home when thu
body arrived. When young Henry Travis
heard the story and read the stranger
note, he changed in almost an instan
from a boyish, jolly, careless lad to a de
{ termined man. Henry Travis was o
medium size and slender, handsome al
an Adonis, With a pale face, black haif
-+opc b1,1o aypc Sal1ara chin and firm
mouth. For d year after his father
murder young Travis stayed on his faith
er's plantation. and never was seen hal
a dozen miles away. He was my neares
%neighbor, and in that year / often visite'
him, but all our boyish pranks were lai'
!. aside.
l II nearly always found Henry in a littl
' glade near the home building, practicini
with his pistols or knife. He alWays car
i, ried four D%erringers, and before 81
, months had elapsed Travis, | believe
could hit anything standing or running
7 often, at his request, stood several pace
from him and threw silver quarters int
8 the air for him to shoot at, and he N
them every time. Before the end of Tn
o year Travis became SO expert with II
S Derringers that he could jerk one pist'
: from his vest pocket and hit a quartz
flying through the air, and before
struck the ground pull another pistol an
hit the second. I have Travelled throuS
, the Indian territory and Texas, and hay
- seen many noted shots, but l never hay
II seen the man who could approach him
rapidity of movement and deadliness {
aim. He was fully as expert with tn
bowie knife, some of his feats borderin
on the marvellous.
READY FOR HIS REVENGE.
zone day about a year ago, after tn
~ death of his father. Henry sent his bod
servant, Jack, with a note. asking n
TO come over. When | arrived, TraV
W invited me into his office.