The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-06-08
TWO NERvY LOSERS.
EACH DROPPED A FORTUNE AND
SEEMED TO ENJOY THE LOSS.

One LIGHTED . CIGAR ana C1In1y
Went hack to sheep HesAiag aAd
the Other sHilAngly Started In
Anew and Made Halt Million.
"There's no way of telling In advance
how man IL going to take his complete
wiping out In game of chance" said the
ex-mayor Of Colorado city when the talk
at the club drifted around to the subject
of hard losers and the other kind.
There's no rule about It I've seen men
Of long tested galneness 60 all to pieces
after big losings; seen them suddenly
struck speechless, as weak as children,
with their lips trembling like those Of
women who are about to CRY. On the
other hand, I've seen chaps with low fore
heads and weak chins, and regulations for
crawAshing and backing water In tight
places, stand four square to the finishing
wrenches Of long runs Of fearful luck and
take their bitter medicine with hearts ap-
parently as brave as their faces were weak
Probably the best educated and the most
highly organized men are the hardest
losers.
1.-THE eamest loser 1 ever saw was
sheep herder who didn't look to have
enough character to him to stuff gnat
pelt. He was punching sheep on the Idaho
sage ranges for $25 month and his grub
when an aunt In Connecticut whom he
had scarcely ever heard of, much less seen,
died and left him $4,000. He didn't have
to come east to get tho money; o lawyer
handed 1t to him in a bundle in Pooatello.
He went to Jim Hosford's faro bank and
told Jim that he wanted to make few
thousand dollar bets Hosford told him
that he'd better hang on to his money.
The herder told Jim that he wanted &C.
ton on his money, and that II he couldn't
get it at Hosfords layout, why, there
were others So Hosford dealt them from
the box himself, with $1,000 limit
saw tho whole play, 1t only lasted 45
minutes The hertler wasn't in 1t at any
stage of the game. Coppered or open, he
couldn't land right 1t was the fleroeat
run of evil luck ever saw man have at
faro. When the herder had lost $4,000,
Hosford said to him:
"'You'd better pinch out that remain
ing $1,000, Ombrey: give yourself a
chance
lyon hand me out another boxful,'
replied the herder. When l get enough,
I'll quit
1.-The man was perfectly cool and col
lected, and he laid down Lis last five 3d.
00O bills without tremor He picked
four straight losers. BY that time the box
was out, and Hosford rif1led 'em and
started another one The hertler watched
them slip out for minute, and then he
put his last 81 900 Oh the high card. That
kind Of long shot playing don't do for
cinch work, and the bet trimmed him
out There wasn't particle Of contrac-
ton to his features when he struck a
match and coolly lit cigar. think those
who saw the play felt good deal sorrier
for him than he did for himself.
Bud, said Hosford to the herder,
I'm no hog III just split the difference
with you, and he began to count out half
OF the money he had won from the sheep
man.
"'No, you won't, replied the herder,
but you can give ING drink and a bot
tie to put in my pocket.
=" Better take couple Of thousand and
run to Frisco or Denver ard have IA whirl
out Of it, anyhow, persisted Hosford.
1--we had my whirl, was the mans
reply. He wasn't sulky at all, and he
didn't try to look abused. He was simply
all man and all game
"'Where are you bound for nowY ask
ed Hosford after settling for the drinks
Back to the old G-S,' said the herd
err and he started for the ranch an hour
later He had bought three blue flannel
shirts, pair Of top boots and poncho
and he took these things along with him
in bundle They were all he got out Of
his $4,000 He was found frozen stiff on
the south bank of the Snake river the next
winter.
atom Vanbrugh, who in the late seven
ties ran the two biggest layouts on the
Pacific coast one in San Francisco and
the other In Portland, and who died few
years ago In Melbourne Australia, was
another splendid loser His rival in San
Francisco was Byron McGregor. Nc
Gregor had Il big faro layout on Kearny
street. The two men didn't particularly
fancy each other McGregor went up to
Portland in the summer of 1878 and buck
ed Vanbrughs bank there to 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 than 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.
| Wainwright said McGregor to him.
after the last turn out of tho box, III
| give you Sc, 900 year and a percentage
If you'll run No. 2 game here for me.
| "'Much obliged, said Vanbrugh, but
! I've worked too long for myself to be
tractable in another mans employ I'm
going to take a sail, anyhow.
9 Would SEQ, 900, say, be Of any use to
you to make START? McGregor asked
him Tho two men, as l say, wercnt
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 Iuan 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 tc
talk business during hours of diversion
The next day he was on board the steamer
bound for Australia, and he never re-
turned to San Francisco His estate was
invcntorcd at $500, 900 when ho died
Chicago Inter Ocean