The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-16

wore soft black hats, black clothes,
high boots, low-necked shirts,
and big loose collars. and ties and fril-
led bosoms. Each had solitaire breast
pin and big solitaire ring, and one
of these big long gold chains going
about the neck three or four times
and hanging down over the chest.
They didn't drink anything but wine,
and they would ride across the street
in hacks rather than get mud on their
shoes. They were fine fellows, edu-
Gated men, who could talk TO any one
about anything, and very polite.
The most adroit schemer in those
days was an Alabama man named
James w. Streeter. He was the origi-
nator of many confidence schemes that
have been worked threadbare. He was
the most ingenious swindler L ever
came across. An anecdote of how he
worked his game will illustrate how
abundant money used to be in those
days, and how easily the men on the
mississippi river steamers used to part
with it. He got hold of rich Superior
court judge from Cairo, H., one day.
The judge didn't happen to have q wad
along that day and he quickly caught
on to Streeter'S game. The judge
went secretly to the bartender on the
boat and got a bundle of wildcat money,
wrapped it around with a couple of
twenties and put some fives in the mid
die. They started on euchre, and the
judge got the usual good poker hand
and Jim Streeter played in. The judge
knew Streeter's game was to let him
win to make his final Skinning all the
surer. He lost a couple of times Just
to flash his roll and skin off fves to
Jim. They played till supper and then
the judge quit S1S5 winner. After sup
per Jim wanted to open up the game,
he md
jim kicked. He went ashore and told
friend about the fellow who had done
him, and just as he was telling 1t the
Judge came to the rail and Jim pointed
him out to his friend.
Why, you sucker said the friend,
that's Judge - from Cairo. He Knows
every gambler on the river
Jim offered the judge a $500 suit of
clothes not to tell the story, but the
Judge wouldn't hear it, and all New
Orleans heard the story when the judge
got off the boat.
CHEATING INSTINCT IS STRONG.
Jack Gambill used to tell a story
about a fellow named Dan, who was
a most notorious cheat and couldn'
play fair at any game in the world. l
saw Dan the other day. said Jack, and
he was sitting down to a table all
alone and playing a game of solitaire.
And do you know, he hadn't sat there
five minutes before he began nudging
the leg of the table to play in with
him.
'Eph Horn, the pioneer minstrel, was
so infatuated with gaming that he
never could go to bed as long as there
was a light burning over a green cloth.
He had a boy named Henry Cahan
whom he supported, and the boy was
quite an expense to him. One day in
the old Arcade Horn sat with a soil
tary white chip in his hand, the last
of his $50 a week. He was hesitating
whether to bet it or not, when up
came Henry and said:
Hurry up, Eph, and make Win
ming so we can go to dinner
Me? Me make a winning with
four bits? You might as we'll talk of
lowering a fireproOf safe out of third
story window with a horse-hair.'
Star Davis was great old boy. Jim
McLane's mother allowed him $4,000
year not to come near her, but he was
broke nearly all the time for all that,
and he had to gamble to make his way
Hank Johnson was a daisy, "a hard
PLAYER, who never wore a pair of boots
worth less than $50 Glib COhern and
Tom Mackey were the dres< of the
river. All their winnings used to go
into clothes They'd send to Paris for
their underclothing and all that sort Of
thing. They were great rivals in those
DAYS, when dress went for something.
Doc Hill was McLane's partner. Then
there was Big Alexander, who worked
out of Natchez; Jim Mcdonald, dead
shot with a pistol; Ashlock, who could
do more funny work with a deck OF
cards than / ever saw before or since.
[ couldn't name them all. They We're
good fellows-free with their money as
water after scheming to bust their
heads off to get it.
DOWNFALL OF JOHN POWELL.
Were there any shadows to the gay
times on the Mississippi river steamers?
Yes. occasionally The saddest event
was one that happened in the fall of
1858. At that time John Powell was the
most famous sport. He was a. square
man. handsome, brave and not Snowy.
He despised the tricks of the tinhOrn
gentry 1 have been telling you about.
He had known Andrew Jackson per-
sonally, and had declined a nomination
to congress from a Missouri district We
younger fellows used to envy Powell
and we aped all his acts and talk, for
we saw that he was the greatest all
round gambler that ever drew breath.
He was about so years old in 1858. He
owned then the Mccall opera house in
stock farm and negroes in Tennessee.
1t seemed as if everything he put his
hand to turned to gold and he was
courted by such men as Sergeant 5.