The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
JIM LANES LOSS OF NERVE.
THE REFORMATION or DTSHoN-
ksT POhER PLiYER


man with the sctubhy beard as be threw down
a winning king itll and taked IN the stack Of
chils from the middle Of the table.
who's heg asked man across the table
Jim Lane" answered the nfst speaker was
the nerves; and best gambler IN oil probability
who ever stacked deck OF cards in this great
and glorious pokcr-plaI ing country. He knows
every trick hat was ever played with cards and
can work those sane tricks better than any other
man " saw OF heard Of don't u,nn sleight
OF hand tricks; ! mean tho regular professional
gamblers tricks. tho If cks that ore played 10
win money dishonesty. lie must be So years
old II he's a day but yuu wouldn't think il II you
put your eyes on him. Hc's 60, a little thin boy
ish face, and a light mouslaChc that will never
grow any larger than II il. and altogether he
has about the nloat iEnoccnt appearance you
would strike from New York 10 Frisco I've
crossed the Continent by stages. winning my
carfare at tho great American game and never
saw his equal in the lamb.llkc innocent way.
But. OH how that little fellow has fooled the best
| Of them in fact think ho WIS only caught
at the game aud tlen the who caugbt
him didn't dare to spucal because he was working
the same identical game Jack Hale, who was
known all over the West az Dopey Hale, caught
him. AT that game Jim Lane lost bus nerve
He never got II bFsk. either
Lane was natural born gambler. He couldn't
keep away from the cards, lust the Same an
opium Rend hangs onto his dope It's disease.
An old uncle down In San Bernardno county had
died and the bulk Of his fair sized pile went to Jim
The young fellow started in TO spend II right and
left, until he struck stiff poker game at tho old
Fleming House in Frisco night There were
a lot of slick guys in the game, and they let the
young chap win Just enough the first mig ht TO get
the lever III his blood TIC nckt night they made
bis pile look SICK. ana the rest Of We week they
L.Ht i'm Htt. lIftr = 4.
self Then the gang who had leeeed him left
town
night as 10 the character OF the ptoile who had
got into his roll lie vent home aud thought /,
AL over lie thought II all over many times, and
the next night he ran across one vi the guys who
had been in the game
Come up To my room said Lane. I've got
something l want ~ show you
The other fellow went along, Lane took him
| up 10 the room and then shutting the door, pulled
! out o revolver and said he wanted 10 know sUne-
! thing. The other guy put up Eick when the
gun was flashed on him. out Lane quickly made
himself understood
-'You and your crowd OF thieves said Lano.
! have got away with my pile. hats all right
got the c1p+rence' even II did have 10 ley ior y
| Now I'm DOING ~ get some Oi that money back.
! You just si down and teach NE no" ~ deal cards
-The guy sa, down and for twelve solid hours
! those two fellows aid nothing but shuttle and
deal cards The slick guy deal, seconds, stacked
the Geek IN six teen Ciherent ways, marked cards.
as he played them, and IN Just about nine times
out OF ten he would fool Lane completely. hen
+
Lanes thumb nail SO ho could marx tie card.
| and nled of the skin Of hts thumb 20 lie could
feel the marked c4Tds as they came out oil the
when his teacher left him that mig hi he had learned
the manipulation Of every uick known to tao
gamblers Trade Then he started in 70 praeu's
them and he spent weeks anu weeks In deAu
out imaginary hands .. poker hen he started
ndence hrst TO try Any Of his games when play
ing but he iny%!AIiy praetI,ed marking the cntdH
off ne lie
after The frst hand is dealt LAM told me 'hHa
Of tho marked cards and be invariably won. es
played in ssmos sasIs h. Ta is. '1 &C. only d
and In a year or two he vac like veteran he
played IKE a aash Of lightning and never aroused
with the plungerr who ran up against him;
zone nigh. be ,a! dGSn n gone N , Which
him P :. d9i sSs s f G as
'f1sSso ie iH 70 The game jim started in %
70, IN h' h G'q HAND wan b. ling ma
b; he'd, q ,s sharp 0'Lr r.,
very n ne na Rsna d. deal E around Jim
shurled and rcshgtnet and nhied feeling card
ii 10 , S' midaie % Of S bis DEAL ' ~ '''N
whats tho mAtter1' asked a man across the
tabla Jim white bu, he won't on In min
tru.h. was no had found his king Of Siamonds
somebody else had begun W marx oartA Jim
suspected Halls ngh, away bu, he didn't hnd
. 3: sleep s'' over ' every ssa1 nm :sIessd him
iiale appeared especially sleep, he held mag.
nlGceni hand i looked strange but as the
Se gam 20 on Ani Ss was AMY and had him
sell marked the same card twice hen he started
out % mark he rest Of ths Herdh Ini ve.y hr -
found ii already marked 1ha, se,ted I.
For some reason Jim's suspicion. wandered s
%os no psrsie s reason ior i, but the suspieon
5sC, Ss n sty'Pss wiz hes:
,hoaEht Jim 70 himself tn lie low and watch
Jim kept on marking cards Jus, ne same,
Suddenly Hale stopped In the middle o. z deal
and Jumped up in his ehnl, VIII. a startled lei
s up sa' sarp4s@ Jim Began 10 reckon out 30.
o I Ss Enough, Hale had surely tumbiod 70 Ss
game Somebody asked Hale what vns the
sindig answered Hale In sharp tono.
went IKE a dash lie could barely Mt his head
10! I've 'ss sSs enough he .osd !hro~ins down hi,
cards .iieI NE nett I deal I'm I'm. go.hs home anss
him on the shoulder. Jim started a. II he had
",
ones onto YOU except mo Come In here pointing
70 a ssioonl I've got something ! uAni 70 sAS
-fhry went into tho back room Of ths saloon
and sal down in a quiet cornor
you're the slick,st dealer that ever happened
on this earth said Halo
-No, I'm not answered Jim You ere ths
sHckest watched you for half an hour and did
DO playing Jus, 70 hnd out who was marking h'''
I'VE Won't quarrel over that said Halls but
Two got proposition 70 put 70 you You como
In With me as partnoI and wo will MP out the
! dough from tho ieans Of evury player on thia
coast .
II couldn't do Il to save my lie replied Jim
, I've lost my nerve and IN noyer get II back lrs
NO 20 Get out and let mo alone
-Hnlo went He was sho, soToss card table
three weeks aiterwAId and died In his chair jim
| quit the gam That Ia, he quit marking cards,
Sou viii aud him playing oueo In while even
now, because no can't leave poker, but he's On
tho level Ills nnrye neSoI came back
II Madden ana John l. Shake HAsss-
pn.nv vaara al k-up tn y-