Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-11-08
BIG FoOT'S SHOE WON.
Singular Stake I'm a Gentlemen,s Game
OF Poker I'm LeavenwOrth's Bloom-
Ing Days.

OF Poker In LeavenwOrth's Bl0om-
ing Days.
"Did | ever tell you how Big Foot
Ed Bunch, of Leavenworth, won near
ly $1,000 on poker hand, by betting
one of his shoes?" asked the old
sport. No? Well, then I'll tell you.
Back in the Cos Big Foot Bunch
was the most famous poker player
that ever struck Leavenworth. In
those days the old town was an out
fitting point and was booming.
Bunch's one striking characteristic
was the size of his feet, and that is
how he got his name. No other man
of modern times ever carried such
pair of feet. They were each fully
is inches in length, and he was com
PEELED to have his shoes made to or
der.
Zone evening after a boat load of
tourists had come up, Big Foot fell
into conversation with some of the
passengers and finally poker game
was suggested. Four men, including
Big Foot, signifled their desire to
play and in few minutes they were
at IL. AS the cards were being
shuttied for the first deal one of the
three strangers remarked that he
guessed it would be a gentleman
game, which means game in which
n player may make bets without put
ting his money in front of him, in
other words, betting on credit. AS
the three strangers all looked pros
porous Big Foot said that he was sat
isfied and the game proceeded.
tbnca ha nl1-F1 binnpd
leather pocketbooks were used al
most exclusively by wealthy men.
You viii remember that they had one
compartment for bills which folded
up and the book was held together
by strap which slipped through a
leather holder. Every now and then
one of the strangers would dig up
his leather pocketbook, throw it into
the middle of the table and murmur:
a thousand better
Zig Foot had about 1880 in cash
in front of him but mis- hands were
not running high, and it was some
time before he had occasion to go
against the pocketbook play. Final
Iy on his own deal he caught three
tens to go, and the fourth ten
dropped into his hand On the draw.
"Evcrybody stayed, and when it got
around to Big Foot after the draw he
MADE a raise that took every cent in
front of MIN. The first player TO the
left then went for his pocketbook
again and tossing it into the center
simply remarked: 81 900 better The
next man saw the raise and went it
$500 more. The third man threw his
poc<ctbook into the center to make
good, and the three looked at Big
Foot inquiringly.
Zig Foot was equal TO the occa-
sion. He was convinced that he had
the top hand, and he proposed to play
il for all il was worth. Quickly slip
ping off one of his immense shoes ne
threw it into the center with the re-
mark: We'll, gentlemen, as you are
all playing leather. / will do a little
of it myself. / guess there's enough
good calf-skin there to see the bets
already made, and raise $4,000 more
"The other players sized up the
shoe and then br eaking into hearty
laugh laid down their hands. Big
Foot raked in all the loose money in
sight, and the strangers then opened
their pocketbooks and counted out
the amounts for which their leather
stood.
give heard lots of times of fellows
betting their clothes on a hand, but
l Doubt if you will find another in
stance in the history Of draw poker
where a players shoe was good for
So, 900 pot"