The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-22
Poker ON THE MISSISSIPPI
RECOLLECTIONS OF AN OLD-TIME
GAMBLER ABOUT THE PALMY
TIMES OF LONG AGO
WORLDS GREAT GAMEsTERs
Riot of BETTING That Ragged in the
South in the Days BE-
fore the Civil
War.

One of the Oldest and most experienced
gamblers in the country died in compare
tive poverty at his daughters home at
Orange, in Orange county, Cal. the other
day. He was Maj. George M White
For fifty years he made gambling his
sole pursuit He knew al. the old time
ante-bellum sports of the South; he trav-
eled all over the country and to the Ber-
mudas, to Mexico and to Honolulu, for
gaming reasons, and, first and last, he
won tens of thousands of dollars. At one
time he was worth some $4,000 in race
track stock at st. Louis and water COM
pany bonds of Memphis, Tenn, but he
left an estate of less than $500. Even that
was sent as gift to him in his old age
by circle of young gamblers in New Or
leans. AS a boy in the old ST. Charles
hotel in New Orleans he saw some of the
greatest gambling games between rich
planters, United States senators and
Southern orators that were ever played
Before he was twenty he was an adept
at poker, and before he was twenty-five
ne was rich and famous by his remarka-
bic success as a faro dealer.
In 1897, at the age of seventy-two years
he played his last game OF cards, says the
San Francisco Call, and with the few
thousand dollars his devoted wife had
saved from his enormous winnings in
other days the old couple came to live in
California From that time he never
touched cards again. But he lived in the
memory of the old days when he sat
about the green table, and he was always
glad to chat reminiscently of all the big
ba arti0 cd IN 10 hod
markable memory for details There can
be little doubt that he was the best known
faro dealer and round-tabe poker player
there was on the Mississippi river steam
ers in the last years previous to the Civil
war. The late Attorney General Garland
once said that the originator of many Of
the fundamental principles Of draw poker
as 1t is known today was Maj. White
The old gambler was a fine type of the
old-fashioned gambler. He was prodicaI
in his living ready to bet on any PROPOSE
toin, quite abstemious in his habits, cour-
teous to women, seldom excited and
never ashamed of his calling. He often
introduced himself to strangers as an
honest, gentlemanly gambler"
MAI. WHITE.
He was as famous for his reckless ex-
travagance as for his unusual winnings In
his younger days When the First Louisi-
ana regiment was formed, in 1861, to go
to the Civil war Maj. White dined the
commissioned officers at the old St
Charles hotel in New Orleans at a cost of
81, AGO. He never quarreled and seldom
raised his voice. He was sensitive about
his meager schooling and his bad gram
mar; he was particularly we'll informed,
on the other hand, on the history of his
country and affairs Of the day. He knew
personally all the leading men of the day
who Travelled to any degree forty years
ago.
He used to narrate anecdotes Of games
of cards in which Henry Clay and he
were both participants in 184S and 1849,
when White was beginning his career as
a gambler. He had genius for faro, and
his winnings on many occasions exceeded
1900 in one night. He was employed at
a salary Of $500 a week for several years
by club In New Orleans simply to deal
faro every night in the week. At last,
when he grew weary of that, his salary
was raised to $500 week. He made $780,
600 in 1857 by gambling on the Mississippi
river, and there were a number Of years
when his winnings aggregated $12,0 900 and
$1,000 in twelve months. But he spent his
money with a reckless hand. He had a
crowd Of friends constantly about him,
and he was always giving $50 to 500 to
less fortunate gamblers
AS he sat in his big easy chair one
day, a month before his death, he char
ted a long time about his memories Of
the palmy days of gambling, and partic-
ularly of the wonderful games he used
to participate in on the palatial MISSISSIPPI
pf river steamers before the Civil war.
1.-THE most wonderful gambling days
this country has ever known were from
about 1880 to 1861, he said ''That was
when poker and faro became the games
they are in America, and when poker
was developed. Literally every man,
except clergymen, in the Mississippi river
valley used to gamble in those days. and
L have known reputable clergymen at
that time to bet on horse races All the
statesmen and orators of the West and
South gambled to some extent then.
have seen all the political idols of the
South of forty and fifty years ago, ex-
cept Jefferson Davis, about a gambling
table. People nowadays can have no
idea of how the mania for gaming pos
sessed their venerated and princely faith
ers in those days.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER GAMBLERS.
1.-THE gamblers of the last ten years
previous to the Civil war We're the great
est sports the world has even seen; but
they got too avaricious. became dishon-
and brought about the downfall of a pro-
as it was once conducted Whew! What
elegant fellows and what spendthrifts
the Mississippi river gamblers were when
1 came on the stage of operations. A
hundred dollars didn't bother them any
more than a cigar would one of US now.
And clothes! They We're all dressers. They
wore soft black hats, black clothes, high
heeled boots, low-neclled shirts with
big loose collars and ties, with frilled
bosoms. Each had solitaire breastpin
and big solitaire ring, and one Of those
big long gold chains going about the neck
three or four times and hanging down
over the chest. They didn't drink any
thing but wine, and they would ride
across the streets in hacks rather than
get mud on their shoes. They were fine
any one about anything, and very po-
lite.
"There were fully 500 men who worked
the boats between st. Louis and New
Orleans, and there's no telling how much
money they did pull off the travellers. 1t
was dead easy money, too, all the time.
Everybody who Travelled had lots of stuff,
and every one was willing to bet and bet
high, so that when a fellow did win he
won right out of the hole at once. Those
Southern planters just used to lose money
like fun and were skinned right and left.
Occasionally they caught on, and there
was a shooting match, but the boys
plugged. I've seen forty gamblers on
one boat.
"That was in October, 1857, when tho
officers at Natchez cleaned all the gam
blers out of town. The whole gang met
the boat at the wharf and started to
come aboard, but the captain wouldn't
LOT them I1nIecS thew 11Pon1fSad- NOT IN NAV