Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-10-31
LoNsDALE A GooD LosKn.
8toFy Of kife ON TransAAslansaA
Steamer.

story Of kife on q TFansAAslansaA
Steamer.
Sakd " Washington man who 0oeo
lot OF transatfantic voyaging: mo
msan can pat himself on the back and
say TO hmaelf ths.F he lis COO wise 70
be done by oaad sharps. I've seen
some pretty clever men get theirs at
cards on the ocean liner 8. One of then
was Lord Lonss1iaae, about as clever an
0h around man ais ever climbed over
une g1augwHy of a ship. and nobody
would ever have fancied that he'd
prove himself a mark for profession-
81 gamblers.
"At the time LOnstfaGe first came TO
the Unated States he was in 'the FUN
Ttde of his rapid career. Amid the up
roar over his landing in this county
the fact did not leak out that Lonsdale
was plucked of $1,000 on the trip over
by George Sampson, une OF the most
notable of the older clique of steam
ship card Sharpers-he has since died
in Australia, i believe
Il think Sampson had il In nhA 30
do young LonsdaAe when he got
aboard ait Liverpool. Sampson had
been working the steamers for fifteen
years and salt this time he was a man
of forty Or thereaIbouts The two men
struck "a friendship from the very first
day OF the voyage, and it was Lonsfale
himself who first Suggeste6-as he af-
terward acknowledged, for he was a
MAINLY young chap-the game of draw,
DonSsdale had only recently bearued
the hands ait poker, and he had the
poker dnIft1aheis enthusiasm for the
game to ,an exaggerated extent. Be-
fore going any further l ought to say
THAT Sampson always mai ntaiined af-
erwar,d THAT i'm his play with Lons1lale
he was perfectly ON the level.
''UOnEstale and Sampson started the
game on the first day out, and kept
dt going afomJt until the steamer plow-
ed past Sandy Hook. OF course Samp-
son beat him right along. He made
no effort to Lett young Uonsdale win
from him ait first. He simply played
poker and Ital1ed in the young mans
money and checks A lot OF us aboard
knew Sampson, and those of us who
had met young Lonsdale dn England
got him aside on the second day out
and dplomaticalfy put 5t TO him that
he WAS engaged DIN "a pretty difficult
encounter-that, in brief, Sampson
waks professional player of cards.
For our pains we were told that we
were too cOnfoundedly officious.
AIT any rate when the steamer was
drawing nearsthe shore Donsdaie de-
cided that he had had enough. Sew
eral of us were i'm the caH,droom when
the hast hand Was played. Sampson
took the pot and Lonsdiale scribbBed
check on his American banker for the
amount he had lost ait the alttHng.
Then he looked up iatt Sampson for q.
moment and said:
Some Of my friends here estimate
you al bit unkindly, Mr. Sampson
How that ?" inquired Sampson
co0lly-he was a. man who never be-
trayed surprise
Well, said LOnsdane, "they MAIN
tain that your SAUL at cards Affords
you something better than a hveli-
hood
81 newer denied than.' replied Samp-
son calmly.
I'm playing with me on this voy-
age you have employed skill alonef'
inquired UonssRale courteously.
At your suggestion replied Samp.
SON, with careful emphasis. 4 have
played draw poker with you Cor seven
days. understand the game Of draw
poker, and L have $4,000 of your mon
ey. Do you want it back.
That was a magnificent blum On
SIMPSONS part You perceive. The
young chap he well knew would mot
squeal-
"'Oh, ii yu elect to be dnsuhting-.
said Lonsdale, flushing hoxly, and he
rose from the card table and left the
room.
'Well, "a couple of elderly English
men on board who knew Lonsshaae and
his father before him went to the
young FELLOW and told him that L
would be perfectly proper md rdghb
for him TO stop payment on the checks
he had given Sampsn, who, they todd
him dn 50 many words, was nothing
more than a Swindler.
"'You will be good enough to mind
your own--buamess,' replied, the
hotspur. I'm do nothing of the sort
And that was the end Of it''-Wash-
ington Post