The Bowbells tribune., 1900-05-18
SCARED BY HIS LUCK.
HOW A SENATOR'S ss GREW
INTO $4,000.
ft Was His First and Only Experience
at the Gambling Table and He Was
Frightsned-Gave It All Away to Aid
BtrugglinE Young Fellowa A

An entertaining tale of the gamb-
ling room was related recently by Col.
Cole Martin, according to one Of the
Washington papers, It has to do with
the phenomenal luck Of Henry N Rice,
who was the first senator from Mime
sofa, after the territory was admitted
as a state. Martins story is as fol-
lows: Being a resident of st. Paul
when Rice was elected by the legisla-
ture and having taken hand in the
fight, I concluded to come on with
Rice to Washington, as in those days,
1858, Washington was wide-open
town, and faro was as free then as
a beer lunch is now. OF course, had
an acquaintance among the sports,
and shortly after erected my tepee
in the capital the senator invited me
to visit him. While making the rounds
one afternoon we got hungry and in
vited him into Pringle's. Pringle's at
that time was the finest gambling
house in Washington. The proprietor
served three elegant meals day to
his guests and patrons without charge.
1t was a rendezvous for all manner
and kinds of men with money. You
could meet there in groups foreign
ambassador, United States senator,
Judges, generals, and, Of course, men
like myself, who followed the green
cloth as profession. was then in
or about my 30th year, and thought no
more of win or lose $4,000 than I
would now of single SIS bill. There
were no 10 or 25 cent chips in those
days. The whites cost 81, the very
lowest price for them. Nobody
thought of buying stack of chips
under $50, and play was high. I was
as high roller as the best of them,
for just previous to my arrival in
Washington l had lost as banker in
two nights over 100000.
well, Senator Rice and myself en-
joyed Pringle's fine spread. I intro
duced the senator, and as he had
never played a card, like old Matt
Carpenter, he knew all the boys, and
was gracious and democratic in his
associations with them; he felt en-
barrassed over eating such an elegant
meal and not having to pay for it.
Passing a faro layout in the next
room, he threw down IS gold piece
on a card, expecting to lose it. To his
surprise and chagrin, however, he
won. This made the matter worse
than ever, as he did not want to win,
but to lose the S. as an indirect pay
ment for the meal he had eaten.
While he was in Quandary bought
stack of chips and soon became alb
sorbed in the game. The senator was
trying to lose what he had won, but,
in spite of himself, his winnings in
creased. His bets were placed hap
hazard, he not knowing whether they
were placed right or not, and not car
ing, except that he wanted to lose, and
get out of the place. But lose he
couldn't, and I soon dropped out, be-
ing broke, to watch his play and mar
vel at his ever-increasing pile. He
soon had crowd around him, which
added to HIS embarrassment, and he
appealed to me to help him get broke,
as he wanted to get out, and did not
want to take any of the banks money
with him. Well, this was the fun
niest snap l have ever experienced in
my life Of over 70 years. There sat
the senator and myself playing for all
we were worth to reduce his winnings,
and play any way we chose the piles
of chips increased. I, who had been SO
unlucky, caught the fever of the SEN
ator's good luck, and l won in
streak.
"The senator's face was as white as
his shirt, and he was as scared man
as ever saw in my life. But the play
went on, and owing to the fact that
at that time there was no limit at
Pringle's, the bets were So high, that
the modern 25-cent chip layer would
get the grip If l should mention the
size of bets.
Finally, Mr.. Pringle called me to
one side, and told me that his partners
objected to the game without limit.
He was willing himself to play the
bank without it, but lie was compelled
to defer to the wishes of his partners,
and would place the limit at $3.50 .
bet.
HE said it was all right to have me
play on, as he liked me and all that,
but was the first man who ever forced
him to put limit on the game. When
l returned to the table l quietly in
formed the senator and he looked dis
tressed, as he saw no chance, from his
point of view, in getting rid of his
winnings at a $3.50 limit. We played
until midnight, and the senator at last
yielded to fatigue, and ordered me to
cash in. When he counted the roll in
his room, our joint winnings were just
s31, 300, of which sum he staked me,
as my share to $4,000. Said he, when
he gave me the money:
Martin, never played card In
my life before this afternoon, and
will never play another one as long
as live. This money will do some-
thing with which shall not immediate
ly benefit myself or my family