The Grit-advocate., 1900-05-18
soW A SENATOR'S se GREW
INTO $4,000.
u Was Hts First aAA Only Expsrisnce
At the Gsmbhng Table and He Was
IRiGhtsasd-Gavs 1t AL Away to Aid
Struggling Young Fsllova A


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
- state. Martins story Is as fol-
lows. Being a resident of St. Paul
when Rice was elected by the legisla-
turs and having taken a hand in the
nght, l 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
q beer lunch Is now. OF course, had
n acquaintance among the sports.
and shortly after l 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. Prinsle's at
that time was the finest gambling
house in Washington. The proprietor
served three elegant meals a day to
his guests and patrons without charge.
1t was a rendezvous for all manner
and kinds Of men with money. You
ambassador, a United States senator,
Judges, generals, and, Of course, men
like myself, who followed the green
cloth as profession. l was then IN
or about my 30th year, and thought no
more Of win or lose $4,000 than l
would now of single IS bill. There
were no 10 or 25 cent chips in those
hn sr1,hJ
lowest price for them. Nobody
thought Of buying a stack of chips
under $50, and play was high. 1 was
as high a roller as the best of them,
for just previous to my arrival in
Washington l had lost as banker in
two nights over 100000.
We'll, Senator Rice and myself en-
1oyed Pringle's fine spread. l 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 faro layout in the next
on 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 IS as an indirect pay
ment for the meal he had eaten.
While he was in quandary I 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 soon dropped out, be-
ing broke. to watch his play and mar
vel at his ever-increasing pile. He
added to his embarrassment. and he
appealed to me to help him get broke,
a. 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 have ever experienced in
my life of over 10 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. l, who had been SO
unlucky, caught the fever OF the sen
ator's good luck, and I won in a
streak.
THE senator's face was as white as
his shirt, and he was as scared a man