The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-13
'.OLD H. PIERCE rs DEAD.
In His Day He Won and Lost Many Fortunes
More Prosperou. sports VIII Bury Him.

In His Day He Won and Lost Many Fortunes
More Prosperous sports viii Bury Him.
A veteran sport" and gambler. "old HI
Pierce. lately OF the Bowery but in former years
OF New Orleans. 81. Louis and the Mississipli
River generally. died yesterday in II. Nincent's
Hospital at the age Of u. "Old hi" was known
in his palmy days among the swell gambling
fraternity from California TO Maine and from
tbs Gulf to the Great Lakes, In his best days
he was several pegs above the ordinary run OF
adventurous OF his kind. With a substratum in
his character which was alphabetically ex-
planned by hin pals and cronies on the ground
that he came from a good New England family
and could not wholly overcome his ancestral
tendencies. He was born in Quincy. Mac.
and his family was remotely connected with
that Of Franklin Pierce, although the story THAI
he was a nephew OF the former President Of ths
United States he himself never insisted upon.
lie started on his gambling and shooting
abnormal fonGne.s for bowling and a xiii
a, the game which 'o2n led him e elevate him. .,
his " before very long and was knu.n as
much for his readiness TO bet on anything
ana everything as for his kin a. the game
Just before the outbreak Of the Civil Mar and
became an .all-around gambler well known
on The Mississippi steamboats, where games
ran high in those halcyon days Of river travel,
when darkies were often played for. los! and
won az various games Of cards. old HIS"
luck for years was, phenomenal He won a
dozen OR more independent fortunes ~. his
day. He had all the professional gamblers
faults a. we'll a. his good qualities. and these
last In an unusual degree.
HIS generosity was proverbial even In q coterle
where n certain type of of-hand. lavish liber.
ality ls supposed to be u kind of fetish for good
luck to come. lie more. than once gave back
lIA az A Utn.RA ul,AaA rIA lA.aa ,,.. .-ntRR IN ~
greatly distressed by his loss. But at the
gambling table itself he was cold and relentless
AZ tate. he was never satisfied until his OBJ
ponsnt was stripped clean and helpless at his
feet, That was part Of his business, Hut with
the battle over and won, his generosity to the
fallen foe was open handed to a degrA,.
run Of tho criminal and partly criminal barroom
crew he associated with, was IN HIS respect for
religion and for his responsibilities ~ q hus.
band and father. ils had a good wife and
tact with the Mr.. Hyde side Of his character,
he ENCOURAGED them to go TO church and
churcl, work.. although no would not so far
play the hypocrite ms 10 go to church himself:
ne wanted hs children to grow 10 be good
citizens and TO lead orderly lives, and therein
When. IN. 1879. the blow came which took
nom MN all his fanlll save one child his for
and TIRES children were ali swept away bvs
diphtheria within q short time Of each other
and he buried them In the Greenwood GEM
etery lot which he had bought and where by
the charity Of sports now more prosperous
he will himself be buried. From the time Of
his loss he went on the downward path. lat
terly he has been living In Bowery lodging
houses through the bounty OF friends who
knew him for what he had been. He gambled
20 the last whenever he had ANYTHING to gam
BILE with, but the old time luck Of the days when
he always carried a 10000 roll Ia his pocket
never came back to him. 1t was only the
trcmendous vigor OF his constitution. which
enabled him TO prolonE. his life, which latterly
had been very sqialid, TO the full-rounded
measure Of years he attained.