The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-01-26
A TRAGEDY AT CARDS
EXCITING INCIDENTS THAT MARKED
A GAME OF POKER.

A GAME OF POKER.
Preceded by a Railroad Wreck, the
Play, Which Was Reckless, Ruined
Man, Led to n Resurrection and
Caused q Suicide.
$50 far as attending results are con-
cerned," remarked retired railroad engi-
neer, ''the most remarkable piece Of gam
bling of which / have ever heard occurred
some years ago when l was running To-
cal passenger train on the G. and w. rail-
road. My train one night was side track
I'd ut way station, with q washout
ahead and another behind us. 1t was
while we were killing time that this game
was played, and it makes my hair stand
to this day when l recall the way in
which a corpse came to life in the midst
of the play"
The engineer rubbed big handkerchief
over his brow and filed his pipe. MY
train was scheduled to leave - at p.
IN. Before leaving - we had to make
connection with the through train from
the north, and on account Of the bad con-
dition of the track it got in several hours
late 1t was o'clock when my train, No.
%, pulled out.
"'We'll have bad run tonight, am
thinking said the fireman rs he climbed
in the cab, and they have dead man in
the baggage car to keep us company. If
these rains continue, think We'll have
more coffins to fetch back tomorrow
1--WE Travelled slowly, and when about
80 miles out saw a dim lantern on the
track, and the brakes were given sud-
den jerk.
"'Hip cried the man who had tagged
us. The trestle ahead has been washed
clean away. There is no chance to cross,
and you'll have to 80 back
1.-THE conductor gave orders to pull
back slowly to high trcstle, ten miles
in our rear. On our side of the trestle
there was a long stretch of straight track,
and when two miles away we saw the
headlight of q freight laundering down
at full tilt. The engineer ran right on to
the bridge without slackening his speed.
Just when the freight got midway of the
bridge there was Il crash, and bridge,
train and all went down. We pulled up
slowly. There was no sign Of life, and
we realized that we were cut off in both
directions. Nothing could be done; so our
train cruwled mile and stopped ut
siding.
I'm the baggage car there was n tele-
graph instrument, but no operator. The
express messenger said he knew a few
calls, and he thought he could tell the su-
perintendent Of the wreck. A loop was
hooked on the main wire and the instru-
ment was connected, but the messenger
was not good at the business, and, after
trying for 20 minutes. he had to stop.
"'If this guy in the box here was not
dead said the baggage man. we would
be in town. He was n fine operator be-
fore he cashed in his chips
The most worried man on the train
was a cotton dealer from New Orleans,
who was travelling with barrel of mon
cy. The man came in the baggage car
and talked frantically of the delays. Aft
or n time, however, he got more cheerful
and stood around and watched us play
ing cards. When we had changed from
seven up to poker. the cotton man asked
If he could get in, and we were all glad
to have him. There were five in the game
the conductor, express messenger, Bug
gage master, cotton broker and news
paper man. The messenger was the best
gambler on the train, and he got streak
of luck after n time. The newspaper
man and the baggage master dropped
out, the conductor sticking to make the
three. The messenger, Sprunt, was sit
ting on the foot of the coffin. and the
flagman said that this was why he was
having luck. The playing got hotter. and
the conductor dropped out. leaving
Sprunt and the cotton man. big fellow.
who introduced himself as Smith. He
had been losing steadily, but he brought
h,,n nP LII
hents. One or two pots had been rich.
In one there was at least $1,000, and the
one following had fully $1,000. The two
pots came over to Sprunt.
ut was not long game. The playing
had been quick, though the finish came,
strange to say, in view of subsequent
events, on n deal by Smith. But Sprunt
was SO slick that am not satisfied to
this day that the thing was square.
When the crisis came, Smith was dealing.
He shutfled the cards carelessly and roll
cd off ten. Everything was jack pot.
Sprunt said he could not open it, but
Smith smashed it with handful OF bank
notes. Sprunt surprised us by coming
back with heavy raise, and for a mo-
ment the raising was wild.
'Sprunt drew one card, and Smith
$1,000 put. Inc DettlnS continued until
Smith had put up his last dollar. Sprunt
still had a small amount, but he said he
would call. Smith felt sure of what was
in sight when he laid down four deuces,
but his breath stopped short when Sprunt
put down four tives.
"All the while Sprunt had been sitting
On the coffin. God, there is something
alive in this box" he said. For moment
/ everything was still. There was a faint
tapping. and the conductor took an AK.
knocked the lid off. and there was the
man, with his eyes open, breathing. Ten
minutes after he was lifted out he was
revived and talked. He was Jenkins, a
telegraph operator. We were still in the
car staring at jenkins when the report of
pistol outside was heard. We went out
to investigate and found Smith stone
dead. He had blown his brains out. Pa
pers in his pockets showed that he was q
factors clerk and was taking the money
which he had lost to pay for cotton. The
loss of $4,000 had upset him, and fear of
results caused him to commit suicide.
We took the body back to the baggage
car to put it in the coffin formerly used
by Jenkins. After that night Sprunt quit
the road."-St. Paul Globe.