The Holly chieftain., 1900-05-18
SCARED BY HIS LUCK.
HOW A SENATOR'S SIS GREW
INTO $4,000.
It wss his First and Only Experlencs
At the Gambling Table and He was
FrlEhtened-Gave 1t All Away to Aid
Struggling Young Fellows

An entertaining tale of the gamb-
ling room was related recently by Col.
Cole Martin, according to one Of the
Washington papers. 1t 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 state. Martins story is as fol-
lows: Being a resident of st. Paul
when Rice was elected by the legsla-
ture and having taken hand in the
fight, 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
beer lunch is now. OF course, had
an acquaintance among the sports,
and shortly after l erected my tepee
in the capital the senator invited me
10 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 Both year, and thought no
more Of win or lose $4,000 than
would now Of single s. 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 had lost as banker in
two nights over 100000.
We'll. Senator Rice and myself en-
joyed Pringle's fine spread. l intro
duced the senator, and as he had
never played 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.
N>AAS - Adio ray -oul III lue utAl
room, he threw down IS gold piece
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 / bought
stack of chips and soon became aD-
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 l 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
ldded to his embarrassment, and he
appealed to me to help him get broke,
Is he wanted to get out. and did not
Tant to take any of tie banks money
With him. Well, this was the fun
aiest 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. l, who had been SO
dnlucky. 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 a man
Us 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 II 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 a |
bet.
He said 1t was all right to have me |
play on, as he liked me and all that, |
out / was the first man who ever forced |
him to put limit on the game When
returned to the table | quietly in
formed the senator and he looked dis |