The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1900-11-07
HE WANTED TO LOSE.
BUT THE SENATOR WON THOUSANDS
AGAINST HIS WILL.


bling Establishment In Washing
ton In Antebeilum Days.
IL came here with the first senator
from Minnesota after the territory was
admitted us u state" said Colonel Cole
Martin to q group of listeners one even
ing.
"Hcnry n. Rice served one term as
United States senator, and |. being res
ldent of st. Paul when he was elected by
the legislature and taking part in the
fight, concluded to come ON to Washing
ton, us in those days, 1858, Washington
was wide open town, and faro was as
free then as a beer lunch Is now. or
course had an acquaintance among the
sports, and shortly after | erected my
me to visit him.
while making the rosnds one after
noon we got hungry, and l invited him
into Pringle's. Pinglc's ~ this time was
the finest gambling house In Washington.
The proprietor served three elegant IN ais
a day TO his guests and patrons without
charge. 1t was Il 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
a profession.
II was then In or at about my thirtieth
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 days. The whites cost 81, the
very lowest price for them. Nobody
thought of buying stack of chips under
$50, and play was high. | was as high n
roller as the best of them, for just pre-
vious to my arrival in Washington had
lost as banker in two nights over
$4,000.
"Well, Senator Rice and myself enjoy
ed Pringle's fine spread. | introduced
the senator, and, as he had never played
a card, like old Matt Carpenter, he knew
all the boys and was gracious and dem
ocratic in his associations with them.
He felt embarrassed over eating such an
elegant meal and not having to pay for it.
Passing a faro layout In the next
room, he threw down a 50 goldpiece on
card expecting to lose 1t. 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 So as
an indirect payment for the meal he had
eaten. While he was In n quandary
bought n stack of chips and soon became
absorbed in the game.
"The senator's bets were placed hap
hazard, he not knowing whether they
were placed right or not and not caring
except that he wanted TO lose and get out
of the place. But lose he couldn't, and
soon dropped out, being broke, to watch
h.s play and marvel at his ever increasing
pile. lie soon had a 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 funniest snap
ever experienced in my life Of over 20
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. /,
who had been, so unlucky, caught the
fever of the senator's luck. and / won in
a streak
"The senator's face was as white as
his shirt, and he was as scared n 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 player would get the grip IL l
should mention the size Of the bets.
FINALLY Mr.. Pringle called me to one
side and told me that his partners OBJ
jected to the game without n limit lie
was willing himself to play the bank
without it, but he 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 re-
turned to the table, quietly informed the
senator, and he looked distressed, rs he
saw no chance, from his point of view, In
getting rid Of his winnings Mt a $3.50
limit.
I'VE played until midnight, and the
senator at last yielded to fatigue and or
dered me to cash In. When he counted
the roll in his room, our joint winnings
were just $31, 800. of which sum he
he when he gave me the money:
Martin, never played a card In my
life before this afternoon, and l will new
er play another one as long ms l live.
This money l will do something with
which shall not Immediately benefit my
self or my family
II visited st. Paul 20 years after this
occurrence and met the senator. True TO
his word, he had never touched n card,
md l learned from others who got wind
of the play in Washington that the SEN
ator's winnings were expended In help
Ing struggling young fellows to get q
start in life, accompanied In every case
by the condition that they should never
play In a gaming house.
81 venture to say that this is the most
remarkable case on record of n mans
unexpected and undesired large winnings
turning him against gambling and card
playing and soaring him almost to death.
l was then so reckless with money that
II made no sort Of difference to me wheth-
er l won or lost $4,000, so you can i'm
aglne how l regarded the senator's
squeamishness.
"But you see he was right after all and
took the proper view Of the matter, for
money which comes easy in winning at
faro goes easy the same way. In a week
had lost the $4,000 and thought no
more Of 1t than l do now Of losing q $40
bill."-Washington Post.
The Effect Was the Same.
John Ruskin was n fearless critic and