The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-15

and had SUch clean-cut, SQUARE We
with him. Powell and the young Fnet
lishman played together two DAYS ans
two nights, and although Powell nIa,-as
q. square game the young man lost az
the money he had with him. He turnaj
over his bank checks and drafts -
Powell, one after another, and III
went down 10 his stateroom ar5
brought up his baggage. He wouiS
play, and then he gambled away his
gripsacks, with all their contents, ana
finally his watch and jewelry. W.
fellows never said a word. for thar
might have caused a duel, but You can
bet we kept casting sleeps eyes Over
toward Powell and the young English
man as they played 1t was late one
evening when the two quit playing. be
cause Powell had won all that rba
young fellow had.
{" well. I'm about busted said the
Young Englishmani with a forced
laugh. when he got UP and walked IN
on deck.
Powell laughed. too, and began n
haul the gripsacks he had won to his
stateroom.
.' I guess I'll have to give that young
fellow back his clothes and watch to-
morrow said he to me quietly. while
he was loading up the stuff. I've got
about $1,000 from him now
We'll, the next morning we were all
standing in the bar room of the boat
laughing and chatting over the luck ~
the trip, when in came Mr. Young Eng
Iishman, looking as slick as a daisy.
and with a jolly smile. He shook each
of us by the hand. and joked a mo-
ment about how he had paid dear n
! learn American games, when, quick as
a flash he whirled around and. draw
ing a pistol. sent a ball through his
heart He staggered back in POWe,Is
arms and turned his eyes so beSeeCh-
ingIy on Powell as he died that I can
see them yet. You can bet your life
that none of us touched another card
that trip, and it was weeks before I
dared risk my luck with big stakes.
AS for Powell, why. he was almost
crazy. He would sit for days at time
doing nothing but smoke He seemed
to be in a daze, and we could not rouse
him 10 any enjoyment He got some
| banker in New Orleans to send all that
young Englishman's stuff back to the
old home in England, and he was
never known to speak of the affair af-
| terward. The suicide hOOdOOed him
bad. for when he tried gambling a year
| later he had lost his grip. He made
| foolish plays and lost all his big prop
erty in a few years. He lived until
about 1870 and died in poverty in Sc
attic. Wash. The last time I saw him
/ he was a wreck in every way. He
| borrowed So from me and said that he
/ had been sleeping in wagons along the
] streets of St. Louis for a, week. It was
| four years before I dared play poker
! or faro on that boat, and then I did it
/ at a loss. That only shows how gam
blers are hoodooed and can't get over
i it. You know gamblers are said TO be
very superstitious
zone night in 1866. when / was play
/ ing in Crittenden & Gentry's, in Vir-
ginia City. made the two greatest
bluffs / ever made. 1t was a royal
game. Several very rich Ophir and
| Belcher mining magnates sat at the big
round table We had played for hours
and it was getting along about dawn.
l grew pretty gay at my luck. for I
/ was some $500 ahead at that stage OF
| the game. One of the mining kings
| looked at his watch and said he must
soon quit. Another miner proposed
that We double the Jackpot we were
engaged fl, and that we close the game
with that. We all agreed We dOu-
bled the jackpot and with the six play
ers about the table we had a Jackpot
of $500 A man third from my right
| opened the pot for $780, The next two
men stayed in 1 was never more
| nervous I evidently showed my nerv-
BUSINESS. A few seconds Of dellbera-
ton and I stayed with the Jackpot
Two men on nv left dropped out. An
Ophir mining king raised $500 as quick
as a flash Then the active work be
gan. There was $500 in the pot al
that stage. The opener got out a stack
| of golden eagles and saw the raise
The two men between him and me
dropped out. was all perspiration-
| resolved to risk it, so I dug down into
my inner pockets and stood the raise
There were three players left in the
game and there was So 200 in the pot
We all drew cards in breathless silence
The opener on my left drew two cards
I started to draw one, but while 1 bit
my lips and tried TO be calm drew
three. The dealer dealt himself one
card and then slowly dealt himself an
other
1.-THE air grew thick and heavy
felt in a dizzy whirl. 1 knew the mo
ment was to be a memorable one II
nv life. I never scanned my cards 81
anxiousIy as 1 did that night In
stinctively knew my two opponents
each believed I had drawn a pair OF
aces. had $3.50 in the pot, and meant
to stay with it until the showdown
After elaboration that seemed an agt
the opener bet $500 1 deliberated and
called. The dealer saw the $500 and
| went Dack over ana ABOVE ALdL. tx
opener saw the 81 900 and went it Sl,O1
better. / thought again and acted art
fully. Then I just called. The dealel
saw the openers $1,000 and raised i
, to 81, 500. The opener called the Sl.79o
They were so excited at each other
| playing that they had for mOmen
forgotten all about me- 1 sat betWeeI
them, you know. They were just go
ing to show up their hands, when
exclaimed: Here, I'm playing here
too Then I called the 81, 500 myself
You ought to have seen the mining
kings look at me. Well, the openel
had three tens, the dealer had thre'
|, Jacks and I had but a pair Of kings"
Funeral Notice.