Evening star., 1901-03-02
IN THE FLUSH DAYS
Faro and Gun Plays a-Plenty in San
Francisco.
PLAY Was HEAVY And LIFE CHEAP
When Fortunes Were Made and
Lost in Day.
MANY LIVELY INCIDENTS
PLAY Was HEAVY And LIFE CHEAP
MANY LIVELY INCIDENTS

swing, in 1856. Matters moved fast out
there. Within a year after my arrival on
the coast | was city surveyor, and found
myself in the midst of lively times. The
foundations of the greatest fortunes were
laid between 1919 and 1850
The feverish desire to make gain swiftly
made the early settlers of California a COM
munity of gamblers. Every saloon of mag
nitude had a faro bank attachment or an
mex. The bar was usually OH the street
and now in Cheyenne or Denver the
back room. approached through the bar
room, was faro bank. with many poker
and roulette tables, and here the whirl of
the wheel, and the click of the ivory chips
could be heard every night till Aurora
walked the eastern skies. The most IA
nous gambler in my time was Judge"
Jones' 1t was only known of him that he
mysteriously dropped in from Texas as
forty y-niner with the title of Judge" He
was slender little fellow, with nerves
tempered like BesSemer steel: when sober,
OF Chesterfieldian manners, but ready to
pick quarrel with any man when three
sheets in the wind. Judge Jones was the
best dressed man in San Francisco; all his
clothes came from London, but nobody had
the temerity to tempt the judges wrath by
the slightest allusion to his passion for
dress.
Flush Times.
Fortunes changed hands rapidly In those
days, when Ophir and the Comstock lode
made millionaires in single night. 1 have
known rough men come down from the gold
country with $4,000 in gold dust and blow
1t all in at Judge Jones faro palace, inside
of two days. then without a murmur bor-
row a grub stake and flee away to the
mountains, and before a year, ten to one
dig up another fortune in gold and per-
maps this time have sense enough to pull
c n 90 .r,Il lyza, :,
proprietor of faro bank, Judge Jones had
burning desire 10 take his own bad med
icine, that is. to buck against somebody
else's faro bank. and the result was that
about one-half the time he was fiat broke
and at such periods an extremely danger
Gus man to tackle. Billy Owens, who had
magnifcently appointed place of his own
was the last friend of the Texas gambler
When Jones went broke Owens would stake
him again
Bad blood ran in Jones' veins toward
Beicher Key an English pugilist, who was
then the local John l.. Sullivan of Frisco
prize fighter a respect to which his bad
manners did not entitle him. Key was
and was the Texas Judge.
Both met in the Eldorado near Billy
owens saloon and gambling place when
Key, who was reasonably full of liquor |
proceeded directly to where Judge Jones |
was standing and slapped him in the face |
Jones was game and though much inferior |
IN size, put up fist and let drive at the |
ourIy prize fighter with his right drawing |
hrst blood freely. This was more than |
Fighter Key expected. He let fly his left-he |
was northumberland flOored the little gam |
bier. who from the marble floor where he /
lay pulled his revolver and shot Relcher |
Key through the heart. The coroner had no |
TIME to waste as the result of Judge Jones
iataI facility with his pistol He was not |
even arrested and that night he received |
an ovation which might have gratified the
ast of the Caesars
For Heavy Stakes
1t was not an unusual thing in Billy
Owens back room TO see man walk in
and lay down a certificate of deposit for
10000 on the ace. having first asked the
banker TO cover the bet and without A
'hange of muscle, banker and player would
lmetiy abide the coming out of the card,
lnd II the bank won the banker uuetiy |
aked in his $1,000 certificate of deposif |
ala II in his left-hand dra wer and the |
nan IN front Of the table went out a wiser
Ind poorer man to begin prospecting
gain at Poverty Flat. | once saw a rich |
lorSeman come in. and. tiring of pikinp
'long with 500 bets on single card he
lonchalantly tapped on the high card with
lis pencil and said:
Mr. Dealer, I'll just go YOU on the high
ara my three-stOry brick house near the
'alace Hotel against your $4,000" and,
raw!ng cut of his pocket his deed, the bet
or laid il on the ace spot
Done" said the dealer. who was Iike,v
o nave a $4,000 bank roll in his nocket
nd reserve fund of 100000 in a small
ale IN the corner of the gambling hell.
Quietly the outside betting went on and
learly all the cards were out. the ace he
rg the soda card and three aces sill |
II the box. The deed still Law on the ace
II last, when king, queen. jack and three
ces were the only cards in the box the
cttor said:
Hold on. Mr.. Dealer. I'm tired of that
ce. IT'S going to split. 1 want to put
ny brick house on the king. Are you
Cert responded the cealer
he pulled. Out came the king for the
With the brick house won $4,000
How will you have your money!" said l
lr. Dealer.
Check !aGonica!y answered the lucky
amber. The dealers side partner filed
ut a check for the winner while the game
cent on.
Play Bctween Friends.
as / nave said. Billy Owens and Judge
ones were as close as Damon and Pyth-
Is; the bond that bound them was a friend
hip that oHly ended with the life of Judge !
ones. who died with his boots on in his :
VII fara bank, killed BY a cowboy who a
OF the drop on him In a fight over a dis /
aSe9 0e[ one night. when the game was .
iahinS light, as gamblers say and the {
idSes bank was taking in what money /
,tre was, Billy Owens, flushed with Old {
trd, came around to the faro OUTLAY
':.lking up to his chum, he said; I
Judge Jones, this IS 2 mighty mean j
ne, with these hundred dollar pikers S
round the board. How much have Won s
OF in that big safe over yonder?" f
Just $4,000 in thar, old man" reDlied q
nc judge. and that's just So 900 nore'n I
ou'Ve got the sand in your craw to try /
nd winr' 80 T
"Ah! thats your little game. is it. old
g Vol f.IDi,
lst full enough for flyer. ''Ill Just go t
gu my check on the California bank for Il
= 0uo cold plunkers"' n
Put up or shut up. Billy" sententiously
'swered the Texas judge, as his steel-gray t
res, expanding wide shone like two white /
Almonds in jewelers. tray. C
Both Were Game !.
Billy Owens. blithe and debonair as a @
i'd white mountain goat skipping over the e
ezra Nevada ranges. walked over to the q
imolers desk (and well-regulated
imbhng place is never without a table :,
IIed secretary" where pen and ink are
ady and bank checks. without any par-
cular banks name. ca& .,ways be found)
led up a check on the INK of California |
r Sf2.OUO. signed 1t and walked back to II
ldge Jones.
Up to this moment Jones thought Billy
A 40 .f-0, u.