The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-02-02

IQy planters saw DIS Suiho VI lhO4Cy
swept away without so much as NOV
ing an eyelash. 1t was when these
wealthy planters got around the
tables, with the rare old Madeira
flowing bountifully, that they were
seized with the piunging fever Every
thing was on the square and none but
a gentleman was allowed to play. Be
fore the jockey clubs decline the pro
fessiOnal element got a fOOthOld at
the track, but few of the bue-blOoded
southerners ventured in the rooms
which were set aside tor the games.
The sport, however, was unconfineu,
and the track followers and the
younger element poured their money
on the tables, while a few more for
tunate carried bags of it away. The
roulette wheel was the favorite form
of gambling in these rooms and have
seen tremendous sums go from the
banker to the player and from the
player to the banker.
"A story which | shall never forget
was told of a young man, a stranger
in this city, who had heard of the
great sport at the Washington track,
and came down here one winter to try
| his luck. The chap was not well ac-
quainted with the horses and more
than half his bets were placed on the
wrong animal. But what he lost on
the running he got back at the wheel,
and when he had gone away the men
in the gambling room said he had
cleaned them up for the round sum
of $4,000. There was good play
ing that week, however, and the bank
ers managed to keep ahead of the
game. When the season closed the
visitor told his friends that he would
return next year, and the gamblers
But there were other people who went
against that wheel and lost sums
equally as large. True, they were
wealthy and able to stand the loss.
Men who stood highest in the
fashionable world of the time, and
the same men who would stake $780,
900 on the running of favorite ami
NAL, would never go inside the gam
bling rooms at the track. At night
they would drop in the quiet place and
shuttle the cards with great skill and
gain, and they'd toss up coin for
$1,000 but they wouldn't risk a dime
in the gaming room. Their ideas
were that such places were not for
gentlemen, and they stayed away.
Private bets were made on the grand
stand, and in the fields by these gen
tlemen who refused to enter the
rooms.
THE meeting of the Jockey club
was always held in February, and the
: event closed with a grand ball in the
city, where the cream of society was
present. 1t was ut the ball dinners
that so much of the fine old wine,
worth its weight in gold now, was
served; but the grand ball was 'oi
| minor Importance to the planters with
sporting blood, who sat with bags OF
gold at their elbow while they eau
; tiously picked up the cards and sent
! the gold to the middle of the table
, according to their idea of the value
, of the hands. The most noted gamt
+ played during race week, ! suppose
: was that in which IA planter lost $42,
600 in one night, $4,000 of which was
swept away in one deal through III
g error. A small party We're in a pri
t vate club one night late in the weel
t and they had been playing for higt
e stakes, which was the rule whenevu1
l. these men got together. They had beer
n reckless in the betting, but they wer,
y rich, and the loss of few thousan,
! made no difference to them. Their,
:, was man in Washington who use,
n to live III this state, and who Away
4 come back to Charleston for the race
G and the sport. He was in the part
;. that night. Pattison's only weak spo
II was his eyesight, one of his eyes ha,
ing been injured in Il fox chase. Thi
night the game had been rompin
along with luck varying from on
side of the table to another, and tn
n players made the time pass pleasant
with the free use of the fine Maderis
g ITO the best of my recollection
IS there was one jack pot which ha
e been filled in until it was enormousl
Il wealthy, and of course the player
" We're all anxious to get it. This mad
} them put up good sums to meet tn
* money showed in by the opener, an
&c Pattison was particularly anxious t
81 win it as he had been playing far b.
y hind the others. He came in afte
Of the pot had been opened and added
of raise which lifted the hair on tn