The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-04

/
w Frisco from the auriferous hills
about the time Buchanan's admin
istration was in full swing, in 1856. Mat
ters 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 1913
and 1850.
The feverish desire to make gain
swiftly made the early settlers OF Cali
fOrnla community OF gamblers Every
saloon of magnitude had a faro bank at
Jacnment or annex The bar was usually
on the street, and, as now in Cheyenne
or Denver, the back room, approached
through the barrOom, was faro bank,
with many poker ana roulette tables, and
here the whirl of the wheel and the click
Q! me ivory chips could De heard every
night iii Aurora walked the eastern
skies. The most famous gambler in my
time was Judge" Jones 1t was only
known of MN that he mysteriOusly
dropped in from Texas, as forty-nlner
with the title Of Judge He was a
slender little fellow with nerves TEN
pered like Bessemer steel; when sober, of
Chesterfi eldian manners, but ready TO
pick quarrel with any man when three
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 tor dress.
Fortunes changed hands rapidly in those
days, when Ophir and the COmstOck lode
made milionaireS in d single night 1
have known rough men come down from
the gold country with $4,000 in gold dust
and blow it all in at Judge Jones faro
palace. inside of two days, then without
murmur flee away to the mountains,
and before a year, ten 10 one. dip up an
other fortune in gold and perhaps this
time have sense enough TO pull up stakes
go east and keep it. While the proprietor
or faro bank, Judge Jones had a burn
ing desire to take his own bad medicine,
that IS, to buck against somebody elSe's
faro bank, and the result was that about
at such times extremely dangerous
man to tackle. Billy Owens, who had a
magnihcently appointed place OF his own,
was the last friend of the Texas gam
bier. When Jones went broke Owens
would stake him again.
Bad blood ran in Jones veins toward
Belchert Key, an English pugilist, who
was then the local John L. Sullivan of
Frisco His bunch of fves" had earned
for the prize fighter a respect to which
his bad manners did not entitle him.
Key was quarrelsome, and so was the
Texas judge. Both met in the Eldorado
near Billy Owens saloon and gambling
place, when Key, who was reasonably
Judge Jones was standing and slapped
him in the face. Jones was game, and
though much inferior in size, put up a
INST and let drive at the burly prize fighter
with his right, drawing first blood freely.
This was more than Fighter Key ex-
pected- He let fly his leTt-he was left
handed-and fiOOred the little gambler
who from the marble floor where he lay,
pulled his revolver and shot Belcher Kew
through the heart. The coroner had no
time to waste on the result of Judge
Jones fatal facility with his pistol. He
Was not even arrested, and that night
he received an ovation which might have
gratified the last of the Caesars.
1t was not an unusual thing in Billy
owens pack room to see a man walk in
and lay down certificate OF deposit for
$1,000 on the ace, having first asked the
( banker to cover the bet. and without
/ change of muscle banker and player
would quietly abide the coming out OF the
card. and if the bank won. the banker
n Of
| deposit, laid it in his left-hand drawer,
and the man in front went out a wiser
ana a poorer man to begin prospecting
again at Poverty fiat L once saw a rich
horSeman come in, and, firing of piSing
along with $500 bets on a single card, he
nonchalantly tapped on the high card
with a pencil and said:
Mr. Dealer, I'll just go you on the high
card my three-StOry brick house near
the Palace hotel against your $1,000 and
drawing out of his pocket his deed, the
bettor laid ii on the ace spot
Done" said the dealer who was like
~ 10 nave a $4,000 bank roll in his pocket
and a reserve fund of 100000 in small
safe in the corner of the gambling hell
Quietly the outside betting went on,
ana nearly all the cards were out, the
ace being the soda card and three aces
still IN the box The deed still lay on the
ace At last when king. queen Jack and
three aces We're the only cards in the box
Hold on, Mr. Dealer; I'm id tired of
put my brick house on the king. Are you
agreeo?'
Cert responded the dealer.
He pulled. Out came the king for the
winning card. The bank lost. The man
with the brick house won $4,000
How will you have your money! said
Check laconicaly answered the lucky
gambler. The dealers side partner filled
out a check for the winner while the
As [ have said, Billy Owens and judge
/ Jones We're as close as Damon and Pyth-
las; the bond the bound them was q
OF Judge Jones, who died with his boots
on in his own faro bank killed by 2 cow
over disputed bet. One night when the
game was running light, as gamblers saw
and the judges bank was taking in what
money there was, Billy Owens. flushed
with Old Otard, came around to the faro
/ outlay. Walking up to his chunn he said /:
Judge Jones, this is a mighty mean
/ game, with these hundred-dOllaf- pikerS
around the board. How much have you
got IN that big safe over yonder?"
| Just $4,000 in thar, old man. replied
| the judge" and that's Just SO 600 MORN
4 you've got the sand in your craw to try
/ and win.
All, that's your little game. is it. old
NaS-neVer-tre,' exclaimed Billy Owens
! Just tull enough for a flyer. I'll just go
! YOU my check on the California bank for
/ $4,000 cold plunkersI
Put up or shut up, Billy" senten-
/ tiouSly answered the Texas judge, as his
Steel-gray eyes, expanding wide, shone
/ Ike TWO white diamonds in a jeweIer' S
]
q WIG WhlIe mountain goat skipping over
I the Sierra Nevada ranges vaIked over in
J the gamblers desk land a Well-regIilattd
/ gambling place is never without a table,
! called a secretary where DeI ani ink
/ are ready, and bank checks without any
, PARTICULAR banks name. can always be
/ fOund) filled up a check on the Bank of
california for So, 600, signed il and alksd
! back to Judge Jones.
Up to this moment Jones thought Billy
| was fOOling. He was mistaken
] III bet this Is the pot, the Jack to
" II, against your safe ana contents said
IT is we'll" said Jon,s, without smile.
pulling out a big safe key from his side
( pocket and siapping it down hard on Top
OF Billy's check in the pot. THAT repre-
All the Other i.layers stopped playing TO
I watch the game. The third turn, as the
; key lay hugging the check, out came the
card. Jack wins. - the dealer called out
very white about the gills.
Busted. by the ever as ing jumping j. n
go! yelled the L XaS judge; b [ Id my
eyes, Billy, you are the very man 1 want
to win if l must lOse!'
The bank was broke, and till DAYLIGHT
Billy Owens made it lively for the boys
/ The judge closed his game, but within a
week he struck II RI n IN a piac1r m ne and
| opened up a new game more gorgeous
| than the first.
ali carried our lives in cur hands and II
I was my usual habit to carry a revolver
! day and night, but as l knew everybody
! and didn't think / had an enemy in the
world, 1 soon laid aside my weapons But
] j had one scare that nearly cost an InnO-
| cent mans life and my own escape from
| accidental death was marvellous A Die
.N..l.- i I'D