The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-01
GloIgs Hobbs Last Of Type
FoTmsTIy on River Boats.
WAS AN EXPERT IN CHEATING.
Sharp Gun Play BY a Victim Makes Hin
Swim -Four Miles 10 SaW
His Life.

AfNNn P'E'h Afit NAiAtt hoaf 0hiN a. ''i'
merciai traveller 10 New York Sun mar
that recalled to my mind some Of th
most exciting incidents have run acros
in all my travelling for twenty years past
The paragraph was nothing very excitinl
IN itself. but IL mentioned the name OF
had never seen without wondering how
he managed to stay on earth so long
II said that a man who was known b,
the name OF George Hobbs was lying il
the hospital m Little Rock in imminent
danger of dcath. lie had been stabbed
five or six times and the doctors declared
that there was not one chance In hun
dred Of his recovery.
They had tried Ga get him 10 tell how
he came by his injuries. but he absolute
ly refused. though he had been warned
that he would probably die All ne would
say was that II he got well he would at
tend TO things himself and II he didn't.
there was no use making fuss about H.
''rhe paper further said that he was be-
lieyed 10 be stranger in Little Rock but
In some OF the less reputable resorts OF
the city within few days OF the time
that he was picked up insensble on the
street
"When I read It I was satisfied that
this George Hobbs was in all probability
the same George Hobbs that had known
as travelling gambler for a number of
years. and that what I had always ex-
pected would happen 10 him some time
had happened at last
lie was one OF a class OF men numer-
GUS enough dozen or fifteen years ago.
but not so frequently met recently I'm the
country ! travel. which is mainly the
mississippi valley below 81. Louis AT
least ! don't see 50 many OF them as 1
used to.
Hobbs was a little man. sandy OF com
rlexion. and sparing of speech hardly
ever heard him say an unnecessary word.
and 1 used TO wonder sometimes how so
Quiet man ever found his way into a
poker game among strangers, hut he was
usually playing when 7 saw him, so per-
haps he was more OF talker when he
was not at the table.
FIRST MEETING WITH HOBBS.
The first time ran across him was on
one of the boats running from Memphis
down the river. / got on at Helena TO go
10 Nicksburg, and az entered the saloon
saw a game in full progress at one of
zhe tables
~ was not very unusual sight for
this was nearly % years ago. and there
was considerable gambling on the river
boats then, though not nearly as much as |
IN earlier times Nowadays there is less
'lt was late In the evening. and there !
were only two or three lookers-on when I |
went up and Joined the group, not To |
play but 10 watch the game never lose |
, chance of doing that. though | seldom
play with strangers. This time | speedily
found enough 10 interest me, for before |
J had looked on five minutes I saw pIai.-
Ing.
He was not particularly dexterous
about H. either. for II he had been / prob
ably would not have detected It. though I |
nave seen enough crooked play 10 bc fa- |
miiiar with the ordinary tricks.
Hobbs. as | afterward learned hi,
name To be. was marking the cards win /
his little hngernail as he handled them
ana was dealing whenever IL came his
Urn 10 ataL SLOWLY enough To enable him
10 tell where each marked card went
he dealt from the bottom or iuggled
he cards In any other way I'm the deaI
sidnt detect ~. but ! could see the mark
ng done plainly enough after I had no.
Iced LAT his hngernail was trimmed 10
J sharp corner
Inc wonder io me was that the other
players didn't see II as plainly as / did.
or they all were men who looked ns a.
hey had had experience enough to NJ an
he lookout for such things l thought at
irst that he had confederate. but what
afterward made This seeno in,
'robable, and now l fully believe ne was
'laying alene
y'hey were playing pretty stirf game
Thought at first IL might be- so limit
or didn't see q raise larger than thai
or me nrst twenty minutes ! looked on.
'ut then Hobbs made "A raise OF S25 q fter
two-card draw. and big man nho
armed out 10 be a Texas catileman. went
ac> al him with Fifty more.
Hobbs studied while aud then mn, a
nndfsl dollar bill In the Dot. and the
aftleman laid down. Then though, ~
night be table stakes. but a dapper little
tiinH whom ! had seen often In, Nam-
his pliied money out OF his pockot 10
nah. good ~ pot that he won with "a
man bush, SO I saw Il Was The old fnsb-
med game. with no limit
The ante WIS a dollar. and The ns,,,t
81 was i've or ten but occasionalp. i'm
ne hand mentioned. there woild ha
TX bci made. This happened often
n"ugh later in the game To make n in-
aresting and looked on fully two bours
efore II broke up.
Was watching Hobbs an the fine
nd saw plainly that ne marked each ncv.
eck az ~ came. FOR they called FOR scv.
r. during The game. / watched rho otber
iaNfft, too. very carefully to see n tbo,.
Inspected snvthing, and ] could 500 ,ba, ]
'oe1s vas ON the same lookout but rto
~ continued surprise they made no sign
hobhs was winning. naturally bp,
hefher " Was because ~ his cautlon or
'hether he only played when he kn.r
10 cards wefe In his favor. he sacrod
play conservative game. ana hgs VIZ.
Ing we're not large enough Of themsei,es
arouse suspicion
STAR PLAY AT CHESTER. fl
"a last Inevitable climax came Tho,.
- 800 OF sDy in chips on the table hv,
= bills. iwentles. ffties and hundreds
"a been added 90 the money I'm slgbt an
ere was s,perhsps.a thousand lu The garo.
sides considerable sums that on. ana
iorher had put away after winning
Isn0fictd that Hobbs had car.ft,li, Z
NIX each hundred that came to him IN
> fob pocket till he must have hadnvera
ousaud in velvet besides what was lp 4
,ns ~ him when he made his final plsv .
az Was a bold one. He sat next the :