The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-22
FIGHT WAS WHAT HE WANTED
A GAMBLER FOLLOWS A WOMAN
LEAD At POKER.
she Charged . Player Win theatins. and
Her Act seemed Likely TO Lead 10
shooting End Of a Game on . Wis.
I sissippi Packet Sequel 70 . Hun.

sOnce in a WHILE" said Caleb Mix, the
white-haircd bartender on the packet
Natchcz. as she was going down the river
toward yicksburg. 'once in n while you
hear abou some rip-staving big game q
draw poker that's played somewhere out
West among the rich miners. or Down
East In some clubhouse. or some swell
hotel, an | reckon it's likely they Ia some
stiff games played, nov an again.
ITS human natur 10 play poker, an
when a mans blood IL up an they is a
chance TO hist it up lively when they's a
big pot to play for. Us just material for them
TO play heavy. But what strikes me as
curious Ia that SIGH games should be con-
sidered remarkable.
you'd think, by the stories that's wrote
about poker. nowadays. that folks was
just beginnin' to play heavy an there
warn't never no games knowed aiore that
wa big enough TO take notice OF.
Il reckon it's true enough that they
Is big games played, but any man what
can remember how they used TO play on
the river befo' the wnr. can't be expected
TO get much stirred ur over a story n twenty
or thirty thousand dollars changin' hands
In a nights play. Them things ~arnt
nothin' unusual in the old slavery days when
the planters didn'. know themselves how
much they was worth. an when money
was the last thing they seemed 20 think Of
There was a good mani stories went
around, them days. about games that the
planters used TO play among themselves
when they met in the small cities all through
the South, but ! never knowed nothin'
about them. What I did see. frequent.
was the games that was played on the
river boats, an in them games 'twasnt
no strange thing for professional gamblers
TO set in.
whether the gentlemen was less par
ticular about their company when they
was traveliin' OF what twas don't Know
but I've seed men frequent playin carols
on the old river boats with strangers that
they wouldn't dream o. speakin' TO II they'd
met 'em somewhere else.
-Sometimes there was right lively doin's
afore they'd get through, for II were
a point OF honor With S~outherners TO
fight NJ a word, an tho gamblers that
travelled the river was always ready with
a knife or a pistol II there was any show
o. trouble. There amt 40 gettin away
from ii that twas a good thing one way,
for II made everybody a heap sight more
polite than they - now a days
"A man was likely to he careful o what
he said when he knowei he were likely TO
have a bullet throwed into him IL he said
a word too much. But, after all, there
were a bod side to it, for 'twasnt al~ays
the right man that got the worst oil u.
Il rene nber one mix-up on the old
Evening Star when she was running from
New Orleans TO Vicksburg, that looked Tor
q few minutes like IL was goin' to he a case
O. sudden death for everybody on board:
Just naturally it started over a game o
draw poker, but what was somethln un-
usual, II were a lady that started the row.
She were a thoroughbred. too, an she
knpwed. as well as any o the men IN the
z me that what she said was goin to stir up
q fight. But in them days the ladies' was
Just a. high strung as the men, an there
wasn't one Of EN- that wouldn't rather see
her husband killed than TO see him play
the coward. ,
-There'd been n game goin' on till all
hours the night before. an there was some
big bets made, but the cards had run
curious sos everybody had won an lost
In streaks. an when they quit playin Tor
the night there wasn't nobody hut much.
There was one young fellow named
Bradley though. that had just lost enough.
maybe two or three thousand dollars, to
make him crazy TO play more. don't
reckon Il wore the money he cared bout,
for he wore two or three sparklers that was
sure worth a heap more than that. an
his wife's earrings must ha' cost him 5000
at least. an they was folks that wore EN-
like they WIZ used TO en-.
Likely il were the notion o. bein' boat
that bothered him, an tho next day he
were hot foot to start the game again.
1T warn't tho regular thtng 10 play IN
the day time, for the games was generaily
played Ia Tho main saloon after the adleS
had retired, n thcre wa lady plusseigrfs'
a mostly there wAs, but this here Bradley
he FUSED around till he got the same xix
men that had played the nieh' peior. 70
Agr,H 70 ct In again early Ia ~" after
noon. an they got III" cap TO Ut en- nave
N sort o. private Darlor that b" USED hlr
own s.lf a. a general thing J, oJ"h'n
or tge main saloon, an tlt"y got we hlssefs
g. axe In a table and nall a dorm chair an
there ti0y Wah, ~ c1mf able n YOU p'~%'
al ready for blDOd a.,
4 kno~.d all the party but one m
s,-.iI' 'cm travel IA" river lot iliT fNehlhs
Star va the f~avorlte boat them DAYS Ch
to- lover river. There wa s.inr sall
ali. want a. fasi a. the Pride % Memphis,
what Nus a H.Nef boat, tut they loot a
heap a. money when tli- Two hoat= f"eiN
didhAyr a raop, which Ma that SAM" sum
mrf, lat lais 10 10
s1h,i- here bradley va a Teller ~ S"ulh
Iar'lna Wlat had married y Msflssilpl
ulhnirrs hat gItrr. an Oh'F tiAN"'nl
iusru.ni haviu r,thiu' clio n" d", to'k"n
1hrn tisfr sac q uldirlI 49, % tnan lAilt-i
Iafgu-l hat practr"d la~ W. s"~ ~
la4us. iAt had a plantation h AfAidia"f
AZ uasd a.. .irit d thrn" 90 tuuf iih"e a
ysaf uru no
IT, Sci, a Seen PLAYER tut irNei
a., l.u UllN 90 Ntn NraNF FtHtTH lslutf
A. thrp sar q ,oit o. inftrf tain"d hi"l'
Ia ttatr.arl q god iW u thr uW' a..
A pauirt usulri iafs Nnt TO "hF Z"
o. Ni..saf #H laktsfs au n A"iulhHs ntai
mace uarlrf tin dutuf hhHN u1u'i
si.sut IFf . lIu iuuu fuf . IiH''t
slnfaI ~. HlIHss hsfr up hufih ~ "lp
80 IIr. tauH H INffs' fluHr nfHft
-. IsH raH usH H iHffH ~ ef'
IffLr M4U iaH o. urIftHl hhr o. HDf
a. .l rUf a.. a. 49, had "a ssFrI trH'h
U.asu sH HlHt Nst uf H iis 'HH '
al &C., tt IaI HHt Hs ihN|t d. N"if 4
r.a. lfsI ts saus Na' aas
g. clos SCI aIlhiH - FHtan o.
tIarF sa. .HNH IH u.n' IiIIH HH 90
a.. H.A ItH N.His ID To- rHiia afH
n tIsI I.s aH Do uH % LA s'
a. go 90 FHf A. T 900 H
81 % 900 af 90" 90 si'' DO "f.
30 ha.
isI iss y aasl i
HsH faI Hsi ' iH s
# o. HH HIi asa ft
600 d s A." m H D
ID BE- .Ha Fl IH a Ntfs "A
| IHH isI o. HH d.. HHf tH does
U4H. N.la#| H.a. NHi Ia
600 FL fsns H a Ha . iHt
A. r ~ a IHH Hltaf
49, IT, Fl IHiIaHs |H bel
a. rH =. Na naHH rH" af s
1911 81 HM...H.H.. I'D 49,.