Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-04-18
:0[D FARO DAYS ON.
THE PACIFIC COAST
Money Was Easy and Stakes Were
High in the Palmy Period
Following '49.
FORTUNES CHANGED RAPIDLY
Veteran of the Good Old Days" Romin.
isccs of Sporting Proclivitles of Frisco
nEarly sos and 'Gos-IIow a "lsank"
Went Broke on a Single Bet.

time Buchanan's administration was
In full swing, in 1856. Matters moved
fast out there. Within 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 We're laid between 1S49 and
1860, writes General VIM. Humphrey in
the Kansas City Star.
The feverish desire to make gain
swiftly made the early settlers of Cali
fornia a community of gamblers. Ev-
cry saloon had a faro bank attachment
Or annex. where the whirl of the wheel
ana the click of the ivory chips could
be heard every night till Aurora walked
the eastern skies.
Inc most famous gambler in my time
was Judge" Jones. 1t was only known
Of, him that he had dropped in from
Texas, as forty-niner with the title
OF judge" He was slender little fell
low, with nerves like steel; when sober,
Of Chesterfieldian manners, but ready
70 PICK quarrel with any man when
three sheets in the wind. Judge Jones
was the best dressed man in San Fran
cisco; all his clothes came from Lon
don, but nobody had the temerity to
tempt the judges wrath by the Slight
est allusion to his passion for dress.
Fortunes changed hands rapidly in
those days, when Ophir and the Com
stock lode made millionaires in a Sim
gle night. / 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 a murmur borrow
a grub stake and flee away to the
mountains, and before a year, 10 to I.
dig up another fortune in gold and per-
haps this time have sense enough to
I Stn CT Ia, iS
While the proprietor of a faro bank,
Judge Jones had burning desire to
take his own bad medicine; 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 exceedingly
dangerous man to tackle. Billy owens,
who had a magnficently appointed
place of his own, was the fast friend of
the Texas gambler. When Jones went
broke Owens would stake him again.
Tragedy In a .isank."
Bad blood ran in Jones veins toward
Belcher Key, an English pugilist, who
was then the local John l.. Sullivan Of
Frisco. His bunch of fives' had
to which his bad manners did not en-
title him. Key was quarrelsome and
so was the Texas judge. Both met in
the Eldorado, near Billy owens sa-
loon and gambling place, when Key,
who was reasonably full of liquor, pros
ceeded to where Judge Jones was
standing and slapped him in the face.
ferior in size, put UP a fist and let drive
at the burly prize-fghter with his
right, drawing first blood freely. This
was more than Fighter Key expected.
He let fly his left-he was left-handed-
and floored the little gambler, who,
from the marble floor, where he lay,
pulled his revolver and shot Belcher
Key through the heart. The coroner
had no time to waste as the result of
Judge Jones' fatal facility with his piss
toll. He was not even arrested, and
that night he received an ovation
which might have grattfied the last of
the Caesars.
1t was not an unusual thing in Billy
Owens back room to see man walk in
and lay down certificate of deposit
for $4,000 on the ace, and without
change of muscle banker and player
would quietly abide the coming out of
the card. l once saw a rich horseman
come in, and, firing of piking along
with $500 bets on a single card, he nom
chalantly tapped on the high card with
his pencil and said:
. MIR. Dealer, I'll JUS. go you on the
high card my three-story brick house
near the Palace hotel against your $780,
bOO," and drawing out of his pocket his
decd, the bettor laid it on the ace.
Done" said the banker.
J The bank Est. The man with the
brick house won $20,000
"How will you have your money!"
said MIR. Dealer.
I Check" laconically answered the
lucky gambler. The Dealers side part
ner filled out a check for the winner
while the game went on.
AS hov Soi1
Judge Jones We're as close as Damon
and Pythias; the bond that bound
them was friendship that only ended
with the life of Judge Jones, who died
with his boots on in his own faro bank,
killed by a cowboy who got the drop on
him in a fight over disputed bet. One
night when the game was running
light, as gamblers say, 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 chum, he said:
Went Broke ON One Bet.
Judge Jones, this is mighty mean
game, with these hundred-dolar pikers
around the board. How much have you
got in that big safe over yonder?"
just $4,000 in thar, old man." re-
Piled the judge, tand that's just $4,000
morn you've got the sand in your craw
to try and win
"Ah! that's your little game, is it,
Owens, just full enough for flyer.
"I'll just go you my check on the Cali
fornia bank for $4,000 cold plunfers'
Put up or shut up. Billy" senten-
tiously answered the Texas judge, as
his steel gray eyes, expanding wide,
shone like two white diamonds in a
jewelers. tray.
Billy Owens walked over to the gam
bler's desk (and well-regulated gam
lit, v>11 fC yx.tt
called "secretary,' where pen and ink
are ready, and bank checks, without
any particular banks name, can al
ways be found) filled up check on the
Bank Of California for $4,000. signed it
and walked back to Judge Jones.
Up to this moment Jones thought
Billy was fooling. He was mistaken.
"I'll bet this in the pot, the jack to
win, against your safe and contents,,
said Owens.
1T is well.' said Jones without a
smile, pulling out big safe key from
his side pocket and Shaping it down
hard on top of Billys check in the pot.
Thst represents my wealth."
All the other players stopped playing
to watch the game. The third turn. as
the key lay hugsing the check, out
came the card. Jack WINS the dealer
called, very white about the gills.
Busted. by the everlasting jumping
damn my eyes, Billy, you are the Very
man 1 want to win if I must lose"
The bank was broke and till day-
light Billy Owens made 1t lively for
the boys. The judge closed his game.
but within week he struck it rich IN
p' ger mine and opened up a new
gale more gorgeous than the first.
-s-.->--
Took the Canadian Course.
Chicago News: Ida-When the de-
iaulting cashier first came out here he