The Sunday globe., 1901-05-05

In small party Of old-time Washing
ton acquaintances one night the past
week Col. Cole Martin and the we'll
known horseman, John "Bull" Sim
mons, competed in friendly rivalry with
"hard-luck stories," embracing their
personal experiences as well as their
personal knowledge of early friends who
had seen the vicissitudes of fortune. Said
Mr.. Simmons:
81 landed i'm New York City from Eng
land early in 1861, after a two months
voyage on a sailing vessel. 1 walked
aimlessly from New York to Philadel-
phia looking for work. Not finding any
in the Quaker city, | tramped to Balti-
more, and lived royalty on the road, for
in those days tramps were unknown,
and the wayfarer was kindly taken in
and fed at the family table,
an Baltimore work was scarce, but
finally found a government job. | was
TO receive $40 per month and rations as a
laborer. With many others | was sent
down near Harpers Ferry, and there set
to work telling trees, loading and un-
loading cars, etc. In few months we
had pay day, and, of course, we got up
a game OF cards. | was the banker, and
in lieu Of chips / issued grains of corn.
The game proceeded i'm great shape, and
l raked in handfuls of the chips. 1t
ltg n.al n 10 nj la of
corn the bank was piling up was becOm-
ing suspiciously large, but being green
horn, and not up to the ways of the coun-
try, | continued the game, Indeed it
wasn't at all safe for me to discontinue,
as my patrons were a rough crowd, and
bad me completely terrorized. Finally
"Big Mike" rod- laced, brawny Irish
man, cashed in, and made quite hole
i'm my bank roll, but what surprised me
more thanany ything else was the number
OF chips be turned in, as to my certain
knowledge he had only purchased $40
worth, and lost steadily. one after an
other OF the party now commenced CASH
ing in until my bank roll was exhausted
and had to throw up both hands, Then
the fun commenced for them. Oh, no,
not Tor mel The fellows who hadn't had
time to cash their chips demanded their
money and threatened to lynch me.
explained as well as | could that while
the bank had won right along the chips
that were cashed in broke it. Finally
got away from them on sprint that still
has the record in that vicinity.
OF course, ! subsequently asCertained,
as | got accustomed tO the ways of the
country, that if | had had the strongest
National bank in the country at my back
il would have been broken, as the play
ers had an unlimited supply of chips
from corn-crib in the ighborhOod."
W hen the laugh at MIR, Smmons's
sophisticatedness had subsidized Col.
Cole Martin remarked;
" Old Dad Ryan, one Of my G, rly
sporting companions way back i'm the
sos, had A hHrd-luck story which to this
day discounts all the tales | nave leard
OF like character, and, as you know,
there have been millions born since |
passed my threesCOre and ten. DAD
struck a small town of sporting procivi-
ties out in Illinois In '52 when 1 was rum
ming bank in ST. Paul. one day | re-
CeiVed message from him to send him
$50 and get him out of the place. When
ia > arrived in 81, Paul he related the
following story OF his experience i'm the
Illinois town: Il had only a few dollars
said Dad, when | landed i'm the place,
and, OF course, | hunted up game.
grains Of corn for chips, | had passed
corn-crib before entering the gambling
house, so a fter awhile | made an excuse
to 90 out and take a short walk, as my
head ached. | promised to return and
play the game. Well, sir, ! bOlted
straight for that crib, and running my
hand in between the rails 1 grabbed a
large ear of corn. 1t was quite dark, and
/ was confident nobody saw me.
shelled the corn in the dark and filled
my pockets. Returning to the game |
took a seat at the table and made ready TO
bust the bank. As | laid down my
first bet the dealer looked up in surprise
and quietly remarked:
Say, stranger, where did you get
those red chips? The bank has only is
sued white ones"
"'And there, sure enough said old
Dad Il had planked down red grains of
corn, the ear l happened to lay my
hands on in the crib being red one. |
stayed in that town until the 100 bushels
of corn i'm the crib had been loaded up
for market; and 10y the lord Harry, Cole,
it was the only rod ear in the whole 400
bushels"
one Of the party who knew dad"
Ryan and Col. Martin IN their Younger
days, here related pretty good story il
Illustrative OF the diamond. cut-dia-
mond' principle which prevails among
the patrons of the green cloth.
"lhe Colonel, who has Just lett MS for
fear of having to accept your bouquets
said this narrator, "played a clever Trick
on old DAD Ryan the first time the two
men met 1t appears Dad had establish
cd himself i'm small town on the river
much patronized by the sports and
others fond OF play, This was i'm the late
IO's. Now Cole had often heard of'Dad'
but never met him, so Dad at the sug-
geston Of some friends, arranged to 'eat
up, the Colonel the first opportunity he
had, and IL soon came, through the coli
luslOn of Dads emissaries and some of
Col. Martins friends.
"lhe Colonel, iu one of his expeditions
up the river mississippi, was induced
to stop of at little town where Dad
held forth. The Colonel was informed
that there was a great single-haudel
poker player at the hotel, who played
and won from all comers, Now single
handed poker, or a game between two
persons, was the COlonels strong suit,
and he unhesitatingly tackled the local
lion. In a few hours the Colonel had
dropped a few thousand dollars, the play
in those days being high and small for
tunes won and lost In q night. The COL
Onel 'smelt a mice however, and drop
ped out of the game on the plea that he
huI D., fr, into fpWrp lint vgpnlI ba boal.