The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-05-28
CHEATED AT POKER.
a PAGE FROM THE uNwRITTEN HIS
TORY OF A UNIVERSITY.


Punishment Melted Out to Dishonest
Student by Society and the Faculty-A
Young Man who Kept Step with His
Not Brilliant Antecedents.
Talking about poker" said mid
die aged man to coterie at Chamber
Inns, reminds me of something that
occurred about 30 years ago at the Uni
versity of Virginia. That was about the
liveliest epoch in the history of the
university since the war, or for that
matter of that before it, when the life
led by the students is taken into con-
sideration. There was big crowd of
devil may care young men there, most
Of them with plenty of money. and
they made Charlottesville and sur
rounding Albemarle fairly hum. These
kindred spirits formed society which
took the name of Eli Bananas. -
Here the speaker smiled at evidently
amusing "reminiscences. "There is no
telling what the Eli Bananas didn't
do. For the quintessenoe of mischief
and devilment they took the laurels.
There was nothing downright bad about
them, but their antics were awful. Fan
tastic were the tricks they played and
grotesque their jokes Between freaks
the Ellis were prone to poker, and it was
customary down there for the players
to assemble at this or that Students
room. That brings me to my story. One
coterie of poker players comprised sons
of some Of the best known and wealth.
est men in the south, and into it was
introduced young Virginian who was
gifted with many attractive traits appar
emily, but whose antecedents were not
particularly brilliant. I'll call him Dick
Lurk, but that wasn't his name.
"Most of the other fellows in the CO.
terie had roommates who were boning
up for the final examinations. 1t was
we'll along in the spring, and Lurk had
quarters to himself on East Lawn. Con
sequently the poker began to be played
exclusively in his room. When the
evening seemed propitious. the word
would be passed around at supper that
three L : tuck would be in order, and
at o'clock or thereabout the players
would assemble at Lurk s. Turks luck
was stupendous. He won steadily, and
as the game was pretty stiff his win
nings were substantial 1t was noticed
after awhile that he always passed out
when somebody had particularly big
hand on somebody else's deal, but that
he always held top hand when there
were big ones out against each other on
his own deal. Then somebody noticed
that the seals were always broken on
the half dozen new decks of cards pro-
vided each night before the game began
and that Lurk in dealing always closely
scrutinized the cards as he gave them
out.
"At last one night the son Of ia
nous Confederate general who now
lives in Baltimore became convinced
that Lurk was cheating. Picking up the
deck that Lurk had just dealt and out
of which he had got hand with four
queens against an ace full held by
young Kentuckian the young man said
quietly:
"'Some one is cheating at this game,
and, Lurk, think it's you.
CHOW, at the University of Virginia
such declaration, if improved, meant
somebody's death to certainty, and in
an instant the party was on its feet.
"'Just wait minute, gentlemen,
said the aocuser quietly. I've been
watching this man. Let some one exam
inc the backs of these cards with this
magnifying glass.
''The Kentuekian took the glass and
closely scanned the geometrical designs
on the backs of the cards.
By C@sarl' he calculated. Every
court card is distinctly markedl' Exam
nation by the other players quickly
proved the truth of this.
"There was consultation over what
should be done with Lurk, who stood
with head hung down, overwhelmed
with the proof against him. 1t was de
cided that he was not worth calling out,
as he was not gentleman, and the yer
dict was that he should make restitu
ton of all the money he had won since
his participation in the game and suffer
ostracism in the university. He was
compelled to sit down and write out a
check for all the money he had won,
the memorandum books Of the other
players showing the amounts they had
lost at various times, and he was kept
under surveillance until the Charlottes
Vile bank, in which he kept heavy
account, opened next morning. One of
the party rode down to Charlottesville
and cashed the check, and then the SEN
tence of ostracism went into effect.
tThat fellow had the unheard of eff
frontery TO remain at the university I'M
til the finals were completed. He was
there six weeks. No student or professor
or servant or townsman, no man or wo-
man, white or black, spoke to him or
took any notice Of him. He attended the
final balls, and no one recognized him.
He was not quizzed in lecture room or
addressed by a professor. Still he re-
manned until the university closed for
the season, but he might as we'll have
been in the middle of the Sahara desert
so far as intercourse with people was
concerned. w Washington Star.