Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-08-22
MONEY AND LIFE LOST ON FOUR
MINES.
An Episode Of the Days When They
Fought and Played Poker on the
Mississippi.

river boats different from what they does
most anywhere else" said old Caleb Mix,
the veteran bartender on the Mississippi
River packet, City of Natchez, land 1
reckon faint noways strange there shd
be queer happenings, now an again.
Anyway, things does happen that you
wouldn't look for anywhere else
"Pears like there was something
about loafin round a boat for two or
three days wit nothin' to do that puts
spice o. the devil into most anybody.
An bein' as all kinds o. folks travels the
river, they got throwed together like cats
in a bag. an sometimes there's trouble.
you don't see as much of II now as
there used to was. For one thing, there
amt so much poker played, an then men
don't fight like they did.
when l was a youngster, befo' the
wah' everybody carried a gun or bowie,
an held himself ready to use II all the
time. word meant blow. them days,
an a blow meant a KILN most gently.
There's no denyin'. though. that there's
more fights come I'm playin' poker nor
there does I'm anything else, an l don't
know but that were always so. I reckon
likely it's because a gambler. If he's
regular professional has to count on
fight. now an again, as part Of his bust
ness
'"There was one man used to travel the
river pretty regular for eight months in
the year, right up to the firm on Sumter,
that was a devil in any kind of a dis
turbance an ought to have been hung a
dozen times but he had the devils luck
in everything an stead of bein' necked,
| like ne would be now, he listed in the
Louisiana Tigers, an died on the field
| o. battle.
'IIe come I'm Vicksburg, they said. an
were a man O. good family. but some
sort o. trouble over a girl made him an
| 10 ri uft no
took to gamblln like a many of 'em did
| that couldn't work an thought they had
| to live. Lou Fairbanks. he called his
| self, but they said that want his proper
name.
HE never went ashore at Vicksburg
that l knowed. but he spent his winters in
| New Orleans an he had the name o.
bein' the biggest dandy an the darin'es
devil among the sportin' men o. the
| city.
| FIN April to November he were most
| o. the time on one boat or another goin'
as far north as Memphis an changin'
boats here an there. according to the
| game he'd find on one or another. There
was a many of EN- doing the same thing
| an o. course. we that was on the boats
come to know 'em all, an We knew what
| they was doin.
why didn't the cap'ns O. the boats put
a stop to It? Well. there was good many
/
| great call TO stop II.
| Everybody that travelled the river eX-
! pected to find a poker game on the boats.
| They didn't have TO sit in, O. course,
thouten they wanted to. but there wa n
! no great kick about II, even I'm them
that didn't play. Then the cap'ns them
| selves was some of 'em players an
, some that wasn't had the name o. stand
in in with the game.
| Il reckon that were true sometimes
but even them that didn't look for a
! rakeoff on the game want none toe
quick about putin gamblers ashore
They was all liberal spenders, an the
boats was run to make money
There want none of EN- spent money
| freer'n this Lou Fairbanks. As / said
he were monstrous lucky. an he always
had II to spend. 'Twasn't nothin' fl
him to throw a niger hve-dollar gold
piece, an many time he'd give me a
twenty or fifty for a drink. an leave the
change on the bar.
But | always hated to see him on
board, even at that, for there was that
about him that give me the shivers
There want no teliin' what might hap
pen II he was round and the worst of II
was that he always managed to get the
best of 1t, and the other fellow always
'peared to be in the wrong.
For one thing, he never struck the first
|
the only fighter l ever knowed that al
ways gave the other man the first
chance.
'"Peared like he'd fggered 1t out on a
system, an reckoned that chances was
more in his favor to take the risk o
bein' snuffed out first SOS to claim
he were fightin' in self-defence o
course, IL were n monstrous big risk
an as a matter O. fact he were shot
up some. an two or three times he hat
a close call o. dyin' but | never seed nc
one get the second shot at him, nor strike
at him the second time.
He were quicker'n chain lightnin
when he did move an the other mar
never got on as lucky as he did.
seen him kill four men, myself different
times, an the Lord only knows how
many others there were, but / nevel
heer'd o. his bein' held for one of 'em
You couldn't do nothn' to a man tina
fit in self-defence, an he always haC
a clear case.
There was one thing that used I,
be said in his favor, an IT were the only
good word l ever herd spoke for him
for he sure were hated. good an proper
They said he never played crooked, an
amt sayin' but what 1t was true. Maybe
twas for he sure had luck to beat any
body ever seen play.
"All the same. l never knowed a pro
| fesSional gambler that wouldn't turr
a trick If he thought he could do 1t with
out bein' caught an l reckon the onl!
thing they could say about Lou Fair
banks was that he want never caught
THE last time l seen him fight wa
about the most pitiful thing l ever seen
an | reckon it were a good thing for hin
that he got into the army. As II ives
he had close call o. bein' lynche9 an
If he'd showed up again on any o. tn,
river boats l reckon noth.iI' ha' save'
him. But he got away. an when thu
wah RELY come such things as he die
was forgot in the great excitement.
1T We're lust afore the breakin ou
that he come up the river on the OLD
Creola Belle that run then from New Or
leans all the way to st. Louis. Their,
was a curious kind o. crowd aboard tn,
boat too. for what Yankees there was il
the South was pretty much all of 'en
maxim their way to the Moth the
best way they could. KNOWN that twa' n
healthy for 'em to stay no longer
AN there was right smart o. business
men on the move, too, tryin' to settle III
matters that looked scarey. Everybod!
was full of excitement, like a barnyarC
full o. chickens Just afore a thunder
storm. an it didn't seem to be a gooC
time for poker, even on the boats. Folk
had other things TO think about.
There was a game started though thu
second day, an just naturally Lou Fair
others, an one of 'em was a professional
most as well-known as Fairbanks was.
He were Memphis man named Car