Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-08-09
JUDGES LAST GAME AT FARO.
Played to Win $1O,OOO-A Friend
Waiting to Commit Suicide II He

Played to Win S1O,OOO-A Friend
Waiting to Commit Suicide II He
Lost.
"The other day when was in Phil
adelphia," said a New York man, II
was told how one Of their millionaires,
Peter A. B. Widener, walked the streets
of Philadelphia all night once with $10,-
900 in his pocket, wondering how he
was going to invest it so as to double
it. Now, I'll tell you a story Of anoth-
er man who walked all night.
"A Judge of a county court in the
upper end Of my state came to town to
play faro. His name was Bertram. He
never played cards at home, but he
used to come to my town and go up
against 1t for a week at stretch. He
was usually a winner.
"The night I have in mind Judge
Bertram met an old friend who had
been running down at the heel finan-
cially until he looked like a cripple.
He frescoed his story up pretty well 20
the judge, who was a peculiar combi-
nation. When Bertram was a winner
at faro he would divide his pile with
any friend; but he would let the same
friend starve before he would help him
until he had shaken the bank, as he
put it when he won. His unfortunate
friend told him he was going to jump
into the river that night unless he got
some help. The faro bank was on the
upper floor Of building that stood
facing the river. Bertram said to the
rundown man:
"'You go down on the levee and walk
up and down until give you signal
that I have made a winning. II I
shake the bank, you'll get some Of the
dust. If you don't see me signal, jump
into the river. You are no good with
out money, anyway
1T was a bargain and they separa-
ted, the judge to win or lose, his friend
to win or die. "All night the judge
won and lost alternately. Sometimes
he had stacks Of reds and blue so high
tnat they cast a shadow on the deal
er's box; sometimes he had few
measly whites on card which looked
like a poor relation.
Meanwhile the man on the river
front was walking, looking at the dark
flow Of the water like the poor unfor-
tunate in Hoods Bridge Of Sighs;'
anon glancing up at the windows In
the gambling room. A terrific thunder
shower broke over the town and still
the man walked along the riverfront
until he was drenched to the marrow
in his shivering bones.
I'm the gray Of the morning, with
sheets of rain still falling upon the
scene, Judge Bertram left the game. a
500 winner. and walked down to the
river front where his impecunious
friend was shivering.
"I expected to find you in the riv-
err said the judge. I didn't signal,
because I made it all in a heap
"If it hadn't been for the rain,' said
his friend, I might have jumped, but
said to myself, What's the use, you
are already wet through and II the
rain keeps on you'll drown on land
1.-THE Judge called hack and the two
drove to the best hotel in town and
had breakfast. They left town togeth-
er. A year later they owned one Of
the biggest cattle ranches in Colorado.
1T was the judges last game; and
it was the last time his friend ever did
any walking. Bertram is dead, but his
partner has interests stretching across
the continent, in Hawaii and Japan
New York Sun.