The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-09-27
DARKIES AS POKER CHIPS.
Critical Juncture of This Ante
Bellum Game.
From the New York Sun


on the river" said old Caleb Mix, the
veteran bartender on the Mississippi
packet of the name he had mentioned.
And 1 don't know" he added reflec-
lively, but what the most excitin'
game l ever see was the one that was
goin' on the very night she was blowed
up.
There's been four or five boats of
the same name on the river since. I've
been travelling it. an that's been a long
time now. Fast as one was burned or
blowed up there'd be another built, for
there hasn't never been no superstition
about names that way But this boat
that 1 speak of was the crack boat o.
the river in SIS an SO. 1t were early
in the spring o. go she was lost.
She had the best fittin's of any boat
that had ever run, up to that time, an
l don't know but she was the hand
soonest l ever see. There want moth
in that was knowed of at that time in
the way of luxury that money could
buy for a steamboat that wa MT in her,
an everything about her was run as
elegant as it was at the old st. Charles
itself in New Orleans; an they did say
that We're the finest hotel on earth in
its day. I reckon there's some in the
Moth, now, that's finer but there
want none then.
zone thing on this boat that I'm tell
in about that was different firm any
other t | was ever on, was that there
was four private rooms on her, that
was kept special for poker. o. course,
there was poker played on all the
boats, more or less, but that were the
only one, so far as l knew, that made
any such accommodations deliberate.
On the other boats it would be playedin
the sta terooms, or maybe in the bar
room If that was big enough, or in
the main saloon after the ladies had
gone to bed, or in the mems saloon
when there was two. But here there
was four rooms that was kept for moth
in else.
Just naturally, the Natchez caught
the trade o sportin' men, an didn't
get as much o. the other kind as the
other boats, for there want no secret
made of it, an while people didn't
have no great prejudice ag'in poker, as
a general thing, there was a good
many that didn't care to travel where
there was so much of it. But every
man that was lookin' for a big game on
the river went on the Natchez If he
could make it, and there was always
some professionals on board to give
'em all they was lookin' for.
4
was in February, an there was cur
Gus kind O. crowd aboard. In the first
place, there was half a dozen profess
SIGNALS, travelin' like they gently gid,
in pairs, but not lettin on to strangers
that they was acquainted. o. course,
they all knowed one another, an we
that worked on the boat knowed EN-
all, but outsiders didn't always ind
it out, even after they'd lost their
money.
"One o. these pairs was two side
mariners named Wade. an Peters.
Wade was slick dandy that
looked to be about rs year old,
but must ha' been older. He had
girlish face and dressed hisself to XIII.
Wore diamonds on both hands an IN
his shirt, an set UP for a lady-killer
when he were in New Orleans, but
when he travelled he were one o them
wicked kind that was soft-spoken an
easy till there was trouble, an then
| fit like cats.
Peters arays made up like a small
| planter Not one o. them that lived
like kings on the big plantations with
more niggers than they cd count an
| more moneyn they knowed what 10
do with. but a plain, well-to-do coun-
tryman that was just travelin' the
river for the first time an was lookin
for some excitement 'thout known
inst how to find it. o. course they
never spoke to each other till they'd
happen to get into the same game.
''There was two other men on board
that trip that was partners, too, but
not in the same business. The best
kind O. people didn't have no great re-
gard for gamblers, but they had great
sight less for nigger-traders, an these
two was them. There was quite
good many used to buy niggers at auc-
ton in New Orleans, an take 'em up
the river on speculation, them days,
an there was heaps O money made
at it, too, but it were business that
there want everybody would go into.
Folks'd buy niggers from EN-, but they
wouldn't have nothin' to do with EN-
more'n they'd help.
"These two was a low-down North
ern man named Smithers, an Teller
that come FIN a family o pore whites
in Mississippi, named Barker. They
bought up 40 or so niggers at some O.
the auctions that winter, an was takin'
'em up country to sell to the planters.
1t was a pretty big lot for niggers
was worth good money; but these fell
lers had made money, an they was
middlin' rich. l reckon they had over
$50 900 worth on the Natchez, an they
was likely to clear So 900 or $4,000 on
'em by the time they'd sold 'em off.
They'd sold some Of 'em on the boat,
for there was a number o planters
aboard that had been down to New
Orleans on business, or pleasure, or
both an was gettin' home. But, o.
course, the planters wouldn't have
nothin' to do with Smithers or Barker,
any one on 'em, outside O. business.
Just naturally. the gamblers didn't
have no such prejudices, an Peters had
marked these two as good game, afore
they'd been on board half a day. He
watched 'em pretty close, an got talk
in with 'em, but he didn't buy no
niggers, though he looked 'em over,
an talked about buyin', like he were
RELY a planter but he seen 'em make
two or three sales an get the money.
His ide was that him an Wade would
get the money later, an maybe, If the
traders was game, they might get
some o. the niggers, too, without both
erin to buy 'em.
1.-THE traders was no fools. but
don't reckon they suspicioned that
Wade an Peters was partners. an
when Peters proposed a little game,
just for a dollar limit to pass the
evenin' they was willin' enough, think
in that Peters was likely goin' to buy
a Niger or two an it were their play
to keep in with him.
90 course, he got Wade into the
game, an they had one D
the four rooms was tell
in about, an it were in that room that
the game were goin' on when the biler
bust. There want no reel necessity
for Dustin that biler, but Cap'n Car
ruthers that was runnin' the boat