The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-09-11

Greatest Crap Game in His
tory, With Bets Running
to $4,000 on a
Single Throw

ullulub man Vi lGVo brigham blIctl,
Salt Lake City, has just returned from
Tonopah, New, says a correspondent
of the Int,r-Ocean, where he was the
silent spectator to the biggest crap
game that mining camp ever saw. AS
$4,000, $4,000 ald $4,000 were
staked on a single throw Of the little
cubed worries, II Is possible that II was
the biggest crap game over played In
that state or any other west OF the
Mississippi river. Unquostionably II
was a bigger gene than was ever
played In Utah.
The man WHO was daring enough to
risk a fortune at every throw of the
dice just fer little amusement is a
native OF Switzerland, and wealthy.
He and his brother crs at the head OF
q large stccl Industry at Sheffield.
England, and another in Switzerland.
He has been in the United States for
a little over two months looking after
interests of his own In the mining line
and others OF his family and friends.
Il was that mission which took him
TO Tonopah from Salt Lake City.
The scene of the great crap game
was Oleo ElliotGs gambling housCH
called the Butler. Il WIS named after
the man who discovered the camp.
The young Swiss entered the
gambling house about IL o'clock and
amused himself shooting dice for 81 a
throw. Then he increered his bet TO
IS. and then made 500 change hands
every time The worries wero slid out
OF tho hand crd across the green
cloth of she crap" tablc. Abont 1880
O'Clock in the morning the foreigner
said 10 Elliott:
do you wart to play game for
big money!"
"Yeu," | have no objections" was
the nonchalent reply OF the owner OF
the q milling house.
How much money have you In the
safe end whft 10 your property
worth" asked the Swiss. in a most
casual manner
II have between $4,000 and $1,000 In
tho safe In money" e6id Elliott, "and
my property is worth enough 10 make
about $4,000.
Th.t seemed satisfactory TO the
young foreigner. After taking a look
at the proprietor Of the place, he eaid
in n most dcliborat manner:
IF you are lucky you viii be n rich
man: II you are lucky you viii be
broke"
Witnesses w-ro then called around
the tlble end the rules OF the game
explained The Swiss snid hA wanted
to bet as much as ho wanted 20 on
aay throw OF tho dice at the came
time showing Elicit securities to
convince the later that he was sure
OF his money II he proved TO be the
lucky mrn.
IL was then decided that the game
was 20 last two hou,u. from until 4
O'Clock. At tho latter hour the game
was 10 stop. no matter who might be
loser or gamer
Then tho young Swiss purchased
$4,000 worth OF chips, fifty In mum.
Der. worth 5000 each.
In tho first helf hour the foreigner
lost $4,000. He was as cool and col.
lected as though hs were on the win
ming side, and was used TO making a
fortune nightly by handling the little
cubes OF ivory with black eyes.
Up TO that time the bets had not
been very large. as compared with
those that were TO be made from that
time on, After $3.50 O'Clock not a bet
was made by the Swiss for less than
$500. Up TO that time Elliott had been
silent spectator 10 the game, one
of his men shaking the dice with the
Swiss. But when the Swiss began to
win back, and forged ahead. Elliott
became excited and took the place on
the opposite side OF the board TO that
occupied by the foreigner.
II was after $3.50 o'clock, when the
steel man was $4,000 TO the bad. that
he began TO raise the roof on the
house. as gamblers say. A wager or
two OF $4,000 efch on how the dice
would come up took the breath away
from the spectators. who had by this
time crowded the house almost to
suffocation.
Then the Swiss made a couple OF
bets of $4,000 each and won the ad.
miration OF the crowd for his game
ness by putting $4,000 90 the green
cloth alongside a similar sum showed
wv - AAt AAAiAAANoAf N-1f'
900 on the table at one time
Slowly but surely the young visi
tor to this country won back the mon
ey which he had lost earlier in the
evening 20 the gambler. At 1855
o'clock the proprietor was $4,000
loser, estimated 10 be half Of what he
Is worth.
Looking up at the clock the young
Swiss noted the time. and looking at
Elliott said. In substance;
Il viii make you just one more bet
Il shall be $4,000. II you win. we
quit even, II you lose. win. The
place Is mine. l will give the piano
10 the woman who plays H. will give
the bar 10 tho bartender. The rest
/ will sell for what I can get. and |
leave as soon as possible thereafter"
"All right" said Elliott