The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-09
BKER PLAYER s REVENGE.

There's a heap O. talk some times
about the bad men that cavorts round
some parts o. the country where faint
settled up much, an does gun play for
Fun, shooting up harroons an KILN
tenderfoots now an then, while they re
WOrzin' off the red liquor they've took.
said Caleb Mix, the veteran bartender
on the Mississippi river packet, tine
City Of Natchez.
But 1 reckon that they amt none on
'em any more Ornery nor the bad men
that ulster travel the Mississip a1ore
the war.
Likely a bad man is pad, wherever
he is. an ALT ne needs is a chanst o
hurtin' somebody. Pears like every
body that tells about EN-, though. was
p'tic'ler about pickin out somsthin
decent they've did, one time or another,
an maxim that the nub o. the story.
"Mebbe there is times that the worst
On 'em turns half way decent tor a
spell. I amt a sayin' faint so, but
I've never saw nothin' to make me
think you can count on it.
"If a mans RELY bad the ony safe
way to treat him is like you'd treat a
rsttlcsnake if you was quick enough
shoot his head off the minute you seen
him beginnin' to coil hisseh for d
strike. They amt RELY no way O. fight
in fair with 'em, for they wont hgnt
that way, an the world amt never rld
Of 'em till some Teller is quick enough
20 play their own game on EN-
I've saw good many on EN- fir5t
an last on these boats. an never
lEnowed one Of 'em to do a real decent
thing vet, 'thOuten he reezoned to get
the best o somebody dom it, Gam
bIers2 Yes, the most O. EN- was gam
blers. An they WIS men that never
sat at the table without a gun in their
pockets or a knife i'm their boots. just
where they cd pull it sudden
There was one Teller that come from
New Orleans. so they said, that trav
eled the boats good deal just afore
the war. that come as near bein' sure
enough devil as anybody I ever seen.
7 never heard none o. these stories abouy
bad men 'thout thinkin o. him, an "a
thing seen him do in a poker game
one night.
He called hisse1f Harry Simmons. an
mebbe that might ha' been his real
name. I don't know. But there was
them t said his old man made him take
another name when he paid him $50 600
to get out an never have nothin' more
to do with his own folks.
He was a tail. slender. wiry devil
With jet black hair an one blue eye an
one that was sort O. gray green You
couldn't never forget his face if you seen
1T once. He was dandy like most o.
the toD-nOtch river gamblers was theni
GAYS, an were as D'ticlar as a woman
about his clo'es.
An he wore jewelry, like the rest on
'em did, that was more like a Woman's
than a mans But you didn't want to
make no mistake about him bein'
Womanish when it came to a fight or a
game o. draw
When it was card playin'. he were as
STEADY as clock an took chances
thatd make a tight-rope walker grey
headed An when it was fight. he were
bundle o. wildcats with about as
much pity in him as a game cock
They were plavin' hard game one
night when the boat come up toward
Nicksburs, an it were a sure case o.
dog eat dog, for there want sucker
on the boat that any of 'em thought
was worth the trouble o. catchin' an
three on EN- was playin' together-all
professionals, an all three bad men.
Simmons was the worst O the lot
but George Masters, a Vicksburg man.
and Billy Eaton, a Teller I'm Texas
was both ugly customers for any man
10 run up against, 'thOughten he had
his gun In his hand. full cooked
4 reckon the came was as straight
as any that was ever played. for there
want none O. the three d ha' dast 10
turn a crooked trick on either o. the
others, 'thouten he was dom it for a
fight, all on EN- KNOWN that the 9TH
ers was as clever as he was an just as
ready to shoot
They was playin' a heavy game.
though for they was all well fixed an
any one on 'em stood to lose IS. 900 or
$4,000 afore goin' broke. They had chips
on the table for small money. but each
man had roll o. bills in front of him,
an the bettin was we'll up in the hum
dreds whenever there was any done
Luck run against Simmons for the
first hour or so, an it was easy to see
that he were gttin' ugly not that he
said anything, for they didn't none of
'em do no talkin' to speak Of but his
eyes looked wickeder'n usual an his
Jaw was set like a steel trap He were
playin' monstrous cautious. though. an
hadn't lost morn $1,000 or $4,000 when
he seen, or thought he seen a chanst o.
getting back good part of it.
1t were Masters deal an a Jack pot
with $50 in it. Simmons had first say
an be opened it for the size of it. Ea-
ton come in an Masters raised it $50.
Evidently that were just what Simmons
was lookin' for, for he raised it $50 more
an then Eaton took a whack at it,
7 reckon he hadn't raised on the first
round for fear o. scarin' Masters out.
but seem how things laid he raised
Sommons $50. Then Masters histed it
500. an Simmons made 1t 500 more, SO
Baton, havin' a small straight, kind o.
hauled i'm his horns. an just trailed.
He trailed couple o. times more
while Simmons an Masters was a
boostin' each other a hundred at a
depth he folded on the third raise, an
the others KEEP on tin they had $1,000
apiece in the pot.
Then Simmons just made good an
when Masters asst him how many cards
he wanted he said he reckoned he'd PLAY
what he had. SO Masters. he stood pat
GN~Aao.S0A