The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-08-07
LUCKY BALDWIN HAD NERVE.
Big Stake That Broke All the Records
at Faro.

Dry Stdhe ildt BROKE All tiie neCUTuS
| at Faro.
! Lucky Baldwin's account of the big
faro doings in Virginia City when the
Comstock boom was on was correct
enough. but the old gentleman seems to
have been a little forgetful in stating
that the biggest games dealt in the West
! happened in Virginia City-forgetful and
Just little over-modest to boot" said
Daniel Eustis, an old time miner who
owns great California grape ranch and
who was one of the organizers of the
Native Sons of the Golden West to the
] Chicago Inter Ocean. Faro headquar-
tiers were never transferred from San
Francisco to Virginia City. The late
Ham Baker, as Mr. Baldwin says, slid
them out of the box for the biggest turns
that were ever made in Virginia City, but
there were some dealers wearing CROWN
less straw hats in San Francisco even at
that time who could good naturally refer
to the Gentry & Crittenden outfit of Vir-
ginia City, for which Ham Baker dealt,
as piker's game.
Its queer that the sprightly nonoge-
marian Lucky-all the old-time Califor-
mans swear Mr. Baldwin is over 90
doesn't remember how the big San Fran
! cisco faro games of the late sixties and
early seventies overshadow those of Vir-
ginia City during the same period, par
ticularly in view of the fact that Lucky
himself stood for plenty of turns in San
Francisco that he had certainly never
seen equaled for size in Virginia City.
/ 81 was in Tom Vanbrughs Ell Dorado
club on Kearney street, San Francisco,
on the night when Lucky Baldwin had
probably the biggest stake on the turn
of one card that was ever hazzarded at
faro in this country.
| st was in August, 1874. Baldwin had
not yet erected his palace on the block
/, of Mob Hill ground that he owned. The
/ Mob Hill square was easily worth $780,
+. 600.
Tom Vanbrugh, the proprietor of the
/ Ell Dorado, owned faro banks all the way
: down the coast from Portland to Los An
geles, in addition to a big monte outfit
F. iii the City of Mexico, and he was a
millionaire several times over. Van
brugh wanted Baldwin's block of Mob
f, Hill ground, having palace building ideas
, of his own. But Baldwin wouldn't sell.
'Vanbrugh owned a whole block on
{ Market street, on which Baldwin wanted
! to put up big business building. Being
| in the business district this block of
| Vanburgh's was worth more than Bald
wins Mob Hill square, but Vanbrugh
had often offered to trade it for lucky
piece of Mob Hill ground.
| Baldwin would entertain this PROPOSE
| ton. either, but he offered a big sum of
money for the Market street property.
/ Vanbrugh wouldn't sell it at any figure,
because Baldwin wouldn't sell or trade
/ him the Mob Hill block.
THAT'S the way it stood between them
on this night in August, 1871. when Bald
win strolled, along toward midnight, into
| the Ell Dorado. after having dined pretty
costly at the Cliff House, Vanbrugh was
sitting at desk in bis private room, just
Baldwin stepped in.
"'Hello, Tom,' said Lucky to Van
brugh. How are you feeling?'
"'Still Mob Hilly,' replied Vanbrugh.
when are you going to turn the deed to
that ground over to me, anyhow
| "'Tom,' replied Baldwin, I'm getting
tired of hearing you talk about that
! ground. Come out here and get behind
| the box and Lucky led the way into the
main faro room. Nanbrugh, seeing that
there was going to be something doing
Enthusiastically Baldwinesque, followed
| him with alacrity.
l Of fha 70
bles was just shutting the cards for a
new boXful.
"Sitdown there, and get busy said
Baldwin to Nanbrugh, pointing to the
dealers chair.
| "Vanbrugh motioned to the dealer, who
| slid out of the chair. Nanbrugh slid into
lit
"If the ace loses, Tom Baldwin said,
| without a trace of excitement, to Van
brugh, the Mob Hill ground is yours. If
! it wins your Market street block is mine.
! Will that dor
"vanbrugh nodded. He shuffed the
cards, did the unusual courtesy in faro
bank of passing them over the table to
| Baldwin to cut-Lucky could cut rs
cards as good as any veteran faro dealer
and slid them into the box.
"With your permission, gentlemen,
said Vanbrugh to the other players
around the table whose play had been
interrupted, and they suspended opera
tions and leaned back in their chairs to
watch the outcome.
Baldwin removed the Handicapped
Panama from his head and the cabbage
leaf which he always wore on top of his
head in warm weather fell to the floor
Just as Vanbrugh started to slide the
cards out Of the box. Ee stopped to
pick it up and replace it in his hat. be-
fore he stood up again he was the owner
of Vanbrugh's Market street block. The
ace had come out on the right side while
he was still STOPPING over
"If your name isn't fit, Lucky, III
be was all that Vanbrugh said and on
the following morning he transferred
the Market street property to Baldwin.
'.Those were the days of whimsical
gambling on the Slope. 1t was period
of all-day and all-night drinking, and
over mellow men, most OF them with
riches so suddenly acquired that they
hadn't had time to stop and figure now
much they possessed, tried to outdo one
another in the capers they cut with Lady
Fortune.
"In Byron McGregor's old Mission
street faro bank, the Alcatriz club, there
was a famous dealer named Badly Ora
ham, so called because his poll was as
bare of hair as a pippin, except for a
tiny patch that remained right on the
,ro,,,,, of HE hood If had been a Omlick,