The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-09
Man Who Made Killing With For
est King Formerly a Noted
Character in Montana.
Has Won and Lost Several Bank
Rolls in the Last Fifteen
Years.
Special to The Journal.

SI0SA"A w 4NS JOuIn8l.
Helena, Mont. April 9.-..Ikid'' Kelly,
who made the recent famous ..killing'' at.
Oakland with Forest King is assnoted
Montana character. His Montana friends
do not believe there was anything crooked
ABOUT the race, except that he alone. knew
what the horse was capable ,sof, and kept
that informa tion to himself When he
was posted in the books at 60 to T. Kelly
Immediately proceeded to back him ..off
the boards" and by post time the odds
We're at about even money Kelly is said
to have Won $4,000 on sthe race.
About fourteen years ago Kelly engaged
IN ranching with his brother in Flathead
county. Montana, but not finding this
to his liking shortly afterward departed
? for Anaconda, where he soon became
noted as .tplunger.."s - An instance OF his
habit in this line may be cited. Shortly
after. his arrival in Anaconda, Kelly
bought $40 worth Of checks at a: faro:
game, got or lucky and soon had about
5000 He decided to quit and pushed the
checks over toward the dealer, who was
shutting the cards for the next DEAL
Just at that moment Jack Highland
approached the game and purchased 500
worth OF checks. He noticed Kelly's chips
setting III front Of the box, and inquired as
to who they belonged Being inform ed 4
that they We're, Kelly's, he turned to him
and said: <is's5t y . = fS5
why don't you bet them all on the
high card, Kid?'' - :. - :. ,..> -. ~ u;
The banter was too much for Kelly and
bet them he did, simply by telling the
dealer that the chips went ION the first
turn. And go they did. The turn came
jack-nine, and the 5000 worth 81 chips
We're placed in, the rack. and Kelly left
the house without a cent. He took his
loss philosophically, however, and did not
even reproach Highland for the bad
steer" = Z = %ss;:! ss;: = z. =
90. ..- J
In 1891 Kelly went to Columbia Falls,
bought several lots and erected a SO, 500
building, but this venture proved a losing
one, as Kalispel was made the Great
Northern division headquarters, and the
Inhabitants left Columbia Falls as rats
leave a sinking ship: The bar and faro,
games were not patronized and the build
ing was afterWard sold for taxes. =.
Kelly then travelled around the state for
several years, working in Helena, Butte,
Great Falls and Anaconda as a faro dealer,
all of the time "bucking the tiger him
self: with Indifferent success, merely exc. :.
ing out living. Along in 1893 he bought
a horse called Al Watts and essayed to
become an owner, but this, too. proved q,
failure! as his horse cd not, get within
the money in any of his entries. He was
still dealing faro when the Alaskan gold
discoveries created such an excitement, :.
and, getting the craze, started for Dawson
City, Here he. was quite successful at
faro, and was soon the owner of one Of the,
best houses in town, and was doing. the
best, business of Hanyq gambling house in
the place, when the:town was destroyed by
fire. 70 -. 55..++s.. 81, H., !" (.
He lost everything-house, bank roll
and paraphernalia. He estimated his loss
at $4,000. He again got start on a
"shoe- string" however, and after win
ming streak of two weeks, soon purchased
another house and was doing well, when
he again burned out, and, as in the first
instance, he had no insurance on his prop
erty, and was left penniIess.
Despairing of success in. Dawson, he
went to Cape Nome by the river route,
and soon accumulated a roll Of about $1O,-
900. With this amount he started for the
states, and stopped off at; Helena en- route
east, where he made a long visit with his
parents: He returned to Seattle, where,
with With:.W. S:sstanchfeld, the Helena ,
horseman,F he started "a. gambling house
called the Dawson .cluh!g g. z:,: szg.:.:s -.
This did not prove a successful venture, 4
however, and Kelly. sought to recuperate
the losses Of the club. BY playing the 4
races, with the result that he was soon
in hard straits again. - It was quite
t evident that the club could not survive
another week, whereupon Kelly drew out
his share of:the roll, bucked the bank in
his own place and won out the entire roll,
about $1,000 :" - .t =
With this sum he started for New York,
where he secured employment as q, faro
dealer. This was about eighteen or twen-
ty months ago: From letters received by
his friends, it isrlearned that. he cons<-
cred New YOrkga great place to pull off
"coups,'' and he advised :severalof them
to come there, promising situations at
500 a week. That was the last heard
of him for six months, until the news Of
his startling victory at Oakland with For
est King, and it is safe to say his every
dollar was WaRered on the ANIMAL