The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-03-30
Hg IUJIlE lsIH0a MB LOST.
uondsrfualy Gamoralizing Effects
af cesson Gambling.

SSH &XSs - OsA1+ss soa4s1tSSe oo&SsoA1s
more shan I did, said the stranger
at the Bniord. II was thousands
ahead and got deliFious, or may be
] vas just plain fool. 4 didn' :
know very much about speculating. /
had played poker, and had the same
experieuce that every man has who
Is not q professional. 1 had won as
much as several hundred dollars IN
night, andr the next day 1 had gone
ont and spent my winnings reckiessly
and foolishiy. A few nights later [
lost as much or a good deal more than
had won. In other words, threw
away what I won and put my nose to
the grindstone to pay what | lost;
and this did not take into account the
tax on nerves and health.
3s But I had never speculated until
last fall. Everybody was talking cot
ton and as ], happened to- have q good
deal Of extra money at the time l
bought about 800 worth of contracts.
And cotton vent up.r, was interest
ii sover tha3fyss winning. I.soon be-
came absorbed. I paid no attention
10 my family. I thoughtSonly about
cotton. ! got 5000 ahead: | held
on. Ny profits rose to Sc, 900. and |
began to make plans for the futurs.
used to figure with a pencil what
would buy. Soon vas $4,000
ahead. was in an intensely emo
tional, excitable, state and could hard
" sleep. The market. That was all |
thought about.
Ny profits went up to SIS, 600. /
kent all my winnings in-took nothing
cus-kep pvramiding. Some of my
cooler friends came to me and begged
me to close ont my contracts, but
was wild.
81 got SIS, 600 ahead. That was more
money it occurred to me than l could
& lose. As look back upon it now /
know was insane. was so certain
iaas was coming out winner chat |
made positive plans as to what | should
lay and how should invest the money.
NV profits kept climbing. Past $780,
100 they went, and began to lose flesh
ind go unshayen.
The more ] won the greedier I
became. When I began | would have
aiaorn that when ! got 5000 ahead
j.. would stop, but at the S25, OG0 profit
mark was furious bull, screaming
that cotton must go to 20 cents. And
one day was $29, 900 ahead OF the
game. Mind you, that was my
anoney. AL I had to do was to call
on my broker for settlement. And
that was all the money really need
AID. ] get good salary and have an
a,conomical sensible family. That
sss29, o60 meant collegiate education
i.or my boys and girls, comfort for my
wife, and comparative luxury for all
of Us. I knew that. ] now look back
with utter amazement upon my feel
ings at that time. My family knew
what I was doing, aad they begged
,zse to close out and be content with
ms small fortune. 70 all such advice
4 turneda deaf ear. vas sorscf
maniac. It seemed such an easy way
80 make money. The bulls must con-
time 80 win;I thought 1 was to be.
rich-rich! Ny pulse was too quick
and there was fever IN my head, but
was ecstatic,
Then the slump came. You re-.
member it-remember how 1t came to
ruin the joys of Christmas. The
market broke and soon / was stagger-.
ing around like an imbecile. was In
new game. and I didn't know, what
Is do. didn't know how to protect
myself had no adequate means to
protect myself as to margins. just
stood and gaped In terror at the mar
ket and became completely demoraliz-
ed. / lost my nerve, and when the
market had reached point where !
was only $500 to the good I crawled.
in ike wliuDad cur to my broker
and closed forever with the cotton
market.
g And 1 don't get ever that expert
ence. I try to think that I came out
$500 to the good and was fortunate
at shat, bat it's no use. Day and
night I am thinking of that lost
wealth. don't get as much pleasure
out of simple things.as used to do.
That gambling experience will hurt
me till I Gle. It is a terrible thing to
play with unseen money, my friends. -
Charlotte Observer.