The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-29
POKER VITA 4 ONE-ARMED NAN
THE GENERAL WAS A BIG WINNER UNTIL A JOLT
IN STORM EXPOSED HIS HAND

/
/ cussing the exposures in Chicago D
, gambling devices.
4 was travelling from New York tc
London said the Major. It was !
good many years ago, and in those days
a fortnight's journey was nothing on
of the way. A few of the fast ships-tlis
greyhourids, as they called them then
would do it in ten, but fourteen OF
sixteen days was considered very fair
voyage in the ordinary way fame,
these fast journeys must have spoiled
the game somehoW--ao time to get ac-
.quainted, We ki1ow-but at that time
there were regular gangs of sharpers
who practically lived on the Atlantic
during the summer season OF course,
they got pretty we'll known TO the Off
GERS, but as long as they paid their fares
and were not caught cheating it was
! nobody's business to stop it.
Il was IN the habit of crossing every
few months, and, having been had once
or twice myself, had pretty good
knowledge of the different gangs On
this particular voyage was placed next
to the first officer at dinner, and, know
ing me as a pretty regular traveller, he
smiled when he saw me scrutinizing the
rest of the saloon passengers at table.
Miss anybody. Major9 he said, sly
~
81 fancy so,' / replied. Are they
keeping their cabins till they get their
sea legs ons'
The boys" have had marching or
ders, he replied. We're pretty clean
ship now. / believe
n creffa or rather harat,ra he of,.
sence of the professionals, we made up
two or three poker parties after We had
been out for a day or two. They were
tame games. however, at first, with a
smallish limit 1t was the General--we
called him the General because he was
an oldish man of military bearing who
had lost his right hand-who first pro-
posed raising the limit He had been
losing and, not liking to object under
the circumstances, we agreed TO hufnor
him. he GeneraP-his name was Nc
Closky, and he was the most modest.
gentlemanly man | had ever met, dep
recated our giving him the title, Cen
tlemen, he would say, pointing with his
left hand to the black silk sling in which
his MANNED arm rested, a secesh bullet
IN my first engagement robbed me OF a
commission. Plain Mr. McClosky, II
ycu don't mind After that we only
called him the General behind his back,
but we thought none the worse of him
for his want of title"
A bit awkward for i'm to old the
cards with his left put in the Majors
listeners, let alone dealing and shutting,
wasn't it
He got on better than one would
think said the Major. OF course. he
could neither shuttle nor deal, but he had
a way of making rest for his cards on
the manned arm that served pretty well
He was a good poker player. too, loved
the game-his one vice, he used to say
had won and lost thousands at IT. Lost
more than I've won, though, boys, ne
would say. with twinllling eyes, for I've
played sometimes with those who were
not above taking advantage of one
armed player To tell you the truth,
his luck was so internally out the first
week or so that we began to hight shy
of him, fearing that he would think we
were playing tricks. I really got TO
dread his Say, Major, I've been look
ing for You this ha'af-hour. Where's the
rest of our party
1t seemed, however, that | need have
had no conjunction, for / discovered
from NcCloskyss. confidential servant.
a respectable young fellow who was halt
valet and half companion, sharing the
Generals stateroom in order to assist
him in dressing his master was
enormously wealthy So We went on
playing day after day, raising the. limit
every time we sat down, until after
week of it we found we were. gambling
deucedly heavily. After the first week
too. the cards came McCloskys way
bit. and At the rate we were playing now
ii didn't take him long TO get back all
he lost. and a bit in hand.
"Then he suggested easing OH bit.
saying that he was satished-he dIdr
want to win our money, and 50 on. "
course we wouldn't hear of that. and
we went on playing high and losing
more and more until. on comparing
notes on the day before our arrival ct
Liverpool we found that the General
had won close on four hundred pounds
Of the Others I was the smallest loser.
Still. I had dropped flfty or sixty