The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-12
A 81, 400 PACK OF PLAYING CARDS.

/ Melville B. Raymond. the theatrica
manager, who is also associated will
/ other interests. among them the United
| States Playing Card company, is tn,
proud possessor of pack OF playing card!
that cost one person s.. 400 and not at IN,
gambling table, either II was this way
according othe New York World:
Tho other day a friend Of mine whC
travels the world over, purchasing ami
mails for circuses, brought me this deck o.
! cards he said. The deck in question wa:
most dilspidated one. torn and dirty
and incomplete. four or FIVE cards beins
gone. 1t looked as If ii might have beer
used for whole seasons poker games
on canal boat or a coal barge.
He got 1t in the interior of Bornec
from a native chief. and with il an inter
esting story of the guile OF the white mar
as opposed to the innocence of the chill
dren OF the forest
When Jordan. my friend, went to Bor-
neo this time il was TO purchase some IL
gers. which are very fine In the northern
part of the island. and are trapped in good
condition by the natives He journeyed
far into the interior, into savage districts
but with good sized escort. till he reach
ed the village of an old chief whom he
had visited once before on the same err
rand. This old chief is far in advance OF
his fellow Borneans of that part OF the
island in the matter of education and
civilization, and has learned good many
tricks of the European. Jordan negotiat-
ed with him for several tigers and finally
the time came for the payment
"On previous visits to Borneo Jordan
had always made a bargain with this
chief for his tigers. giving him in payment
glass beads, clothes, cheap rings and. on
one occasion, two silk hats. one of which
the old fellow still wore as crown. But
now, 10 Jordsns surprise the chief de
manded paper money.
Paper money! inquired Jordan
through his interpreter. What do you
know about it,
But the old chief wagged his head wise
ly. Natives who had visited the towns Of
the white man had come back with infor-
nation that they did all their bartering
with pieces of paper and sometimes coins.
when the sum involved was small. But
when the purchases were large they used
paper. Oh. yes. he knew and he also
knew that these pieces Of paper could be
used agai nand again, and when one
bought anything with one Of them the
white man would give you what you
wanted and a handful OF silver money
besides. Why, the last man who had
come heEe to buy tigers of the old chief
had willingly agreed to pay him that way
in paper money. which ne was going to
spend the FIRST time he could get away
from his country and go 70 the settlements
of the white man near the coast
'Whereupon' declared Jordan to my
amazement the old chief brought forth
from his girdle a pack Of playing cards,
dirty. torn and generally disreputable-
intact this pack that l am showing you.
4 enquired and found that some other
animal trader. who had preceded ne. on
having the old chief demand real paper
money for his tigers. had agreed 20 pay
him that way and had foisted on him an
old pack OF cards. which the poor old
chief was guarding jealousy contingent
on his visit 10 the hsunts OF civilization
For this pack the chief had sold the trader
eight fine tigers. and as tigers there are
worth about 500 each the chief was ont
some .2.4oo
" When I broke the news Of his victim
ling 10 the old chief his rage knew no
bounds and he was for going A. once IN
search Of the man who had sold him this
gold brick Of the jungle. But as the
trader had left this part q B0rueo a year
previous I knew he must Dc back home ir
Europe by this time and conTirced the
chief OF the futility % hls hunt
incidentally. also convinced him that
money was no object 70 him. and got
four tigers for about $40 worth 81 trink-