The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1905-01-06
NDPOKER STORY
NecalIing the Earlier Days of
~ Old Kentucky.
ABig Game in Which Henry Clay
Lost 0lympian
Springs.

said the old. poker playing kentucky
colonel, as your correspondent walk
ed up to him and offered him cigar.
p Lets see. did ever tell you OF the
time Henry Clay lost his fine proper.
ty the Olympian Springs, out ten
miles from Owensville, way back in
F, the ,os to George Lansdownt? Nor
Well sit down and will tell you
about 1t.
81 was a little shaver then, and
used to go with my father out to see
Henry Clay when he owned and lived
Tor a time at the Springs, asi we
called them then. All the giIls and
boys from all over the South, clear to
New Orleans, used to come up there
tnsL, and they had some great
times can tell you. Clay had lace
track there, and some OF the bloods
brought their racers with them and
thousands of dollars were sometimes
wagered on a single race. There was
good fox hunting thereab outs then.
and the husters woul gallop all over
Bath county nearly before they re.
turned. Then they would have a
race themselves out on the oil course
aad the dances they had here at the
old Owings mansion and then out at
the Springs were marvels Of bril-
liaacy,
1.-The facing game and the counting
Vpame were not all they had there In
the old days. O'dGecrge L1nsdowne
lived there in OSiuesville then, and
he was worth any where from S2So,-
600 to $500 600 He was great
poker player AID once in a while,
when he was feeling good, he would
20 out to see Henry Clay and they
would have a game which woul be a
wonder even now In days OF big
stakes. Clay Was always glad to Sc
him because he was always certain
of an exciting time with the old COL
onel.
"Lausdowne seldom got the less.
BIT under the "iuAlence." as we say
OF gentlemen, but when heidi he was
a terror. Remember how he used to
get slightly In his cups, saddle up his
mare, load up his shotgun and make
his niggers hide out In the bushes all
around the Owingsville hill. Then
he would makes niger walk In front
OF him and beat the bushes Tor the
hiding niggers, and when one would
Jump up and run the old colonel
would up with his gun and letshim
have II. Hurt the niggei? oh, no;
the gun was only loaded with beans,
and afford the colonel great pleasure
and didn't hut the niggers, so what
was the difference! Couldn't a gen.
tleman indulge himself In little
pleasure with his own property? And
whenthe old colonel got angry, why,
have seen him many times when he
would swell up so In the neck from
anger that his color button would
bust from his shirt and roll over the
foor. That always made the old col
onel laugh. =
About the poker game? Oh, yes!
Well, one day the old colonel woke
up and he sure was feeling his keep
ing. He determined to igo out and
see how his friend. Henry Clay, was
doing. So he had his niger to get
his horse and rode out there. Arriv
ing there and partakiug OF a slight
refreshment, Lansdowne proposed
poker game. Clay agreed, aud the
two went to the poker room. Soon
the game was on, fast and famous.
First Clay would win what there was
In sight. and when Lansdowne would
come up with a good hand and take
In everything on the board. This
continued almost ALT day. but along
toward night Clay began losing stead
lily. He lost and he. lost.
"The colonel kept rallying him on
his luck desiring him, and still Clay
kept losing. Finally Clay pushed his
chair back from the table and said,
George, 1 have no more money by me
at the time. But the springs are
mine; what will you bet against
themf"
''For some minutes Landowne
studied. Then he said: Henry, /
-. t~.c ,vantad The onriuua oroner.