Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-24
SENATORS PLAYED The GAME
Tall STORIES Of Old Time TuSslss at the
Poker Table.
WARRIORS AND STATESMEN PLAYED HARD
HecoIIections of Roscoe ConkltnG,
General sherman, Tack Chandler
and General sheridan in
square Deal.

A young-old Washington club man. gen
tleman who has been on terms Of social
Intimacy with the most noted men at this
capital for more than a generation. was
recalling. a few evenings ago, some distin-
glished poker-1estas, the memory Of which
fingered with him.
THE game Of draw had strong fascina-
ton for so brainy man as Roscoe Conk-
ling" said he. and he was as delightful
poker antagonist as ever tried to fill an
fn-the-middle straight. Conkling was saw
agely criticised for his hauteur. as exhib-
tied In public but in private intercourse
with his friends he seemed TO shed his ar
rogance as IL It had been shell. For this
reason rye always believed and maintained
that the domineering manner he exhibited
in public. which often caused him 10 he
hopelessly misunderstood, was q good deal
~ pose. From the very beginning of his
service in Washington the Washington cor
respondents paraded Conkling as a sort or
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and am Of the
opinion that il suited Conklings fancy.
when he perceived that it would be quite
impossible for him TO clear himself Of this
reputation, TO study the part that had been
thrust upon him. and TO portray it with
consistence and elaboration throughout his
public career
"He was powerfully fond Of the game OF
draw. as I started to say. and during the
last four or FIVE years of his senatorial ca
reer he would occasionally drop in at John
Chamberlns while congress was I'm session
TO sit into a game there with friends, all
Of them prominent public men, who enjoyed
tho mental stimulus and excitement OF
drawing cards. and who were always moro
than willing TO engage in a game in which
Conkling was one Of the players. The we'll
stored mind and cultured intellect of the
New York senator never shone more
brightly nor more variously than during
these memorable sessions at poker with his
friends and cronies
Great Bunch.
"Quite often some of those among us
Who were not so fortunate, or unfortunate,
enough to be swlrers in the vortex OF
public life would be invited to take hand
at these poker seances: and ] for one,
possess no more valued recollections than
those that often recur to my mind of the
occasions on which ] played poker with
Roscoe Conkling sitting at the other side
OF the table.
General Fhil Sheridan was often one
of the players at these meetings, and
when General Sherman was living in Wash
tngton he, too would freqently happen
around and take hand when the game
was in progress at Chamberlin's.
with Conkling and Sherman in the game
the talk at the poker table was n good deal
more interesting to some of us than the
game itself for both men would constantly
huri witty dabs at each other, and the oral
sparring between these two remarkable men
was brilliant and diverting in the extreme
Thntr nj Of hnr xyar lyvaN rG
good-natured and harmless. Different as
they we're in profession and temperament,
Conkling and Sherman were about evenly
matched in wit and in their mastery Of re-
partee, and both men seemed 10 find pleas
ure in practicing on each other in their
hours OF relaxation, especially at these
card meetings.
"Conkling." said General Sherman. one
night to the New York senator, when the
game was In progress, that Hyperion curl
OF yours may now assume an added twist,
the effect of woe, and that Herculean chest
prepare to array itself In a tunlc Of peni-
tential sackcloth-for I've sure got you
licked. Full house knaves atop of Fights, "
and General Sherman spread his hand out
on the table
Exchanging BUNS.
~'Sherman,' said the New York senator,
- beatinc smile pickering at the corners
OF his mouth, when you marched to the
sea at that extremely theatrical period of
your career, and reached the sea, it would
have been a good deal better for you had
you kept right on marching, even to the
point of complete and final submersion,
thus sparing yourself the modification of
bsing thrashed right out of your boots at
mis- stage OF your life by mere civilian.
-Four deuoes,' and Conkling raked in the
Dot with flourish, while grizzled old
Tscump' chewed the extinct butt OF his
Cigar thoughtfully.
But Il was against General Phil Sheri-
dan that Conkling played his hardest. The
two men were great chums and confidants
hut when they got into a poker game to-
gether--it was-of course in a perfectly
good-natured sort OF way-give and take
and no quarter. When Sheridan was in
the game Conkling simply addressed all
Of bis study and skill TO the task of beat
ing out the hero OF Winchester, while on
the other hand Little Phil would pay
hardly any attention at all to tho other
players. he was so eager to pummel his
friend Conklng. Very often the rest of us
would at a sort OF tactly understood sig,
nal drop out. just for the fun Of seeing
Conkling and sheridan AT each other,
throsts. so to speak.
Phil said Conkling one night when he
thought his hand invincble he ad
vised. have your interest at heart. We
all admire your historic and present rash
ness-but Phil be advised. Consider YOU
natural aversion to smoking a pipe II you
proceed with me on this. your be com
PEELED to smoke a pipe instead Of cigars
virtually until your retirement. This time
you are not only twenty miles away. You
are 0Oi0, 20 100000 miles I'm the distance
and you haven't chance in life 10 travers,
the ground. Call me-
"'Conkling, replied Little Phil, will
those two red fighting spots on his cheek
bones burning brightly; you're a stupen
dous. a colossal buffer. and I'll see yol
dangling from that sour apple tree o
yours first. 1 raise you the limit
In that case said Conkling, stufin,