The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-02
WONDERFUL POKER GAME
When Henry Clay Went Against
Royal Flush
Correspondence OF St. Louis Globe
Denocrat.)


Royal Flush.
Correspondence OF St Louis Globe
Denocrat.)
Owingsville, Ky-.'Looking for
story. are you. son?' said the old. poker
playing Kentucky colonel, as your cor
respondent walked up to him and Of
fered him a cigar. Lets see, did I
ever tell you of the time Henry Clay
lost his fine property. the Olympian
Springs. out ten miles from here. way
back in the '30s. to George Lansdowne2
No? Well, sit down and 1 will tell you
about it.
Il was little shaver then, and used
to go with my father out to see Henry
Clay when he owned and lived for q
time at the Springs. as we called
them then. All the girls and boys from
all over the south clear to New Orleans.
used to come I'D there tiren. and they
had some great times | can tell you
Clay had race 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 here
ab0uts then. and the hunters would
gailop all over Bath county nearly be-
fore they returned. Then they would
let their horses rest up a day or two
and then they would have race them
selves out on the old course. And the
dances they had here at the old OWings
mansion and then out at the. Springs
were TnaFvels Of brilIiancy-
The racing game and the counting
game was not all they had there i'm the
old days Old George Lansdowne lived
here in OwingsVille then. aud he was
worth anywhere from $25O.0OO to $780,
600. He was great poker player and
once in awhile when he was feeling
good he would go out to see Henry
Clay and they would have a game
which would be I wonder even now in
he Of cfa
ways glad to see him. because. he was
always certain of an exciting time with
the old colonel.
'LansdOwne seldom got the least bit
under the influence as we say of gen
tlemen. but when he did he was a ter
Tor. Remember how he used TO get
slightly in his cups. saddle up his mare
load up his shotgun and make his Mig
gers hide out in the bushes all around
the Owingsville hill. Then he would
make a niger walk in front of him
and beat the bushes for the hiding mig
gers, and when one would jump up and
run the old colonel would up with the
gun and let him have il. Hurt the mig
ger? Oh. no; the gun was only loaded
with beans, and afforded the colonel
great pleasure and didn't hurt the mig
gers. so what was the difference
Couldn't a gentleman indulge himself
in little pleasure with his own prop
erty- And when the old colonel got an
CRY, why, 1 have seen him many times
when he would swell up so in the neck
from anger that his collar button
would burst from his shirt and roll over
the floor. That always maids the old
colonel laugh.
About the poker game? Oh. yes.
Well, one day the old colonel woke up
and he sure was feeling his Keeping
He determined to go out and see how
his friend, Henry Clay. was doing. So
he had his niger get his horse and
rode out there. Arriving there and par
taking of slight refreshment. Lans-
doWne proposed poker game Clay
agreed, and the two went 10 the pOlxeY
room soon the game was on. fast and
furious. First Clay would win what
there was in sight, and then Lans-
doWne would come up with a good hand
ana take in everything on the board
ms continued almost all day, but
along toward night Clay began losing
steadily. He lost and he lost
me colonel kept rallying him on his
luck asserting him, and still Clay kept
losing. Finally Clay pushed his chair
back from the table and said. George
nave no more money by me at this
time But the springs are mine; what.
VIII YOU bet against them -
or some minutes Eansdowne stud
led Then he said: Henry. / have
long wanted the springs property. They
Will be worth just $4,000 TO me if 4 win
you win. What do you say?
Clay agreed and the colonel pulled
long wallet out Of his pocket and
counted out cash and notes for the
$4,000 Then the game began again.
First one would lose and then the
other At last Clay's luck again de-
serted him and his pile of chips got
lower and lower. Both had good hands
and both stayed every time. CLAY
would raise. and the old colonel. study
ing his hand, as IL he was in doubt.
/ would see it and stay Finally CLAW
threw down his cards and said. in the
Vernacuidr of that day. that he was
all in He had held a good hand. an
ace high straight flush of SPADES. The
old colonel looked at Clay's cards a mo-
menJ and then again at his own hand
"A good hand Henry he said, a good
hand- But and then he laid down
slowly one by one, the ace of diamonds,
the KING OF diamonds. the queen of dia-.
monds, the jack of diamonds and the
ten of diamonds-the royal hush-thls
Is a better one
Clay pushed back his chair, and. fol-
lowed by the colonel, walked out of the
room A few days later the legal trans
fer of the property was made and the
colonel became owner of the sprines.
They have never been the same since,
and never Will be, 1 reckon"
The colonel sighed as he rose from
his chair. and, followed by the reporter,
for the open door.
GO and WRIT your story. son." ne
said. and say that that was the
strongest poker game ever played in
these parts" Then. as the reporter
whispered something to him. the old
Kentuckian smiled and said: well.
1t IS trifle cool, don't care if 1 do"
and back he went into the hotel -.... .-.