The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-05-25
OIdTime Gambler Who Died in
PhiIadelphia's Street.
ONCE He WAS WEALTHY.
Backer OF a Number Of Men Who in
Late Years Achieved Promin-
ence on the Stage.

One of the old time gamblers was
| found dead in the streets of Philadel-
phia recently under circumstances that
illustrate the penalties of sporting life,
says the New York Press His name
was Major William B. Anderson, and
his military title was fairly gained in
the Civil war in the Third Pennsylvania
| volunteers. In his time he had backed
about all of the famous old minstrel
men, a luxury that delighted successful
gamblers in olden times.
He was the hacker of Simonds, Slo-
| cum and Sweatman for the two sea-
sons they existed in partnership. Of
these only Willis Sweatman survives,
playing the negro in "The County
Chairman" Anderson also backed Skiff
and Gaylord, Duprez and Benedict and
Carncross and DiXey-names that will
recall the palmy days of the minstrel
stage, and in his prosperous days he
staked every minstrel in hard luck he
met. He buried Billy Emerson and
Harry Stanwood and started Billy Rice
in business several times.
He said Just before his death that his
fondness for negro minstrels prevented
him from being rich man, which is
doubtless true, if he had also cut out
the gaming. For a long time he was
partner of George Brotherton, now bet
ter known in New York than Philadel-
phia. The pair of them found an "an
geP' in William NJ. Singerly and played
him to Il showdown. Singerly fitted out
the old Masonic building as the Temple
theatre for them, which they conduct
ed as comic opera house for some
years, running "The Little Tycoon" for
a whole season.
When Singerly got tired of the the
atre, Brotherton moved to New York,
but the major stayed in Philadelphia
to have it out with Lawyer Giboney,
head of the Law and Order society. The
society got the final fall. He kept faro
and poker rooms when he could. and
closed them when he had to, and when
recently the wave of reform in politics
swept over the Quaker City, the major
was washed high and dry on the shore
of insolvency. He kept up good front,
however, but fell dead in the street
from pure starvation at last and with
out penny in his pocket.
Anderson was well known all over
the country to sporting men. Once
when he made large winning he went
to Chicago and broke McDonald's faro
bank. He crossed Clark street to jeff
Hankins' place and dropped it ALL He
next night played at McDonald's and
won again. but second visit to Han.
kins' left him poor as before. Five
times the maj beat the game in Nc
Donalds and five times the game i'm
Hankin's beat the major back to Phia
delphia.
Anderson was friend of Matthew
Quay, of "Chris" Magee, of Bull" An
drews and many prominent and wealthy
men. In fact, he was a friend of nearly
everybody, except himself. Had his con
dition been known he would not have
been permitted to die in the street hun
CRY and penniless. For time he was a
friend of "Pope" Perry, the SAMSON
street sport, but one night, when both
of them had been drinking heavily in
Madden's place, at SAMSON and Eighth
streets, Perry said: major, I'll bet you
| can shoot an apple off your head from
the length of this barroom. The bar
room was thirty five feet in length,
Frank Frayne, the actor, had just shot
his wife dead on the stage while per-
forming the same trick, and the tragedy
started the conversation.
you're on" said the major. "You
VIII, WHeCHcI you I'LL He VI Tie apple.
Perry took his place with pistol,
and just as he was ready to fire Louis
Megargee, the city editor of the Times,
entered the room at door near where
the major stood. At that instant Perry
fired, and Megargee. with flesh wound
in his shoulder, walked over to the bar
and said; "Pope, you never could shoot
straight. It's on me?"
eyes," said the major, ''that's so; but
he never wastes shot nor plays false
card"
The Times was then engaged in war
upon the SAMSON street gamblers
The day before his death Anderson
went into the Continental hotel and.
calling Lu Maltby, the proprietor, aside.
said to him: "Lu, / want YOU to give
$40 for a monument, or at least for
stone, to put over old Billy Emersons