Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-15
Hlistsllaneuus 8saain9,
BLUFF WON FOR TENpERFooT.
PhiIadeIphian Nerve too Much for
Bad Man.


with back yonder in the days when
| real bad men actually existed were
so versatile in their moods, to put 1t
| that way, that nobody could figure
out just what they were liable to do
in a given case," observed Abraham
/ Kaufman, former leader of the or
chestra of the Taber Grand Opera
| house in Denver, who put in a good
many years in the Colorado camps
when they were new and lively. II
fell to thinking of this a couple Of
days ago when I read a poker story
in which a seasoned but desperate
gambler took a chance by opening a
jackpot without holding openers and
winning out on the play. I saw a
tenderfoot take a sitter chance than
that with one Of the worst men in
the West sitting on the other side Of
the table and get away with it.
Pack Upton, who was shot to rib
bons by a posse of deputy marshals
in 1888, had a flyer faro layout in
Durango, Col, in 1881. Upton was
poison all the way through. He had
pretty nearly as much Indian in him
as white, although the red stuff
didn't show in his features and he had
Clipped at least nine notches in his
slay gun before he struck Durango.
1t was known about, too, that he
hadn't been on the level in his way of
killing several Of his victims, and
when he got into Durango and set
up his game he was looked upon by
all hands-and Durango wasn't peo-
pied by trouble duckers then, either
as a man who'd be liable to take
some advantages in a mix-up.
HE wasn't liked, but his game
was on the square. and he had plen-
ty Of play. He did most Of the deal
ing himself, and he often dealt with
out the services of a lookout, so ca
gled-eyed was he in watching every
move on the board.
Before the little thing happened
that I'm going to tell about Upton
lows who were bucking his game,
and every time the other fellow in
the argument had to go back out Of
the door with his hands pointing up
ward, for Upton had miraculously
sudden way Of getting the drop on
people who undertook to start some
thing with him.
mo man that Upton ever had an
argument with over the way cards
slipped out Of the deal box was ever
permitted to do any bucking at his
table again, and no man ever welch-
ed on Upton, either-that is, asked for
markers and then when the cards
slipped out the wrong way discovered
that he didn't have the wherewith to
make good. 1t wasn't deemed wise
even by men who knew how to shoot
quick with both hands to try such
stalls on Pack Upton.
well, there was a hard drinking
young chap struck Durango from
Philadelphia who didn't know any
more about the underlying spirit Of
western camp than he did about
branding steers, but he had a knack
of slowing away champagne at So a
quart that beat anything Durango
had ever seen previous to his arrival.
What he was doing in Durango no.
body knew. He proba ~ didn't know
l.. oh
a thousand dollars, and this sum
lasted him fully three days.
He had not gone up against a
single gambling game In order to
get himself broke so suddenly, but he
was a basket orderer from the up
lands and even a thousand doesn't
go a great distance when each quart
cost So and everybody within sound
of the orderer's voice is in on the open
ing. The fool boy blew all Of the
hangers on Of Durango off to the SO
wine until he was broke. Then he
went to his hotel and took a snooze
over It, He was a kid Of about Fl
or so, slender smooth faced and boy
ish looking, and he was rugged out
in tenderfoot raiment that was only
allowed to get by in Durango be-
cause its wearer was a spender.
when the youngster woke up at
the end of this three-day whirl In
Durango he didn't have the price OF
an eye-opener, much less Of one Of
those baskets he had been ordering
so profusely. However, he wasn't
exactly the kind OF fool boy who'd
attempt to make a borrow from the
fellows who had helped him to go
broke. He fixed himself out with a
shave and hot towels and turned up
in the hotel office as spick and span
as II he had another bundle the size
of a horse collar to blow in on his IA
vorite prescription. 1t was about
nine o'clock at night when he made
his appearance in the hotel office.
81 guess I'll see If 1 can't tap a
bank some he said to the hotel
clerk. Where's the nearest bank"
"'Well. there's Pack Upton's
across the way said the clerk. He
runs a square game, but you don't
want to get tangled up none with
Pack or he's liable to make a lunch
off you
bad, eh?' said the tenderfoot.
"'Pizen,' said the clerk. Real pi-
zen.'
"'Oh, WE'LL said the tenderfoot,
maybe he's not so bad and he
strolled over the way to Pack Up
tons. He had never been IN there
before, and Upton had never clapped
an eye upon him.
when he walked in beside the six
or seven players sitting around the
table at which Upton was dealing
there were half a dozen men standing
behind the chairs dropping bets down
on occasional cards they liked. Once
in a while, when these standers
couldn't reach the cards they wanted
to put their gold on, they'd call out
in low tone to Upton, Pack, just put
a marker on such and such a card for
me- naming the amount they wanted