Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-01-03

hut when somebody mentioned Jazz
Winterbottoin's namr. Nj. Nlnlcrnot-
tom had not been seen in the saloon
FOR more than u week. and There had
been disuuicting wulnors in references
10 him.
There was Il politician in Little Rock
name o. Hiiah Wilkins soine years ago,
continued the old man. as usetct 80
along stiddN as Il clock fr months I"
Il time. 'tendin' To business ;n makin'
his influence felt as long as his wad
held out. an times when it didn't wa'n'a
no ways frequent, bein' as he knowed
every man in the legislator. intimate.
an made "a habit a loSin' none To
'em at poker. regular an abundant.
Them days "A man I ed lose money To
a member a. TIL legislator graceful an
stiddy cd al'ays get il to lose. if he
had boss sense enough ter know where
ter go for II.
I've SAW Bijali set in at poker with
a state senator I Vas chairman OF II
committee | was couSlderin some
tatue 4 Bijah's friends was consid'-
able interested into. an I've saw him
lay down Il full hous" when 'tother man
called him on three ems. That was
the first time / eve seen any q his
queer stunts. an just nachully | reck-
oncd he must be plumb crazy.
He got W an left the Don an
l foilered MIN out. thinkin' mebbc he
inought be outen his head. When he
got outside I asked him how came he
made such n goddess play. He was sort
u GRIMM to hisself when / spoke. but
he Strengthened out his face an looked
monstrous solemn.
Fact is. Greenhut.' he says. Tn
subject To terrible twinges. There amt
no tellin' when they're goin' to catch
me. but when they DO, I'd lay down
most anythin for to get ava! ar get
fresh air. Anyway. Their" want more'n
four hundred in the pot. an | reckon
that -four hundred II make the senator
feel sort a contcnted like.
Il was some p'voked. Feared like
that wanna no way fr no poker player
to talk. but ! was Interested. too. an
| says. What pears TO be the reason
q them there .winges?'
He grabbed me by III" fist AN M.
says, 'Greenhut. | don't want you To
say nothin' about it,. but the doctors
tell me I've got u ~ingioWin' liver
We'll, that was on'y oncet. but seen
the same thing happen half Il dozen
times. Bijah'd he's PROSPEROUS as the
next. an I'm all you Cd sec he'd be
pliyin poker. steady an Industrious.
'thouten any business on III outside to
interfere. Then all o IL sudden he'd
get into u tolable stiff game an get
took with a twinge. Then vo,, couldn.t
tell what'd happen.
Now. this here trouble a Jake Win
terbottoln's pears to some q the same
sort o sickness. faint notbin' Il, co
with his liver. bein' as Jake uses to-
hacker reg'lar an abundant. an. to-
hackers the best thing in the world
fy'r h liver. but Jake's got a inerow-
III conscience. an every time he gifts
painful.
FIN what l hear. he was took ,ip to
the mourners' bench to a camp meeting
"nen he was too II to realize an
sittin religion at that time o. life were
consid able more serious nor IT would
a been II he'd been old enough, to git
tne best o the complaint. FIN thar
a sad story.
Likely the reason is t Jake never.
mad no what you mought call early add
Vantages. His old man were a nrea cha,
an had queer ideas. He wouldn't neve,.
lick Jake. on'y f'r dom them things =
any young Teller has to do. Licked him
1r hghtin' every time. Some Teller
opened a night school fr to teach tn,
how to play draw poker an.
Jake wanted to learn. but tn Old nan
iashed the hide Off him.
Ihen ms NAV took him to camp meet
IN an come nigh ruinin' him fr life. lax.
told ma oncet as 1t look him mora'n "a Yea,
to git over that first attack. When he did
he left home.
You uns knows how he's dedicated his.
self till he's one o the most relia hIc ,i.y.
ers in Arkansas, but what Won al, Inn.,
know is how he struggles with ten,nta.
ZION I m time to time. That ingrowin' con.
science o his'n gets infiamed now an
agin. an he has Il wrestle with It siren
Gus afore he en- lake a hand 'tho1ter
powerful misgivin's.
There was one time Zeka Butler com,
up here firm Vicksburg, with IL pal o
hisn t he called Hooper. an set in to d,
up the Arkansas City talent. We uns did
MT know Hooper then. but I'm what ",
heer'd afterwards I al'ays. rcckoned IL
were a New Orleans spot t had tn nam
o. riffin' cards bcter'an any one else II
Lou'sianny.
i've saw a good many hot nights in thi
here saloon. but / d,sremember any tim
when rel serious trouble 'peared to b
bilin' up over the lid like the way 1t di
that p'tic'lar night.
Jake was n n he Is now. ar
Joe Bassett had only just begun playin
Then there was Jim ~Featherbow, t Civ
of untimely n year or two later on one {
the boats. there benz some question {
five kings being held IN one deal.
IT reckon that game had more to d
with gtvin' Arkansas City the rcppytatio
it has o other one game It's be
played. Zeke Butler sure did come +
easy money. an HIM an Hooper were
hard team to beat. lit 1t hadn't ben z
| Jake Winterbottom's conscience | don
reckon t ID "a ben did.
"rhey played heavy. the hull on e,
bein' well nee led an the ante I'm the staI
bein' five call ten. The way We firsere
1t. though. VI couldn't stand the stra,
II the home crowd was to lose muc
more'n a thousand apiece. The ;dee wa
to make il quick. If We cd clean out tn
two by playin' heavy, we'd likely stand
better show n II 'twace to be a Ion
game.
Il will say t that there HOPPER was
Jim dandy fr dealin'. whether twas crook
ed or not. There was thre times on h,
l deal 4 him an Euflor Anoh-