Arizona republican., 1907-02-01
THE TIGER DIED
WITH SMILING FACE
But it Hurt Him Just the Same, and
an Autopsy Revealed That he Was
Bleeding lnwardy.

\ MS tense muScleS ana as he NdNeu MS
striped tail in fond farewell. a smile
| Illuminated his face. 1t was not the
smile of joy or satisfaction, but the
brilliant glow of forceful resignation
to the decree of an uncompromising
| fate. whose pronounciamento was al
ready known and whose sentences are
| irrevocable.
| The end of gambling has been the
supreme topic of local interest for
several days past There has been
nothing doubtful about it since the
! passage of the city ordinance, but as
the hour of dissolution draws nigh,
there is always a morbid curiosity to
know with what cheer the patient will
meet his end, and ii was so with
| gambling. What are the gamblers
| going to do?" was the question on ev-
cry hand and they did the most nat
ural and reasonable thing in the
world. They simply quit gambling and
closed up the layouts in humble sub
mission TO the mandates of the law.
H There was little ceremony, though for
some unaccountable reason almost eY-
erybody in town had acquired an i'm
| preston that the gamblers and their
friends We're going to enter upon some
wild orgy last night that would shame
the moon and disgrace themselves in
the eyes of those who had been their
Il apologists and friends. In this the
curiosity seekers were disappointed.
/ Most of the gamblers put on their
coats, got a bite to eat. and went
home. Today they will take up the
matter Of future meal tickets and set
tie it in conformity with their oppor-
tunities and the size of the finishing
cleanup Some will go elsewhere to
continue their speculative industry.
and few viii remain and take up
other lines of employment. Some who
are i'm the saloon business as well.
will make the best of their business in
its enforced widowhood from the
spouse that has aided in supplying the
larder for 10, these many years.
II What they did last night after
u o'clock might be explained in that
word nothing" Some scores of curl
osity parties who have no interest in
gambling. who seldom visit those
places and who were out for what
they could see entered upon sympa-
thizing effort by taking a few extra
drinks. In this they We're Joined by
the natural habitues Of the saloons.
outside the tables. 1t was the Tigers
| funeral, but most of the mourners
were self invited and most of the
weeping was done by those who in the
| Tigers life had seldom recognized his
existence and even more rarely his
| Importance in the world. Going to flu
nerals is great sport for a lot of peo-
pie. a few were present To rejoice in
the death of their old enemy. and a
| sOodly number of others who knew the
Tiger in his day and generation, not
wisely but too well, learning that he
was entering the valley OF the shadow
of death. sought to harrass his last
expiring moments in the sweetness of
revenge.
For all these reasons the saloons
were nearly all crowded last night I'M
til the midnight hour. and the nearer
it came to midnight. the greater was
the crowd. As the minutes came to
be numbered on the fingers, the crowds
climbed on tables, chairs and every
available place. each hoping to see
the last turn. and spot the man that
made the last lucky bet. There was
exhibited in any quarter. All was
merry as a marriage bell although
beneath the merriment sadness was
written on some faces. The crowds
surged from one gambling house to
another. looking for something novel
and exciting. but finding it not. The
greatest crowd was at the Casino. |
which had more games than any other
house and last night all were patron
lied. Two faro games. a wheel. craps, /
poker and keno with the other smah
card games round about, made up the !
list, not forgetting Of course, the pol /
icy game.
The games all closed promptly at
70. or a moment before. so that the /
money was counted. the layouts cover /
ed. and the jig up when the ak fell. I
That is. all except the roulette wheel |
of John Bodet of the Palace. He said /
he didn't need any law to close him /
up. He could stop without it. So at |
11:15 the cover went over the beauti- /
fully numbered table, a spike went /
through its underlying woodwork, and |
a bow of crepe adorned the spike and |
a similar one was placed on the cor |
ner of the table, fit emblems of the /,
dead.
At the Casino the faro games closed /
first some minutes before the fatal 1
hour and only the wheel held out I'M /
til the near approach of time when !
number "a appeared well toward the |
end of the board, and the ball stopped |
short, never to roll again. when the !
old game died. The house was crowd /
ed when Manager Mayors invited all |
present both friends and enemies. to |
step up and have one on the Tiger. |
and the sort Of stepping that followed |
would have put Dan Patch to the /
blush. could he have seen il. There !
was never anything like it on race |
track.
At the Capitol the last turn was