The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-04
THE
IN DRAW POKER.
Old Man Grecnhut Discusses Race
Suicide and Hears About
the Bambcrg Brothers.

more'n anything else il a rafting good case
% race suicide said old man Greenhut
as he and his cronies sat outdoors one
day around the front door Of his saloon. o
For an interval the party continued to
eat their tobacco in silence, waiting for
such further remarks as the speaker might
see fit to offer. As he continued smoking
peacefully as one who has freed his mind
Joe Bassett asked a question.
-Touchin' this here race suicide" he said.
what sort of a fish is IL? I haint heerid
o. none on EN- bein' catched in these here
waters. Do they roost high night times,
or kin you ride 'em bareback Be they
good to eat. or on'y fit fr paintin' wagorss?"
Old MAJ Greenhut looked at him with
some surprise and much dignity.
-Yore ignorance. Joe.' he said. severely.
sure is amazin'. Race suicide amt no
different I'm any other suicide. on'y you
run q race for it. some like a donkey race
10 q county fair. The one t comes in last
wins the prize.
The last n ] seen was managed fine.
There was three undesirable citizens in
0reenville what had been told o many
ines for to 60 jump in the river t they got
sort Of In the notion Of 1t. on'y they wouldn't
none on 'em go first.
Il reasoned with EN- all, but 'twan't no
use. an finally the citizens got together
an greed fer to have a race suicide. When
the three on 'em was notified they kicked
some, but they was give considerable red
liquor an was made to see t was fr the good
- the community. an after they'd had
more liquor they started
They had q hundred yard run 10 the
edge o. the levee an the last one over was
10 have another bottle o. whiskey afore
tumpin' in. There was some curiosity
about what'd happen. bein' as We knowed
they'd all want to be last.
b They started of fine an the hull town
was there to See they run fair. None on
EN- 'peared TO be deeprit hurried about
gettin' there first, but they got to the edge
o. the water in tolable good time. all to-
gether. Then they looked at each other
an all Of a sudden Sol Harpiton and Pete
Kinkead pushed Billy Mush overheard
an then tackled zach other.
sThey had a fine wrestlin' match fr
about ten minutes an there was oonsid'able
bettin' lone by them t was lookin' on. but
Pete Kinkesd finally hrowed Sol in the
river an we give him the extry bottle.
BY the time he'd finished that he said he
reckoned he'd ruther drown nor to drink
any more O. that, an over he went. Pears
like some o tn surplus poppylaton o.
this here c'mumity mought be utilized that
AVA thouten any danger TO the town"
'0h, I don't know said Owen Pepper
coming around tho corner with consider
eble more briskness than seemed fitting
on so hot a day. Il don't know. What
was you talking about? Come on and have
a drink. boys" he continued in the same
breath. without apparently caring whether
he was answered or not.
His invitation TO drink, however, was held
10 have the parliamentary potency Of a
motion to adjourn. and old man Greenhut
led the way to the bar. When the cere-
monies were concluded Mr.. Pepper said
again: What was you talking sbout?" and
old man Greenhut explained.
Looks like IL d be a excellent thing fr
Arkansas City" he said. ito have some o.
them race suicides right here. We cd
get shut o. some monstrous undesirable
citizens an pervide innocent entertainment
fr The public to the same time"
oh, ! didn't know" said Mr.. Owen Pep
per. What's the matter with draw poker3"
There Amt nothin' the matter with draw
poker responded the old man. with quick
Indignation. But what's that got to do
With race suieide1 Draw poker don't get
rid o nobody.
It's more like q fertilizer. Makes a good
man better an a undesirable citizen wuss,
count % goin' broke. same as a fertilizer
makes the crops an the weeds both grow.
Have to do your weedin' just the same"
oh. ! don know said Mr.. Pepper.
Draw poker'l do that, sometimes. I
knowed a family o. Bambergs over in
Tennessee, nigh where I was raised. Rich.
Had a thousand niggers afore the war.
'Bein' as they want none on EN- greet
soenders they was considerable loose change
In the house when the niggers was freed. an
when tn old man come to die. twenty year
ago. he left nigh about quarter Of a million.
an a will.
This here will was some p'cooliar.
Tn old man app'inted one o. his ~cronies,
name o. T~otmugger. trustee O. tn whole
shootin' match, an he was to hold il till
one o. the two sons dice an then give all
Z was left to the one Z didn't die. But up
TO that he was to give either one on 'em
any money that 'peared to he reasonable.
"Sim an Jim Bamberg Was the two sons.
an they was all Z was left o. the family.
Pears they hated each other right bitter.
an they vent to fightin' in the courts right
away.
Both on EN- claimed Z 'tother one had
ought for to been disinherited. but they
both lost. n then. hatin' each other like
they did, they set to work to get away with
the hull estate, so Z there wouldn's be
nothin' left when either one on en- died.
Feared neither one on 'em stopped to
think t he mought Ne left hisself If his
brother died first. but they was both hell
bent on spendin' all the money so s 'twten
he died 'toher one wouldn't get nothin',
Well. Sim d 60 to old man Totmugger
an brace him fr money. an get II. He
wouldn't al'ays get all he went after. but
old Totmugger was tol'able liberal, an
bein' as the will p'vided fr anything Z
'peared to be reasonable. ned mostly give
Sim what he asst for.
Then jim would go f'r his haul. an get
all he could. an next day Sim d go back,
an 80 on. Things was some lively.
-Bimeby old Totmugger begin to think
tk. -. -. ~u....ooahla an thau hofh