The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-06-27
MAN
Old Days on tho MlssIssIpp

Gambling on the Mississippi" said
the old captain, as he settled back in
his arm chair at the farm, was not al
all OF the type pictured nowadays by
some fellow in New York attic who
has never even seen the stream.
"The professional gambler was not
permitted to fleece our passengers
Well, occasionally a smart Alec who
upon being told that he was sitting in
with sharpers guessed he was 81
years old and knew his business was
! allowed to go his way, with the result
that he usually gained in one night an
experience that in after years was
probably worth all that it cost him.
THE really big poker game was
among the planters-friends and
neighbors-who on trip to New
Orleans on the fine steamboats, OF
those days in the early sixties would
play for stakes that would make the
hair of the locker on curl. No, indeed
we never interfered with those games
Poker was part of their religion.
The civil war developed new type
OF gambler in the southern country
the con man, and the ingenuity these
fellows displayed kept us guessing as
to what would happen next.
"One evening in the spring OF
eighteen hundred and sixty odd ]
backed the Enchantress out from the
New Orleans wharf with a cabin full
of passengers bound for St Louis.
when l went off watch at midnight
tomary nightcap before turning in.
Old Dan Bolts, a character for Dick
ems, was the barkeep. Finding him
alone, l invited him to join me in a
drink. Now, whenever I did this
(Which l did not do when passengers
were arounG Dams unvarying Gus
tom was to place the decanter and
glasses on the counter and then come
out from behind the bar and walk
around on my side for the drink.
never asked him why he did this, but
from that day to this 1t has puzzled
me. My idea is he believed that on
my side of the counter he was a gen
tleman, but on his side he was only
the barkeep.
Now, Dams chief delight was to
spot gains ana crooks of every sort
and his many years on the river had
given him great ability in that line.
"On the occasion of the midnight
drink he said that case on board
was troubling him. A young chap that
he had spotted for sport had taken
no part in the poker games of the
evening, had done nothing, in fact, but
sit around and look pretty, but old
Dan was sure he was on a lay of
some sort.
Next day l noticed the young fell
low He seemed to be rather favorite
with the passengers and his quiet de-
meanor gave no token that he needed
watching.
About nine o'clock that night we
landed at Red River. Among the pas
sengers that came on board was an
old chap despatched with mud, spurs
on the boots into which his trousers
were tucked and saddlebags on his
arms-evidently a country man just
in from hard ride. He paid his fare
to Vicksburg, secured room, in
which he deposited his saddle bags,
and returned to the stove in the for
ward cabin, where he sat down and
without a word to anybody produced
q small square bag from his overcoat
pocket, warmed it at the stove, and,
holding it to his face, proceeded to
nurse an apparently aching tooth.
"All this attracted the attention Of
the young chap Dan had had his eye
on. 'Toothache, stranger? said he.
Yes, toothache, by c. was the re-
ply. What you got in that bag? Hot
salt, you id idiot; femme lone
THE youth subsidized and there were
no more questions.
After a while the old man got up
from his chair, laid his bag of salt
on the stove, walked down the cabin
and out through passage to the bar,
which was located on the starboard
side amidships.
while he was gone the youth, with
a wink at the passengers nearby, took
the bag Of salt, ripped small hole in
1t with his penknife, emptied the salt
into the sawdust box under the stove,
filled the bag with sawdust, closed the
rip with a small safety pin and re-
placed it on the stove.
The old man soon returned, picked
up his bag and again gave his whole
attention to the aching tooth, oblivious
of his audience of grinning passengers.
"'Never heard of hot salt for a
toothache before; don't believe it is
salt said the youth addressing the
passengers.
"I got $500 that says it's salt said
the old man with some heat.
Now here was situation-a man
Offering to bet $500 that his bag Of
sawdust was salt. A tempting prop
osition to an audience not too pious to
bet on a sure thing.
THE young man looked aghast for
an instant and then said that he only
had ten, but he would bet that. 9th
ers eagerly Clipped in and that $500
was quickly made up.
1.-The bag, with safety pin still in it,
was opened and contained-salt.
"A little after midnight, at point
where the boat landed for wood, the
old man and his pal walked ashore