Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-06-13
DICE WENT ovERB GARD.
How Regiment Of Crap Shooters Was
Converted at Sea.

How Regiment Of Crap Shooters Was
& Converted at Sea.
Five hundred pairs of dice are lying
on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean
somewhere off the east coast Of the
United States unless the fishes swallow
ed them and carried them away. The
spotted cubes were thrown overheard
by the negroes of the Twenty third
Kansas regiment during q violent
storm at sea, the sacrifice having been
prompted by penitence. It was while
the negro regiment was on board the
ship Vigilancia en- route to Cuba In
September, 1893, that q storm, says the
Kansas City Star, converted score Of
boisterous crap games Into ferventj
religious meeting
The Twenty third Kansas went from;
Topeka to New York city and from
there sailed for Cuba. There was no
sleep on board the Vigilancia the first
night out. It Is said that practically
ill of the negroes who were not pros
trated with seasickness were shooting
craps. The scene Is described as one Of
mingled suffering and excitement. The
distressed pleaded for quiet and rest,
but were unheeded by the noisy gam
blers.
Above the cries and means Of the
suffering such language as this could
be heard in different parts OF the yes
sci:
ITS 'leyen, an know it. ..shoot
de money Didn't get coon'7'Y
Little Dick
Late at night, while the games were
running high, a violent storm broke
suddenly upon the sea. When the
wind struck the vigilancia rudder
was broken and she whirled round
and round and then dipped down into
the hollow Of mighty wave. The
shock was unexpected, and In mo-
ment the soldiers were experiencing all
OF the horrors Of storm at sea. The
negroes grabbed up the dice and loose
change and huddled together Ike cat
tie, some of them moaning and others
too frightened to utter a sound.
The storm ragged for an hour, the
soldiers thinking that every moment
would be the last. Fortunately there
was negro preacher on board, the
Rev. John Z. Waller. It was for him
to rise to the occasion. He gathered
q crowd Of negroes around HIN and
spoke thus:
Brethren, the Lord sent this storm
on the heads Of sinful crap shooters
If we want to be saved, let us pray. a al
Then he dropped down on his knees
and his voice was heard praying above
the noise of the storm.
The soldiers Joined with the preach.
er in his prayer. In short time lam
entations, means and promises could
be heard on every hand. It was re-
i vival meeting In earnest. Nearly ev
1 cry one Of the 300 soldiers was ethel
singing or praying. The whole regi
ment was converted in very few
i minutes. 5s
But the rough sea continued. The
colored preacher felt that something
/ further must be done. An inspiration
came to him. There must be sacri
i flee.
Our prayers and songs don't pre-
vaily' he shouted There's something
wrong. Brethren, the dice must g
into the scar
The suggestion had only to be made
/ The dice were tossed into the angr,
waters, about 500 pairs. Some Of til,
Il negroes also threw Id the money which
4 they had won with the dice. IN hal
j an hour after the dice went the storm
abated.
The Rev. John =. Waller held reli
Il gious services at frequent interval
during the rest Of the voyage. The.
1 were always well attended. At eacl
meeting he told his hearers that th
1 prayers Of the righteous had saved th
Il wicked. Then he urged them all t
Il remain steadfast.
Nothing was said about crap shoot
4 ing during the rest OF the voyage
i Shortly after the soldiers landed 4
4 Cuba there was pay day. Then
was that a backslider tried to borroy
some dice, but not a single pair coul
be found In the regiment. They ha,
all been consigned to the sea.
u This was q condition that could nc
last. An ingenious negro soldier stol
an ivory billiard ball from Cuba,
pool hall and whitfield out pair Q
dice. He sold them for $12.