The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-05
THE HAND SENATOR
4 VOORHEES, WON.
A Horrible Chance In a Poker Game
Taken by the Tai Sycamore
Of the Wabash.

WASHINGTON, May lit isn't oftel
that a stark sober man takes q horribl
chance In a poker game without knowing
that he is on the edge OF a preoiplce over
hanging an abyss, but / once saw q Rrea
and distinguished man do Just that thing,
said q veteran official Of the United State
Senate. This distinguished man vas tn
late Senator Dan Voorhees,, the Tall Syoa
more Of the Wabaah.
1T has always been q marvel TO ma hoy
a man can be learned, wise, scholarly, pro
found-and everybody knows that paT
VOORHEES, was all these-and still be hope
lessly incompetent poker player. / SUP
pose there never was q worse poker playei
on earth than Senator Voorhees,. 1t wal
not only that he habitually overplayec
hi and, but it was quite q common TINS
for him to bet on something in the %y
OF a hand that he didn't have at all but only
imagined he had.
There were four in the game ON THU
particular occasion. The late Senator
Isham @. Harris Of Tennessee, a player OF
the game who had earned the Order oi
Poker Merit, was one OF the others. The
third was Frank Hatton, at one time Post
master-G General, and up TO the time Of his
death IN owner OF a Washington news
paper. I was the fourth.
1.-THE game happened at Senator Voor-
hees's Washington boarding house. 1t
was near midnight when we sat down.
while the chips were being distributed,
Senator Voorhees, face took on an ex-
preston Of CONSERVATION and he began to
dig into the ~pigeonholes and drawers Of
the big desk in his room.
a1Whatia fha fro,hla nopp nalrnl Co.,.
tor Harris. Trying to find your rabbits
foot?'
Senator Voorhees, was muttering some
heated Indiana language as he pulled furi-
ously at the papers and pamphlets and other
gear In and on top OF his desk.
We can't play draw poker with our
fingers. that's one sure thing. he said
finally, turning to the rest OF US with a look
Of woe.
II hate to say it, Dam commented
Senator Harris, but that's about all you,
use in playing the game. II by any chance
you were to use your mind in a game OF
draw while I was sitting in I'd
Hush that, Isham,' interrupted Sena-
tor Dan r~eproachfully. It's cards that
I'm talking about. | don't know that
I've got any cards.
he searched through his three rooms,
but no cards were revealed. II was a bad
looking situation. At length he tapped
his forehead thoughtfully and then made
a dive for q travelling bag that lay under
his bed. He pulled the bag out, opened
II like a man searching for gold, drove, his
hand to the bottom OF the grip-and brought
forth an unused deck Of cards.
by hickory, but that was a strain
he gasped as he mopped his forehead.
That packs been in my vallse ever since
the last national convention l attended
and with only the one deck to see Viz through
the sitting we began the game.
1T was dollar limit. Only two hands
had been dealt around when an odd thing
happened.
AN hands stayed on this second deal
and Frank Hatton tool three cards. He
pretty contented when he picked
up his draw, and after a little skirmish- |
ing was called by Senator Harris-Senator
Dan and ! having dropped-and showed
down three sevens.
Senator Harris gazed curiously at the
sevens over the tops Of his spectacles. |
Then he gazed at Mr.. Hatton, who had not
pulled in the chips.
Il bid1 y wiz JouS "a g NbCII III your I
cuffs. Frank, said Senator Harris in an ag-
tone. Notice those two sevens OF
:
There they were. plain enough. two
.evens of spades. Mr.. Hatton was for
giving the pot to the Senator, but Mr.. Harris
wouldn't have that, and 30 they split IL be-
them, the mistake having occurred
1t the factory when the cards were sorted
We'll, we've got to go on playing with
defective deck, seeing that there are no
,thers,' said Senator Harris, after the cards
lad been sorted out according to their de-
gree and 1t had been found that The seven Of
iiemonds was missing, Now everybody
diamonds, and not the seven Of spades
md he took out g pencil and marked each
md Of the superfuous seyepof spades.
sThe gane vent for q fun three-quarters
u an hour before the Effectiveness Of the
ieck figured at all, and then it figured big.
1T was a buck jackpot, Senator Harris
the dealing. Mr.. Hatton, who was
indcr the guns, pried it open and, my aces
top OF kings looking pretty good to me. l
~crutini2ing his hand with remarkable care,
noticed after had shot Mr.. Hatton the
,etter dollar.
''The additional dollar said the Tall
'ycamore, huskily., I hate to, conduct my
Ell ell In b this Ia airy va, and qPERish man msSn ie gentle
~ . y Aoi - tAAAAA won ~ NlS IIO- /
line Of an old man for him TO GET" =,
s'Dan's old habit OF laundering in the
ndex.' broke In Senator Harris. a pleased
xpreesion on his face. i wonder how long
imaeines IL will take us to fathom his /,
ersidagef tn cost another dollar, gen.
Iemen. TO tarry along with me in this h.
1t seemed then that everybody must be
retty well 1Sed, for we an stayed dong. I
ir. Hatton took O couple, hut he was Ia 4
he habit Of holding up RokerB, and that |
idn't scare anybody: J. called for one, /
, my aces astride Of kings, and didn't :
o any good, though I was still ready 70 )
around and zee what was going tn I
{
senator Dan asked for one, too, and
hen he picked the corner Of II UP as il law !
n the table there WAS a certain ehuf1iuR ,
Z his feet under the table that sounded /
ocular TO me, not TO say q bit ominoue.
epator Voorhees,, thinker and student @
> he WIS. was as guileless as any little q
Mild, and bad M more ability In masking '
Is feelings In q poker game than he had :
/ screening his attitude toward measures rs
hen on the floor Of the Senate. a
Senator Harris gave himself one. and
the betting began. Mr.. Hatton locked
bit wahbly TO me, and / fell pretty sure
lat he had held UP his kicker as usual. 2
ut he bet the dollar az the opener, and q
Id 10 boost him with my aces up. @
y wasn't in the least afraid OF Rr. Hattou. u
I knew his poker face pretty wall. Put .
shufling OF Senator Dams feet under g