The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-06-17
THE ICON" MAN
Old pays on The MlssIosIppI.

MS arm c0alr at the ihf1hs WIS NOT AZ
NIL 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 60 fleece our passer, ers.
Well, occasionally a smart Ale, ~ o
upon being told that he was sit61s in
with sharpers guessed he wa, 2t
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 1t cost him.
The really big poker game was
among the planters friends and
nelghbors--who on a 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 a part Of their religion.
THE civil war developed new type
OF gambler in the southern country,
the con man, ant the ingenuity these
fellows displayed kept us guessing as
10 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 cabin full
of passengers bound for st. Louis.
when | went off watch at midnight
went down to the bar for the Gus.
tomary nightcap before turning in
Old Dan Bolts, character for Dick
ems. was the barkeep. Finding him
alone, / invited him to Join me in q
drink. Now. whenever / did this
(Which did not do when passengers
were around 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 10 this Il has puzzled
me. My idea is he believed that on
my side OF the counter he was gen.
tleman, but on his side he was only
the barkeep.
Now, Dams chief delight was 10
spot gains and crooks OF every sort
and hiH 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 young chap that
he had spotted for a 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 lay OF
some sort
Next day / noticed the young fel-
low He seemed to be rather favorite
with the passengers and his quiet de-
meanor gave no token that he needed
Watching.
About ninc o'clock that night We
landed at Red River. Among the pas
sengers that capse on board was an
old chap hespattered 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 VicksbuTg. secured a 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
a small square bag from his overcoai
pocket. warmed IL at the stove, and
holding II to his face. proceeded tc
nurse an apparently aching tooth
"All this attracted the attention ol
the young chap Dan had had his eye
on. 'Toothache, strangers? said he
Yes. toothache, by c.. was the re
ply. What you got in that bag?' Hoi
salt. you id idiot: lemme lone.
THE youth subsidized and there were
no more questions.
after a while the old man got VI
from his chair laid his bag of sal
on the stove, walked down the cabir
and out through passage to the bar
which was located on the starboars
side amidships.
While he was gone the youth, witt
wink at the passengers nearby. tool
the bag Of salt. ripped a small hole II
It with his penknife. emptied the sal
into the sawdust bcx under the stove
filed the bag with sawdust closed th'
rip with small safety pin and re
placed II on the stove.
The old man soon returned picke'
up his bag and again gave his who'll
attention 10 the aching tooth. Oblivion
OF his audience of grinning passengers
Never heard Of hot salt for
toothache before; don't believe It 1
salt. said the youth addressing tn
passengers.
II got $500 that says it's salt, SAT-
the old man with some heat.
Now here was a situation-a ma
offering to bet $500 that his bag O
sawdust was salt. A tempting prol
osition 10 an audience not too plous 1
bet on a sure thing.
"The young man looked aghast ia
an instant and then said that he onl
had a ten. but he would bet that. on
ers eagerly Clipped in and that $50
was quickly made up.
"The bag with safety pin still In i
was opened aud contained-salt
"A little after midnight. at poir
whore the boat landed for wood. IN
old man. and his pal walked ashor
aud forgot TO come back
The small trifle OF duplicate safet