Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-16
CURIOUS POKER GAME

''~rhere was a poker game ont In my town
that might have forced q good many OF US
to smoke corncob pipes TN next Fourth OF
July IL II hadn't turned out the way 1t did"
remarked member of the common council
Of q Wisconsin town. "A pretty fair-sized
percentage of the whole downtown popu-
lation Of the place was more or hess mixed
up in the outcome Of the showdown, and
the number of men who stood tap on
the thing was extraordinary.
1.-THE game started between quartet OF
newspaper men, night workers. They
been in the habit of starting a small game
every night, after the bulk OF their work
was DONE in the room set aside in the city
hurt each other much In these gaines. al
though once in a while one Of them, when
the limit had been recklessly raised around
payday to as high as two bits, succeeded
in annexing most of the wages Of the other
three. There wasn't more than $40 among
the four of them on this night, though, and
the game drifted along without anything
unusual for an hour or so. Then Jim
porter's name-opened a jackpot for ten
cents, and the only man in the bunch who
stayed was Ed Hazlitt-which is. again, not
exactly Eds final name
"HOpewelPs hand shook some when he
scanned his cards. for he never was
good poker player, being unable to control
his facial expression and general conduct
at critical points OF the game. And Haz-
HIT, who in a game of poker generally
exhibited the countenance Of a cigar store
Indian, looked a bit fabbergasted himself
when he looked over his cards. The two
players who had dropped out looked at
the other two with curiosity.
both stood pat. and then. by ten-cent
bounds-a dime being the limit that night
they both bet all the money they had. Then
they each borrowed all OF the money that
10 - r. Axry@ v1,N hod
dropped out-possessed, each man getting
half, share and share alike They bet that.
When 1t came time for a showdown, Hope
well said to HaZlitt:
more than the little coin we are betting
tonight. L. that the way you look upon
your tickets?
at sure is replied Hazlitt.
Well said Hopewell, what's the mat
ter with our sealing our hands UP In en-
velopes and leaving them here, in the Gus
tody OF these fellows, while we go out and
connect with some more dough? don't
mind telling you that I've got you walloped
to a standstill, but you are acting In such
a sassy way In coming back at me that
don't feed much like going light on you.
you see.'
Done you let little thing like that
worry you,' replied Haziitt I've been
digging around trying to hit your trail for
a proper killing for some time past. and
now that I've got you in the trench I'm
$50 the two hands were duly sealed up,
and Hopewell and Hazlitt went their re-
spective ways to get money. Each got $50.
and they came back and bet that on their
hands without re-opening the envelopes.
".Dye want to make 1t a call?' Hazlitt
asked then, or do you want to impoverish
your family by waiting until morning and
getting another bundle on that mess of
yours. with the limit taken OFF,
That's just what 1 was about to- sug-
gest. replied Hopewell.
80 they abandoned the game for that
night each man depositing his hand. self
sealed up in its envelope, with the police
captain on duty. the name Of each man on
the envelope containing his hand.
NOW, all OF this happened without any
body knowing anything about it except the
four players who were In the game. But
the next day the whole city hall was next.
Hopewell came to me and told me. after
asking me to pass my word that I wouldn't
give away what his hand contained, all about
1t, and suggested that If / wanted to make
a little side bet on his hand there was a
book running on the showdown at one OF
the cafes patronized by the city officials. 1
went there and, sure enough, there was
a regular betting game going on as to the
relative merits of Hopeweirs and Hazlitt's
hands. Hazlitt had put his friends next to
what he had in his hand. after exacting
from them the promise that they wouldn't
give 1t away. and the Hazlitt party looked
every bit as confident as the Hopewen out
fit. Now. the Hopewell hand was all but
unbeatable, and took that end Of it to
much larger extent than I'd care to have
my wife know about. I just played Hope
well for a world beater on that hand of his.
and got even money from the Hazlitt peo-
pie who took the Hazlitt end Of it.
That's the way the betting went-even
money and take your pick-and every man
to whom Hopewell and Hazlitt had revealed
his hand kept his word and held on to the
secret of the hand that he knew about Dur
a t,0rrf fvxyo
hands all sealed up got ell around town
among sporting men, politicians and all
sorts of pspple, and I'd be afraid to say
just how much money was put up on the
,shqN-dexn~ Both Hopewell and Hazlitt had
dug up between $500 and $500 apiece to bet
-loas 42aeir.zrespsctive hands, and the sealed
hands were to be opened publicly In the cafe
swizsfe betting was going On that night.
Every man interested in the opening OF
envelopes was On hand when
the result was to be made known. At the
Eppofn4ed Time Hopeweil and Hazlitt step
ped to the table wherein the two sealed
envelopes rested, and Hopewell, producing
3 note, laid it down and said:
Five more
49, .IIazlitt produced his five and said
~ call you
wells side of the table. and we weren't par
ticularly excited when the Hopewell en-
velope was opened, for we knew that Hope
wells hand was straight flush of hearts,
from nine TO king. But tie gang
on the other side of the table set I'D yell
as the cards were put down. one after an
other.
"At first their shouting was so great that
we thought we were beat by royal flush,
but when we heard the yell. It's stand
Off We knew that we'd be able to draw
. down our coin. anyhow. The cat was out
Of the bag before Hazlitt's envelope was
opened, and we knew that he had Sc
quence Hush of diamonds, from nine to
4Kfnge OF course. the usual number Of croak-
ers, who always maintain that one suit
In case like that beats another tried to
get in their work. but 1t didn't go. All Of
the money was split and the game was de-
clared no contest. That was probably The
biggest poker game, in point of the number
OF men engaged in 1t, ever played in this
country. and 1t wasn't any small thing in
point. of the, amount of money, all told, bet
on the hands. either"
|. .Britain's Great Naval Strength.
From the New York Sun.
'soyna off3ciaI Aeures puhlished the othar