The Washington herald., 1907-06-02
"CON." MEN OF OLDBN DAYS
Turned Many Tricks on Mississippi
River Boats.
quiet Young Man and His Country
man" Pal Got $500 on Bag
of salt Game.

Gambling on the Mississippi, said the
old captain. as Doc settled back in his
armchair at the farm. according 20 the
Chicago Rccard-Herald. was not at all
OF the type pictured nowadays hy some
fellow IN New York attic who never
even saw the stream.
The professional gambler was not per
mittrd % fleece our passengers. Well oc-
ca-l0ually a smart Alec who upon being
told thar De- was sitting in with sharpers,
guessed ua was tWeuty-gue years old
and knew his business was allowed %
go his way, with tie result that De
usually gained in one night an experience
that in after years was probably worth
aH that it cost him.
"The really big poker game was among
the p'anter4-frlsrds and ua.ghtors-Who
ou trip to New Orleans on the fine
steamboats, 0f those days in the early SOS s.,
would ulav fur stakes that would make
the hair of the Io0ker-0u curl No, indeed.
we never interforad with those games.
Poker was part Of their religion.
"The civil war developed new type ~
gambler in the Southern country the
con man. and the ingenuity these fellows
displayed kept us guessing as % what
would happen next
zone evening in the spring of eighteen
hundred and siNtv-odd. l backed the En-
cnautrcss cut from rhe New Orleans
wharf with cabin tull of passengers
bound for st. Louis
when I went ON watch at midnight
went down 90 the bar Tor the customary
u-cnteap before turning iu. old Dan
Bolts a character Tor Dickens was the
hlrkeaD. Finding him alone. ! invited him
to Join me in "a drink Now, whenever
] did this (which 7 did not do when pas
srngars were ar1unII. Dams. uuvaTyiug
custom was tU place the decanter and
glasses ou the counter and then come
around ou my side for the drink.
never asked him why be did this and
from that day o. this it has puzzled me.
Ny idea is ha believed that ou my side
Ot tho counter Dc was a gentleman. but
on his side Doc WAS only the h8rkCep.
Vow. Dams chief delight was 20 spot
.gams' and crooks OF every sort. and his
many wears on the river had given him
great ability U that itne.
"Ou the occasion Of the midnight drink
he said that a case on board was troub-
Eug him. A Young chap that he had
spotted for sport had taken no part
ia 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 tha lay 6r some sort.
Next day 7 noticed the Young fellow.
Ife seemed 90 be rather q favorite with
the passengers, and his quiet demeauor
gave no token that he needed watching
About @ o'clock that night We landed
az Red River Among the passengers that
came ON board was an old chap bespat-
tered with mud. spurs on the boots into
which his trousers We're tucked, and sad
de haES on his arms-Cvidently country
man just in from q hard ride He paid his
fare To NiokshUrE, secured a room. in
which Dee deposited his saddle bags and
returned 90 tine stove I'm the forward
cabin where Dc sat down and without
word to anybody produced a small
square bag from his overcoat pocket
warmed 10 at the stove. and, holding
ft 20 his face. proceeded 10 nurse an
apparently aching tooth.
"Au this attracted the attention of the
young chap Dan had had his eyes on.
.T00thqCnr. Stranger said he. Yes.
toothache by -. was the reply. What
YOU got in that bag? Hot salt. YOU
ID idiot; lemme lone
"The youth subsidized. and there were
no more questions.
after while the old man got up from
his chair laid his bag of salt on the stove
walked down the cabin and out through a
massage 20 the bar which was located on
the stsrboard side amidships
"While ne was gone the youth. with q
wink at the passengers near by, took the
bag of salt. ripped a small hole I'm il with
his penknifc. empted the salt into the
s3wdust box under the stove. filled the
bag with sawdust. closed the rip with a
small safety pin, and replaced it on the
stove.
The old man soon returned. picked up
his bag and again gave his whole atten-
tion % the aching tooth. Obiivious Of his
audience OF grinning passengers.
'"'Never heard Of hot salt for tooth
ache before; don't believe it is salt said
the youth. addressing the passengers.
I got SEQ that says it's salt said the
old man with some heat
Now here was a situation-a man Of
foring to bet S500 that his bag Of saw
dust was salt. A tempting proposition
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
a ten but he would bet that. Others
eagerly chipped i'm, and the $500 was
quickly made up.
"The old man laborioUslv counted out
his wad from "A big leather pockethook
and the thousand dollars was placed on
the table
"The bag. with safety pin still in IT,
was opened, and containcd-salt.
"A little after midnight, at a point
where the boat landed for wood. the Old
man and his pal walked ashore and for
got TO come back
''The small trihe Of duplicate safety pins
was the artistic thing in that juggle'