The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-09
Four of a Kind With Backing
The Kind of Draw Poker They Played Mississippi the Old Days

Hawthorne. Bangs beln the SnckeSt
dealer there was on the river, an
Hawthorne understanding blum pet
ter n most O. course, the two fac
tors bein' gentlemen, played straight.
but they was both OH 'em slick enough
to know when Bangs was stackin' the
cards, an they was both on 'em con-
sid able skilled their own sells when
ii come to bluff, so they want more n
two or three thousand loser between
'em when Ellison come abo'd an Mas
ten seen him comm
Here comes the man we want, he
says. an lie calls TO Ellison to come
take a hand, so Ellison he says he's
agreeable, p'vidin' there wanna no OBJ
lection.
Those t was lool<in' on, an there
was arays some I d stand round
watchin' a good game, had been sort
o. struck before that, when they seen
the stakes, fr the ante was two chips
call five every time. an the chips was
yellow boys, like I said. Feared like
that was some stiff, but Ellison want
satisfied.
He didn't say nothin'. but settin'
next TO tn age on the first deal alter
he set in he straddled, maxim it a
even hundred to draw cards, even if
nobody sh'd raise.
Bangs was dealin', an Dave had
put up the ante but when Masten' I
set next to Ellison, seen his hand he
throwed it down. Likely twas too
good to be true. I don't know how
that was, but 7 knew he'd been toi-
able leary about playin' when Bangs
dealt
Hawthorne, havin' next hand. come
in 'thoaten a word, an Bangs studied
spell an then raised il a hundred
Dave dropped an Ellison raised back
Then Hawthorne trailed and Bangs
made l. still another hundred.
Ellison looked at him kind o.
sharp an seen the raise 'thouten goin'
no further. an Hawthorne saws he
reckons it's time FIR him to be doin'
somethin'. SO he raises, an Bangs
trails. Then Ellison throws down his
cards.
He'd lost four hundred 'thcuten a
play, bat he want 10 more. concerned
nor If he'd busted a button ofrn his
shirt Feared like he'd on'y been
sizin' on zen. up, to see what they was
liable for to DO, an he wa'n't ready to
play as'in no cross-fire. not yet. he
Want / don't remember who took
that pot. bein' as everybody knowed it
didn't make no difference between the
two pals.
when Dave dealt Ellison put I'D
the reg'lar ante, two calls five, an
kind o. looks at Masten to see if he'd
stra3dle, an when he didn't Ellison
looks sort o. disgusted. but he don't
say notnin. He want no hand t.
talk much
There wa mt nothin' diddin' on that
deal, an Ellison dTawed his ante down
an took the deck FIR a deal That
was the way they played afore jack
pots was invented. I amt putin up,
70 arsymenc about it. I'm just tellir:'
you what was did those DAYS.
We'll, Masten antes. an Hawthorne
straddles, an Ellison gives out cards
'PeareG like he'd done tof'able we'll
too, for everybody come in round Ia
Hawthorne, an he raises ii a hundred
an they all come in again, but nobody
raises back.
Thai made even thousand in the
pot afore the draw, an there was con-
sid'able excitement among them t was
lookin' on, but them t was playin'
was as cool as if they'd ben playin'
FIR marbles.
''On the draw Masten takes one
card. Hawthorne stands pat. Bangs
takes two. an Dave one. Then ELLISON
looks round sort o. like he was sizin'
up what they was all liable FIR t.
have. an then he says:
I reckon fall Amt much goo
this time an he takes two cards. dis
cardfn' pair of treys, an THROWN
EN- face up on the table SOS they co
see 'twa'n't no hot air he was givin'
EN-.
81 hain't never understood rightly
why twas t he didn't raise back afore
the draw with pat full. but 1 reckon
he'd mistrusted a pat hand an made
up his mind aforehand to split his full
Anyway that's what he did. an I've
saw him play pecooliar poker often.
90 course twas Hawthorne's first
bet, an he bet the size o. the pot that
bein', as 1 said. $1,000. Bangs stayed
o. course, bein' as he mought be use
full case of another crosscut, but Dave
dropped and Ellison sIzint his hand
down, slow an careful.
Then he reached FIR an inside pock-
ct an pulled out a fat wallet an
couEted out eleven one thousand dol
lar bills. Spreadin' 'em out smooth or
he table he offended to study FIR q
spell an thcn laid EN-, mighty DELHI
{ rate. into the pot. Then Masten
folded
THAT made just such a play as
was tellin' about. as ID put thesN
pikcrs t plays now into forty fits
Hawthorne zen he was up against II
hard ar prc3er. but he never whin-
nered. He seen t he'd either got tc
leave go O. the $1,000 him an Bangs
had into the pot r else cali ag'in'
what moueht be four of a kind. Then
he'd lose $4,000 more.
He studied a long time an
thought he was goin' to lay down, bu-
finally he says, L don't believe you
an he put up the money. shown
flush. Then Ellison showed down four
tens. an reached for the pot
Atore his hand got to the middle Of
he table, him not nlovin' special fast
he drawed II back like lishtnin' an
reached fr the back of his neck
Bangs sees Z him an his pal had
madeia ser'0Is losin' an he spoke nm
FIR rough house.
Hold on he says. quick and nasty
one o them tens WAS on the bottom
o the deck An his gun was ont
while he was sayin' of it
Ellison never spoke a word. but his
hand came back with a bowie in n
an with the one motion he threw If SO
s Z Bangs never had but three. fin
gers on his right hand after that. He
dropped his gun an il went off as II
struck the floor, but there want no
body hurt
Hawthorne had drawed as quick ae
Bangs. but before he cd pull trigger
he was SI2rin' infC, tine o0ar ard