The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-09
CSew York SUM-

into the big valley ne done told it TO 20
Wherever il wanted to. An they usetel
chuckle some about the way the rive
done Just what was told TO II, ever
while they was cuSsin' a blue streak
tryin' to find a new channel what th'
river done found FIR itself TO run II
Overnight
Pears like they was toTable Nigh
right, too hain't saw no greet change
hood times, FIR all them dinky little
mattresses tn engineers has ben tyin
down, here an there, a matter o TWEEN
" or thirty year.
Il amt sayin but what there!
changes, but all them changes aim
nothin' TO the difference there is on the
boats I'm what twas when l was {
youngster
Them days there want so many
railroads runnin' over cattle an folk:
an dlsfggerin' the land. When a mar
Travelled them days he cd ride, clear
an conf able, onto a boat as was toll
able nigh as elegant as his own house
More'n that, he cd find a heap more
nun an excitement into one trip on the
poats nor he was liable to git in hun
dred year stayin' to home. l reckon
that was why the quality done consid-
able travelin' them days.
II amt sayin' twas aFays healthy or
the boats. There was times when there
was consid' able more lead in tn air r
| was good FIR man Z couldn't dodge
! streak o lightnin, an there's been q
! heap is been took with heart failure
consequence O. runnin' up against the
business end of a bowie; but there was
sure heap o fun, an excitement was
| afays to be had.
| FIT one thing, there was never a
night without a game o. poker into the
1 G AFNs toll Ok oh I
know nothin' It's changed more'n the
poker o. poker has since I was boy.
| If a spot o. them days was to set
into game now. an was to stack UP
ag'in a limit, an see jack pots played,
an hear talk about table stakes, l reck-
on he'd be liable for to be took with a
| fit. An if he was to hold four kings
an ace. an hear some other Teller
put in claim "a he'd beat that with a
straight flush. tn amt no question but
what thered be a rough house.
| But you don't oughter make no mis-
take about there not bein' full as much
Excitement into the game they played
them days as tn is now. Mebbe there
was more: reckon there was.
| 81 en- just about see one o. them
sharps I thinks he knows it all settin'
| in with some gazabo t learned the
game afore he was horned. Mebbe he'd
have a thousand in front of him. not
reck'nin' on goin' no further. but havin'
few thousand more in his kick.
'S'posin' he'd be settin' comftable
behind a king full alter a two card
draw, an gettin' a raise FIN the gaia
DO, him havin' took two likewise. Then
s'posin' he sh'd shove in his hull thou
sand, reck min on tn gazabo CALM FIR
what he had in front of him, but see
in him pull out a wad bigger'n his leg,
an boostin' it, say about five thousand
| more. GRIMM like a foolish mule.
Then it'd be W to him TO let his
thousand go on a possible bluff, or call
FIR all he had left, ag'in a likely four
of kind. Would that new style play
er get 'xcited?
"Mebbe he would, but / reckon he'd
be more liable fer to drop dead, if he
was like the most o them / see playin'
these times. But that was what a man
was liable fer to stack up ag'in if he
played old-style.
Il en- remember a. thin, cadabolous
lookin' zap t useter come abod the old
Belle o. tn Bayous when l was tendin'
bar on her t looked like he'd been
shook to rags with chills n fever, like
he prob'ly had. He'd get on at Vicks-
burg about twicet a year, an play po-
ker all the way down to New Orleans
an back, an then get off.
/" 'Peared. like he'd stay TO home on
his plantation till oncet in so often he'd
get blue moulded FIR a game. an then
he'd break away. He was rich, like
most o. tn planters was then, an it
didn't pear to make no difference to
him whether he'd win or lose when he
got through playin', but he played FIR
blood every time, an twa'n't every time
I he lose.
l.
travelled the boats them days an some
o. the planters wouldn't play with 'em,
KNOWN they was all crooked. but this
here yap-his name was Ellison-he
didn't pear to care who he played with.
so s t he cd count on gettin' into a
big game.
There want nobody ever see. the
bottom of his pile, but there was more
n oncet I he dug up a small fortune
FIR single bet. There was less calm
in the game n I see nowadays, but he
was more of a hand TO call Il most
was, an consequent there want so
many bluffs worked ag'in him as there
was with some.
II useter wonder sometimes afore l
knowed him long how 'twould be ii
there was a rough house, him lookin
like a man I d be better off in bed nor
he was travelin' round alone, on'y FIR
his niger. Later on come to see how
twas I he didn't have no 'casion to fret
hisself.
HE set into a game one night with
four men t had been playin' the bet
ter part o two days before he come
abo'd. They was wantin' a fifth hand
but there want nobody on the boat
was hankerin' to play with EN-, bein
as the chips was ten dollar gold pieces
an the bettin' was anything you like,
maxim a game I was some too nigh
for most, special as two at the table
was known f'r the most dangerous
Professionals on the river
They was Buck Hawthorne an
Billy Bangs. an the two gentlemen as
was playin' with 'em was both cotton
factors FIN New Orleans. Dick Dare
an Harry Masten they called each
other. both on 'em bein' high rollers
FIR fair an first-class players
They sure had 20 be good players