The sun., 1908-05-03
WRONG TIRETO WIN AT POKER
i;I7H TOOK ~ $4,000 AND LOST
4 FAT OFFICE.

came That Shows the lses OF fOkef IN
Pelltlcs-One Player Lost Ills Head
and Won Nhen Tic should Have Lost
Connection Of Poker and Lobbying.
Draw poker has been known TO be an inn
portant factor In more than one political
.tuation." said the gray haired young
,oking man in the club smoking room
but not, think, because Of any relation
etween politics and poker as two intellec-
nal games
1T has been rather because the poker
able Is a good place TO pass money from
me 10 another without legal consideration
Your really clever lobbyist IL keenly alive
10 the advantages Of such transfers, and
many a good poker hand has been thrown
m the discard In games whore more than
tho chips was at stake.
"A close analysis Of the two games will
how, a. | believe, more points Of resem-
DIanco between politics and poker than
ne casual observer would be likely TO
notice. Tho vocabulary Of the card table
.upp,.es some Of the most expressive
lords in the literature Of politics,
From the deal-cspecially the crooked
.,oal-to the latest word adopted by poll
rians, stand pat, there Ia a wide range
Nun, showdown, stacking the cards,
holding out the shifty cut, the freezeout,
he limit. calling the hand, ace high. sweet
oning the pot and lot Of other phrases
are usod with identical meaning in both
games, poker and politics.
Another thing I've noticed in regard to
'he two games Ia that successful poll
.icians are worry many OF them exceed
uEly good poker players.
In the days when Chester Arthur was
t. tho head Of tho Republican machine
~ New York, Police Commissioner French
Stove French he was commonly called
vas reckoned one of his most astute lieu
,enants. Now, | don't know OF my own
knowledge how good poker player French
vas, but know he used to sit in with the
boldest and best in the city, and there Is
expert evidence Of his ability
THAT evidence was given in court by
no less a witness than Harry Hill, who
vas testifying in some hearing or other
at the time when the police we're actively
engaged in the effort to close up his
celebrated sporting house on Houston
street and TO drive Hill himself out OF
business, as they succeeded eventually
in doing Hill was naturally very bitter
and always declared that the reason they
turned on him after being friendly with
him for many years was that he was un-
able TO meet the increased demands made
IN him year after year for tribute
'He was asked on the witness stand
.omethlng about Commissioner French. and
nIsanswer was. OH Steve French? Yes. He
was the best short card player ever knew
Later on an Alderman named Jaehne
came into great prominence by reason OF the
exposure Of the Doodle Boards sale Of a
street car franchise 10 the Hon, Jacob
sharp, and among other things that the
public learned about Jaehne when he was
placed on trial and sent to Sing Sing for
his connection with the famous combine
10 the board was that he was reckoned the
ucst poker player in New York.
Il can't say from personal knowledge
whether he deserved the reputation or not,
but from what saw of the mans marvel
lous nerve aud perfect imperturbab1ity dur
Ing his trial there could be no doubt Of his
having at least some Of the qualifications
II a good player. Never once could l see
Il change in his countenance from the time
re was arraigned in court tin he was put at
work in the tailor shop at Sing Sing.
Yet in spite Of the absolute self-com-
rand and perfect poise Of the man under
tremendous pressure, heard a reporter
m the court say that he gave one indica-
ion at a crucial moment Of lacking the
.,ill Of a perfect poker player. That was
failure to meet the strongest hand dealt
sainst him in the whole game.
That was undoubtedly Inspector
tyrnes's testimony. No elaborate proof
Jaehnes guilt was presented during the
r.t lire trial, but Byrnes testified that he
.'nnt toJaehne shouse and in a conversation,
,,bich no one else overheard, he told Jaehne
.uat he knew lot Of things which in fact
.. did not know, and so managed TO lead
I'm on to a confession.
To this testimony Jaehne interpoeed
'. denial either because he recognized
r'n hopelessness Of it or because OF his
..unsol's incapacity. The reporter said.
If this man Jaehne were as good a
.. ,er player as they say he is he would
.. on the stand and say. 1T is perfectly
ne that told Byrnes what he says ! did.
knew that he was lying to me TO draw
$50 on. and lied to him to see how far he
OF. .uld GO. am innocent. and he knew IL;
- he wants my conviction a. a feather
, his CAP BY doing this he would at
,ast have raised reasonable doubt in his
.yor in the jury. By not doing It he
rev his hand in the discard.
i doubt myself if Jaehne would have
zen acquitted He might have secured a
agreement, however and anyhow the
.ticism Of him as poker player seems to
10 he sound,
1T was long after Jaehne's day that the
ker game in the Democratic Club came
be much talked or but when Dick Croker
ade It the headquarters Of Tammany
lan. thereby seoluding himself from the
.lnk and file Of the party more successfully
IAN he could do in Fourteenth street there
me 10 be some tolerably stif playing in
10 clubhouse, and Croker himself came
.u be talked Of among the club members
., The best player who sat in, though he only
..ayed occasionally.
4 don't altogether credit the opinion,
..r two reasons. First, the Democratic
Wbs estimate Of Croker Is at least open
.--..-z..o..,r. ord aapondlv | am told he