The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1909-04-24
DoNALDsoNVILLE. La SATURDAY, APRIL "a 1909
IT WAS HIS LAST GAME.
Extraordinary .vicissitude That Befell
Poker Player.

Perhaps the most extraordinary VI
cissitude thatever befell a poker player
came the wsy of Duncan G. Kenner
of Louisiana in 1859 or thereabouts.
Mr.. Kenner was a famous man in this
state. He lived then in Ascension
parish, and his landing was about
80 miles above New Orleans. Ofeourse,
there were no railroads along the river
in those days, so the sugar planters,
like the cotton planters further up,
had to go to and return from "the city
by boat. Duncan Kenner was very
rich man for those days. He owned
large plantations and many slaves
and he prospered nightly. More
over, he was horse fancier and pro-
noter of the races on the old Metairie
rack at New Orleans. It may be re-
membered that he was the owner of the
famous horse, Lecompte, which once
won the four mile race against Lexing-
ton over the Metairie course. Lexing-
ton afterward beat the winners time,
running alone, and thereby established
the four mile record; but Mr.. Kenner s
horse Lecompte beat him in the contest
and won the $40, 900 stake the two
owners had put up. This by way OF
Introduction and to account for Mr..
Kenner. It has nothing to do with
the poker story that follows. but is
intended only to establish Mr.. Ken
ner's status and to illustrate his so
cial place.
In those lush days the big sugar
planters along the upper coast
meaning the river stretch from New
Orleans up to Bayou Sara-were in
The habit OF going to New Orleans
every winter, pastieRgg ap At ssks sfas Sid
st. Louis Hotel, spending the season
of opera, etc.. there, and returning to
their respective homes Immediately
after Mardi Gras. Upon these return
trips a certain number OF them played
poker from the time the boat pulled
out at the head of Canal street until
they were deposited at their various
landings. They would assemble acs
cording to their respective destina-
tions. the lower dwellers here and the
further yoyagors there. and so on.
Thus it happened that our friend
Kenner fell in with his usual CON
panions on that fatal night and the
game began before the boat passed
Carrollton. There was no limit, of
course, and eight were playing in the
game. This required on occasion
dealing from the discards to meet the
demands Of the players. That. how
ever, mattered nothing, for they were
all old friends: they knew each other,
and with reason. We may dismiss,
as they did, the idea of i crooked
deal.
After playing for some hours, With.
alternating fortunes, Mr.. Kenner
picked up his hand and found there
four kings and an ace-a practically
inVincible hand for those days before
tn g proclamation OF the sequence
flush. Nothing could beat it but four
aces and king, ard at first he thought
of standing pat. The betting began
briskly, however. and after raising
back number Of times, 1t occurred TO
him to draw one card, to "fool 'em,'
as he put it. Some thousands of dol
lars were wagered on the deal, all
sorts Of draws were made, the dis
cards were shuf1sd and an elderly
sugar planter, living near Donaldson
vile, took two. = After much high
betting, the show down disclosed this
fact that while Mr.. Kenner had his
four kings, the elderly sugar planter,
with three aces at the outset, had
caught MIR. Kenner's discarded ace
and so made four.
Mr.. Kenner never played poker af
ter that. In 1869 be told the writer OF
this article that he would not pursue a
game susceptible to such extraordi-
merry developments. He admitted that
it could not occur again in thousand
years, but the fact remained that I'll
had occurred in his case and that was
enough for him. In 1872 and thereafter
he was calm and undisturbed old
gentleman, very rich, surrounded By
the luxuries of life and open to almost
all It's opportunities, but he dIdn't
play poker any more. He was full of
"reminiscences and content. He sim
ply didn't play.-New Orleans Cores
pondence New York Sun.