Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-26

thought best for sullivan TO retire from the
ring. II would have been well for him had
he taken the advice. He didn't, and Sheedy
before retiring from his management, got
up a big benefit for the champion of cham
plons. AT the benefit Sullivan was pre-
scented with the finest and c~ostliest belt
that ever girdled a pugilists loins. II cost
over $500. II was studded with diamonds,
and two-thirds Of its cost was betrayed by
Sheedy. The mayor OF Boston made the
presentation speech. He was not the same
mayor OF Boston who afterward refused to
shake hands with sullivan at a public
assemblage In che Hub.
Sheedy was witty and once played a
practical joke on a pugilist hat much
annoyed the fighter. Bob Trumbull was a
member Of the sparring staff OF Sulllvan's
company. lie asked for a ten days leave
Of absence while out west, which Sheedy
was adverse to granting him, as he feared
that he would not return to keen his en-
gagement. Bob in protesting that he would,
swore, I'll be back as sure as / am alive
He got the leave OF absence, but did not
keep his word. Sheedy that night tele-
graphed the New York newspapers that
Trumbull was dead. They published short
obituary notices Of him the next day, and
then wired for particulars OF his demise
In return Sheedy answered, An I know
about him is that he swore that he would
come back yesterday II he was alive. He
dldn't turn up, so he must be dead Bob
wasn't though. He was only sick OF the
punching he nightly got from la Blanche.
the marine, in his sparring bouts, and took
that way of getting free from him.
Public Illusions,
Talking Of his experiences long ago,
Sheedy said: you cannot disabuse the
average mind Of the idea that the gambler
Is a man Of money. Nothing will con-
vince people that his purse is not always
full, and that he does not live on the
fat Of the land, Where people get this
idea, and why, in the face OF overwhelm-
Ing evidence to the contrary, they retain
1t when they get It, is one of the myster-
les hat L AVE tried in vain 10 solve
for years. 1t is a mistake, a big mis-
take. 1t would almost be a Joke, II being
broke wasn't one Of the saddest condi-
tions a gambler can find himself in. ;
do not like to talk about myself. Never
in all my long career nave 1 sought no
%toriety. All of my gambling has been
done in an open way, and frequently incl
dents ave occurred which newspaper men
have regarded as interesting enough to
print 1 regard myself as a good bust
ness man because 1 am a good gambler.
Few business men nave devoted them
selves more assiduously to their work
than / have to mine. But the best OF
US fail at times, and the faro banks have
broken me as many times or more than
have broken them. Everybody who knows
me knows that when l sit down at the
table, and the fever comes over me, 1 will
not leave until 1 have got all of the banks
money or 1t has got all Of mine. L hav
gone into a gambling house q rich mar
and come out penniless. I ave gone In
poor and come out wealthy. I have gone
for weeks without money enough to buy
me a square meal. 1 lave sat in gambling
houses and seen men point at me and re-
mark to some one else. There's Pa
Sheedy, the lucky dog!' when 1 didn't
have the price of e. shave in my pocket
l have always manage to keep UP 6
good appearance, because 1 always buy
plenty of clothes when I've got money
That's something you can't gamble away
and It's mighty handy that you can't
I've gone into a gambling house on a shoe
string, run 1t up into the thousands, ant
then lost 1t. Next day the newspapers
have published accounts of my having
been ruined. A week later / nave won q
measly 5000, and the same newspapers
have printed long articles headed, Pat
sheedy Breaks Another Bank. Some
times 1t worries me, sometimes 1t makes
me angry, but more often han anything
else it amuses me-.
Where is the Money.
IF the gamblers have all the money
where is 1t? Show me a gambler with
bank account; SHOW ne one with a bit Of
real estate. You can't do 1t. Pat Sheedy
the successful gambler, hasn't got any OF
it. II he had, would he be leaving this
Gods own country, all the time? Would
he be chasing around the most obscure
corner Of the earth? No, sir. 1 cam
gamble here, and 1 must gamble to live
1 make my living at 1t, and a poor living
1t is. II 1 had money 1 wouldn't scour
the earth for games to play. I'd stay in
New York. The gambler has a harder
time than any other business man Once
In a while he gets what s~low-going, plod.
ding people might call a great deal OF
money. But 1t never lasts him long. More
often he is obliged to borrow the means
to live on from his friends.
"Only recently he talked OF his career
and said: "I've been a gambler. So are
all men. Most business is a form OF
gambling. Think OF Wall street. But
gambling's no profession for any man
1t is not even a profitable one, for it's
the only one of which you can say, The
higher you go the lower you are Ths
more you succeed the more you fail. The
cleverer a man is, the more brilliant he
becomes, the harder it is for a man to get