The sun., 1909-06-06
THE HONOR OF
! THREE GAMBLERS
A Little Game Pulled OFF on a
Mississippi River
Packet.

everything In 1t. whether It is Of interes
to them or not. It was this promiscuou
reading that furnished tho Colonel Wit
the cue for his opening remarks when h
settled himself in his chair on the poro
and looked at the floor while addressing
his speech to the barkeeper.
"Of all the gol darn lies that goes th
rounds of the papers, he began, "th
one that makes me tredest is this tall
about honor among thieves
Those grafters have to be square wit
one another. guess remarked the bar
keeper, -or they couldn't pull II Oh a
slick as they do
why, that amt honor; that's policy
It's like tho old fellow that told his bo!
honesty was the best policy; he'd trie'
both. never knew thief that wouldn'
rob his mother II 1t wasn't bad policy
and as for gamblers-why. they're moth
ing but lot OF thieves, anyhow
well, you hear lot Of talk about squar
gamblers .apd gentleman gamblers.
remarked the barkeeper, smiling.
From what I've seen Of 'em In forty
years the gambler Is square as long a
he's winning, and as for the gentleman
that stops at his clothes and his oompan,
manners. Come right down to bedrock
every gambler ever knoved was q THE
at heart; and as for honor among gam.
blers, every time I hear that kind o
talk 1t makes mo think Of a little game thai
was pulled OF on the Minneola when she
was running between Memphis and Gin
cinnati in the '7Os.'
49, II. L.
barkeeper. curiously, settling himself
on the porch rail to hear the details.
well. the way 1t come about In the first
place was mostly hearsay with me; but
three gentleman sports. most too fine
In their dress and ways to mix much with
tho rest OF the hustlers round Memphis
In those days got stranded there just after
tho yellow fever In '73. They seemed
to be attracted to ono another piking
round the faro table at the Bay Horse
and Joe Wetter's.
SIZED one another up for gentlemen
sports, I reckon, and being birds OF a
feather they hocked. They were too
honorable for hustling. ! calculate. and
I kind OF recollect Andy Granger remark
ing they were laying to pull of something
big but didn't have the stutf.'
Takes money to make money In all
businesses. don't it?- said the barkeeper
saeely. .You can't even skin man in
q poker game unless you've got the capital
to buy q stack OF chips at the start
ALSO, the bigger killing you want to
make the more capital it takes added
the Colonel. 1T was just the same in
IL as II IL now. but II q sport has scheme.
whether it's poker. politics or gold mines.
hs can generally get some other rascal
to stake him out.
"Those three gentleman sports chewed
over q lot OF schemes, I calculate.
heard they thought Of snsking Mike
Blessing q roulette wheel. and talked about
opening little brace game Of faro bank.
and thought over all tho old rackets. but
they didn't seem to agree upon anything.
which was curious. a. they were all such
honorable and high toned sports and
ought to have trusted each other.
The old timers in Memphis didn't
have much to do with them. not liking
them. Even Kid Miller, tho bunco
steerer. wouldn't stand for them.
The best looking man oflthe lot. and the
man hat,seemed 70 have the best head on
him. called himself Dalton. and the two
others gave their names as Burton and
Chapman. This Dalton was always talk
ing about picking up some big game
and said II he had the price OF a trip on
the river he would soon find a sucker
that would be worth skinning. and then
the two other fellows could climb aboard
and help him to do the trick.
Chapman got hold OF a couple Of farmers
from Arkansas one night and hustled
them out OF more than $500. 1t seemed
10 make Dalton pretty sick to think that
be wasn't in the game and couldn't stand
In with them for any OF the swag. but he
was just as gentlemanly as eyer.
The very next night when Burton and
Chapman was buoking the tiger at the
Bay Horse and adding bit to their pile,
Dalton comes running up to tell them he
had marked down a sucker at the Pea
body who would be good for a big losing
Il they worked the game right. Burton,
who had Just struck an odd and even deal
right along. didn't take much stock in 1t, |
but Chapman, who was playing three on |
side was for taking on Dalton's find il |
here was anything In it. After plaving
'or half an hour or 80 they cosxed Burton !
10 cash In his checks, hs being about
.hree hundred ahead Of the game, and
I'D like to see myself quitting faro |
zame IL l was three hundred ahead,
Interrupted the bsrkeeper. more speci- |
lily II they was still coming my way
Probably Dalton knew the wad they |
had wouldn't last long II they stayed at
he faro table. and he persuaded them
hat his game was big and sure. Chap
nan brought Burton round all right and |
hey finally got together on the job.
THE fellow at the hotel was supposed
10 be q cotton buyer, or something OF that |
lind, on his way back North by the river,
md he had money to burn and was always |
flashing his pocketbook and blowing |
about Il. He was also a pretty hard !
irinker, but crazy for poker, which he !
Allowed he could play a. well as any man
BET he was one Of them fellows that
,ome into jackpots with nothing. think
ng It's all in tho draw remarked the
oarkeoper,
There wasn't no jackpots in those
lays, and limits was q new thing. a call
or a sight being the usual; but that's
nothing to do with il.
These three honorable sports thought |!
III gentlemen, to meet the cotton buyer
It the hotel, strolling into Sid Cook
billiard room and getting acquainted.
Then they could frame up Job to travel
lp the river with him.
There used to be two good ways to
kin a man that drinks and keeps on
,laying when he don't quite know what
les doing, and these honorable gentle
nen couldn't quite agree at first which
,lsn to work on their friend the
otton buyer. Chapman thought il would