The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-17
GAMBLER TELLS OF THE OlD DAYS sN OfNReckless Adventure In the Woody West
 DAREDEVIL BLAKE 4Representative of, Obsolete Type-Gam- bling Mecca Had a Code of Honor.
 Experience of One
 TenderfoOt
DAREDEVIL BLAKE

From the Tacoma Daliy Leusel'
 T was reading in this magazine about Old Glory after waving In sunshine and storm for 50 years at Fort Walla Walla. being lowered for the last time, the Ia nous old fort having been abandoned by Uncle Sam," said the old, white haired ex-gambler in drinking resort on Pacific avenue one night this week. dealt bank-faro bank-in Walla Walla during frontier days of Washing a ton Territory, and many an exciting , event I witnessed while doing so
 'Walla Walla, in the days I am speak ing about, was a gambling center, and games of >ll sorts and descriptions were operated day and night, for gambling houses never closed their doors.
 Huge sums were lost or won in a sim gle night or day, and the places were crowded to their utmost limit all the time.
 "It was known in those days as a sporty town, and was the abiding place for gamblers, women with kalsomined faces and so-called bad men, Money seemed to grow on bushes. as 1t were.
 Tt was headquarters for stage lines, freight teams, pack trains, which trans ported mail, express, passengers, freight and so on to points in eastern Washing ton, Idaho and Montana.
 Gambler a Samaritan
 ''The old-time Nambler, the thorough bred, when it caiM to assisting human ity who were in fii 3a cial distress, those days. proved Nood Sarnaritan
 Say, don't you know nine individuals out of ten nowadays who give coin to
 ...I 60 so only in hope their giving will Ncause the newspapers to print their pie 'ture, name and address, coupled with a column or of praise for their kind act of charity?
 ] Have you not observed this? Why, < most of the so-called charity bestowed these days, that of giving some poor devil handout' is not rendered for the genuine good 1t will do the recipient thereof; not a bit of it. The 'givers are thinking of the advertising, in shape of public applause they will receive for their great. condescending act of feeding or lodging a penniless, hungry man. Turn off the spot light of publicity from the class of 'givers-and they are numerous and the moneyless man will not receive 8 kind word, let alone ham and or Q bed, from such charity CD givers. Char ity, as was practiced and bestowed by the open-hearted, genuine gambler In .Walla Walla during pioneer days of the territory, was of the genuine, blown-in- the-bottle sort.
 "The- old-time gambler was first class charitable institution all by him. self, whose pocket book was always open. Dever known to be shut and tied with g. buckskn thong 12 feet long, so to speak, to the hungry man who wanted the price of meal or bed-not so long as he-the gambler-possessed bank roll at any rate, and he helped more distressed human beings over the shoals or adversity, without heraldng the fact from the housetop. than any adult indi- vidual on this old planet possessed of the same amount of capital.
 Did Not Have Much to Say
 "The old time gambler did not talk much, but the milk of human kindness in his makeup was as milk as clabbet was over half of his worldly possessions al any and all times, and when case of distress was mentioned to him and he was requested to sdonate' to the cause, he did not inquire what the party's name was, where born, age, the name of his father, eat-great-grandfather and so on; not a bit of 1t. He did not place his hand in his trousers pocket and-let It remain there, neither, is too frequently the case nowadays but brought 1t forth filled with money and gave 1t to the so- lctor in cheerful. generous, gentle, smiling manner, as though 1t was a 4. pleasure to do so, and the incident was Quickly forgotten This was your old- time gambler The old-time thorough z bred knight of the pasteboards' has , passed away, but nevertheless, to a man / who has buffeted the world, who knew } him in his flush days and in his 'broke' ones, as he really was, he will always be remembered as good Samaritan 2. one who was always ready and willing f tc help the under dog, prince of good ! fellows.
 we may shed the moss-veil from the
 rose,
 The blossom from the spray;
 The bloom that pearls the luscious grape, A touch will brush away;
 The vine may loosen from the tree
 Which once it chung to fast:
 But the heart will keep its memories
 Till life itself be past"
 Blake Typified Representative
 s"Spealking of the old-time gambler, remember one in Walla Walla by the