The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-24
A MAN KILLER IN
n a POKER GAME.
Adventure Of a New Yorker Will
ing Away His Time In Missis-
sippi River Town.

T. was probable enough thai the three
men who sat Ia the hack room ~ a saloon
IN a small town on the Mississ ppi River
playing poker Ner. trying TO get one
snothers money When a fourth man
entered and after looking on for q few
minutes asked II he could take a hand
they no, only assented willingly but i'm
m.siiA'ely changed their style 81 play
InsteSi OF striving - they hal done
each to capture as many pots a.
p,ss.hl" from his nei ghbors they Logan in
concerted FASH on determined onslaught
on the newcomers chips
Considering the fact that the fourth
man was 81 age and Was moreover poker
player 81 experience. It ~ necessary to
explain why he continued IN the game
instead 81 promptly getting cold fe-,
The story he told after hs returned TO
Saw York seems Ia make thus clear.
He had landed from one of the river
boats IN Hood time. intending to take the
"a road for a town IN the interior where
he had business To attend TO. Finding
on inquiry that he could not get a tram
tall next day he look~d Eround for some
means Of killing time A search OF the
little town revealed nothing else thai
promised To be so interesting as the poker
game mentioned. and ~ the play was
not Ugh he rcCkoned the amu-emen' he
might get 10y Watching the crude methods
81 the three players would 10 we'll worth
the InConsiderabl. sum he would probably
lose
Crud" enough these ncth ods certainly
wer. On- Of the players Was an old
man WHOSE companions called hun
Colonel HIS hands were notc.sbiy
tremulou-. whether from age or dissipa-
ton. and h." affected u difficulty M seeing
distinctly which the New Yorker was
not inclined 90 credit.
When he dealt his motions were slow
and seemingly uncertain and he Ecrutin-
lied each card ~ h. gave Il out so CLOSELY
that even a tyro would have SIIsp"Ct,~d
him Of looking for MARKS on the backs of
them He Apologz>t for this with APP
parent frankness. Pleading hIS poor sight
a. an excuse. and no one presumed to
criticiss IL.
Another Of the trio was known. u ap-
p.saTed. nv the name Of Jim He was a
typical desperate in appearance. bat
mild hammered and soft ~ speech He
to- was more or less clumsy in his manipu-
lation OF the deck 50 that the newcomer
had no difficulty in detecting him twice
IN the act 81 dealing himself a card from
the bottom 81 the deck
The third man. answering Ia the name ~
Bill. was ordinary look ing. but a profes-
-ional gambler Of The lower type plainly
enough lie seenlai tn have too little
kill to attempt any manipulation Of the
cards and consentesi himself With giving
signals from time tn time and noting those
which his confeierates gave him, -erenely
ignorant Of the fact that the New Yorker
waS' observi ng the signals a. closely a.
they themselves were
Understanding all this the New Yorker
plaved along. neither expecting nor caring
to win any money hut fully content to
Ior- what lit,le they might get ont Of him
~ q game in which the ant" Was a dime
call two hits He bought SO STACK
~ rhips on sitting IN. noticing that the
three had about So on the table. and thu
seemed to mee' their views What might
develop later he had no means Of judg-
ing but a. they were playing " was a
barge bet. ~ nothing ruinous seemet
to he imminent
Altogether the experience was sum
cicntly amusing 10 man Who knew
the game thoroughly himself and who
vas interested chiefly in studying the
tricks u comparatively unsk He'd players
who imagined they had him for a victim.