The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1911-01-19
YANKEE Versus
SOU77HERNER
By HARRY VAN AMBURC
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association

A steamer On the Mississippi river
half a century and more ago would
be curious sight to a traveller TODAY.
One-third, the ladies' cabin, was used
exclusively by women and children;
the other two-thirds constituted a gil
gantic gambling establishment-not an
establishment run by bank, but used
by gentlemen and sharpers, the former
for amusement, the latter for SWIM
ding. At mealtimes one long table
extended through the mems cabin, and
when dinner was served the captain of
the boat would enter the ladies' cabin.
offer his arm to one of the ladies and
escort her to the table, the rest follow
ing. As soon as they were seated the
bell was rung and waiting crowd
dropped into their seats.
Southern gentlemen travelled on these
steamers, men Of the olden time, whose
''word was as good as their bond"
One day Colonel st. Leger Of Canton.
Miss, and Major Carter of Baton
Rouge were enjoying social glass be-
fore the little Punch and Judy affair
in the bow Of the boat that served for
a bar when the colonel said:
"Majah, do you see those sharpes
ovah tina fleeing that Yankee? He
will go back to Connecticut or whar-
evan he comes from and report that we
a. all swindle's down heah. Now, if
were to tell him that these men are
cheating him he wouldn't believe me-"
"There must be some way Of saving
him from them, colonel, if we could
only hit on TT
'It doesn't occu' to me, subj
Now, every gentleman in the south
at that period played poker, and these
two were both experts at the game
They finally agreed that the best way
to save the Yankee would be to get
him into a stateroom by himself, win
his money and at the end of his jour
ney hand it back to him with lee
ture on the folly of playing cards for
money On a Mississippi river steam
boat. AS soon as the small tables
were united in a long one for dinner
Colonel st. Leger approached the Yam
kee, entered into conversation with
him and after the meal invited him
into his stateroom to sample some fine
old Kentucky bourbon he had there.
The Yankee accepted, and Major Car
ter joined the party. After .sampling
the whisky the three sat down to a
friendly game of poker.
Since the Yankee played very poor
~ and the two southern gentlemen
were among the best poker players in
the south 1t was not long before the
Yankees money was transferred to
their ownership. But Just as they
thought they had him ''broke" he pull
ed out fat roll Of new twenty dol
lar bills, with which he began to play
recklessly. The colonel looked at the
major and the major at the colonel.
The colonel's look said, "By Jove.
what haul this would have been for
the sharpers!' and the majors look
replied, eyes, and we must take 1t out
Of him for his own good.''
One by one. the twenty dollar bills
passed into the hands Of the Yankees
benefactors till at last all but one had
been taken from him. With a gasp he
opened a jack pot with It.: raised and
kept on raising the confederates until
there was something like a thousand
dollars in the pot. In the showdown
he exhibited four aces against the
colonel's four queens and the majors
full Of tens.
Again the colonel and the major ex-
changed glances, this time Of astonish-
ment. But they kept on their benevo-
lent effort. Presently the Yankee said:
Guess we'd better raise the limit
You fellers have taken 5000 out o.
me, and want to get it back
The southern gentlemen would have
considered it a reproach to them to re-
fuse under the circumstances and
agreed. From that time forward the
hands the Yankee held were phenom-
email. It seemed that all the court
cards in the pack fell into his hands,
and, singularly enough, the confeder-
ates held large hands, too, but always
a trife smaller than his. Then when
the former had recovered his losses he
pushed back his chair and said:
Gentlemen, you thought you had In
me greenhorn whose money you
could easily win. I'm regarded the
best poker player in Hartford. 1 don't
wish to punish you for trying to swim
die me, so I decline to play any
longer
Again the confederates looked at
each other, this time in dismay. Then
Colonel st. Leger, stammering and red
as boiled lobster, told his story. The
Yankee put out hand to each Of his
intended benefactors, saying:
SIS there anything more honorable
as well as guileless than the true
southern gentleman?''
When they settled up the Yankee
generously turned over to his friends
the new bills he had brought out, TAX
Ing the worn ones himself. At New