The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-24
TWO GAMES GOING
Poker Players on the Titanic
Stopped Playing
Long Enough to Bid Goodbye
to Wives, Then Resumed.


Three card sharps escaped. They
were Harry Homer, Harry Romano
and Boy Bradley.
The three card sharps named We're
interested in a bridge whist game.
Two were playing cards and the third,
Bradley, was acting as the outside
man.
The poker game, eight handed. in
which at least four men whose wives
are now widows, had participated was
They no longer deal with this branch
of the game.
There were eleven men in the Ii
tanic's smoke room when the ship
struck. The smoke room steward, VINO
knew all of the men, is dead.
The bridge whist game and the
poker game were not interrupted I'M
til the smoke room steward had gone
outside and returned to say:
Gentlemen, the accident looks Sc
rious. They are lowering away the
boats for women and children
Men engaged in the poker game,
playing among themselves and know
ing one another interrupted the game
to find their wives or children. Three
of them were engaged in such a task,
while the others stood around the
table and awaited their return. Di-
rectly they came back. They had
kissed their wives and children goodby
and the game was resumed.
But of the "sharps." The smoke
room steward had told them the same
thing, but there were three of them
and the passage money taken in, with
the profits of the voyage we'll in sight.
They mounted to the boat deck B.
and there found a squirming lot of
men trying to unfasten the lines hold
ing a lifeboat. The three gamblers,
men who We're supposed to take
chance but never went in unless the
edge" was in their favor, helped to
launch the lifeboats.
There was a chance to play the
game square," says Homer, and we
were up to the test. We helped to
launch the lifeboats and put the wo-
men and children aboard.
Il saw Mr.. and Mrs. Isador Straus.
Mrs. Stratus and her maid were in the
boat. We tried to push the old gen
tleman. The petty officer in charge
stopped us. Mrs. Straus got out OF the
boat. 1t was lowered away. Mr.. and
Mrs. StrauS stood together a moment
on the deck where the boat had been
launched and they strolled away to-
gether aft, arm and arm. That was
the last we saw of them, and I sup
pose the last the world will ever know
of them. They were game
While the crew of the three card
sharpers were playing the game
square" on the boat deck, and while
the boats on the starboard side were
being launched their sharp eyes saw
a motley crew at work on a lifeboat
on the portside. They went over to-
gether to find out why the boats were
being launched on that side before all
the boats on the Starboard side had
been launched, and found twelve stok-
ers, who had just worked their way
up from the fireroom, at work at the
boat
Don't launch that boat!' cried Ro-
maine. There are women and child
rem still aboard"
You keep your face closed was
the response. as a giant fireman rails
ed his hands to strike down the
speaker.
The davits swung outward and the
blocks began to creak. 1t was a gam
bler's chance, a chance that these
''sure thing" men probably had never
taken before, but by a common i'm
pulse they ran to the companionway
and down to the next deck. The
boat was ten or fifteen feet below
them and falling rapidly, but these
sharpers took the last turn of the
cards of fate for their lives and
jumped. They landed among the
stokers.
Lie down. you ours, and don't
move or We'll brain you'll" commanded
the stoker who was at the rudder of
the boat.
Under the shadow of the high lift
ing sides of the liner, this boat, with
only fifteen men aboard and three of
them super-cargo, sneaked back
past the stern of the big liner and
off into the blue black sea. The
boat was without a light or the
feather of an oar.
Half a mile back of the wallowing,
struggling liner, this sneak boat lay
the crew of stokers at their oars and
the card sharp passengers lying at
their feet. Finally they saw the liner
go down by the head, swing under and
Lay off," commanded
the steersman of this man-manned
ship. eff they see us they'll shoot us
surei"
From midnight until o'clock in
the morning the Hfeboat with its pal
try crew of stokers and card sharp
ers. lay far away from the other
boats. Then the Carpathia hove in
these three raincoated men-Wtth
their eyes to the inevitable chance
headed for the barber shop. They
knew by their experience at sea that
the barber kept in stock toilet Access
SORES and clothing supplies.
The three in sweater caps over their
evening clothes went on deck and
with the passengers. They
su ggested a relief fund for the first
class passengers that had come
aboard in their night clothes and the
steeragc and crew below. They took
off their caps. Clipped in the bills
and coins they had in their pockets
and went through, the slip.
The three deep sea gamblers, the
Jockeys of the "greyhounds," col
lected 500 in cash and $4,000 in sig
natures and checks. They bought out
the barber and gave sweaters and
shoes and stockings to men, women
and children.
KEPT THE GAME GOING.
Gard Players Knew That the Titanic