The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-07-25

John W. Gates is no more; Davy G.
Johnson, plunger and owner Of Rose
ben, has also gone the way of all flesh,
but New York will not soon forget
either the genial fnancier, whose
motto was; Life itself is nothing
but a gamble" or the former owner
of the matchless thoroughbred which
raced seven furlongs in 1922 and
helped Davy win a half dozen for
tunes.
In the circles Of chance, where the
rattle of the little sphere of ivory and
the click of the buttons on the case
keeper is still heard in spite of police
activity, "Bet-you-a-million' Gates
and "Plunger" Johnson will long be
remembered. The reason is not burl-
ed deeply. They both were men of a
ready courage, willing to flip pennies
for 81 900 a flip, or to wager small
fortune on what some third person
had eaten for lunch. Their word was
as good as gold certificates fresh
from the bureau of engraving and
printing; they were never seen to
shed tears over a lost bet.
3 John Gates was a natural born
gamester. With equal readiness he
would tackle a slot machine or go
short" on 1900 shares of Union Pa
cifc. To him everything was a gam
BILE. He admitted of no fire distinc-
tion-so long as the game was fair
and square.
Sporting men say of Davy johnson
that he could win faster than any
man who ever staked 3 dollar. "Bet
high, hit 'em hard and double up the
stakes he was often heard to say.
AS a matter of course, he could lose
Just as quickly, and when Roseben
was not running we'll he was more
than once forced to borrow money
for his stable expenses.
Naturally, when Davy Johnson and
John Gates got together over a poker
table, it gave sportsmen something to
talk about. Eventually the evening
came. They got together. A game
ensued.
And New York and all the sporting
world is still talking about it.
One evening in the late fall during
the progress of the Sheepshead Bay
meeting Gates came up from the.
track. He had had very successful
day, had picked a number of winners
at decent odds and had 'pyramided'
his winnings until the bookmakers
waved his commissioner away. Alto
gether he was said to have cleared
up the respectable sum of little over
s224,000.
: ,Roseben had been running that day
and Davy Johnson was a heavy win
ner. At that time Davy was interested
in an esta blishment of chance in For
ty-third street, and when Gates was
in town, he was in the habit of drop
ping in on Davy for a little whirl at
roulette or a boxful or two of faro.
Large sums of money changed hands
on such occasions, but as yet neither
of them had ever been properly
"hooked up" over a poker table with
good cards in their hands.
Gates, after a modest supper and a
peep at the last two acts of musical
comedy, made his way to Johnson
The upper floor was pretty we'll
crowded, but he found seat at the
faro table, where Davy himself was
perched upon the lookout stool.
whats the limit, Davy?" asked
Gates, as the dealer slid him stack
of chocolate-colored chips represent
ing $4,000.
Davy smiled, wiped his glasses and
then waved toward the ceiling. John
got busy with the game, but the fates
seemed against him.
If he liked the queen open it in
variably lost. If be coppered it to
lose, it won. His first stack of chips
was lost before the turn of the first
boxful. With more chips he tried all
sorts of bets. He had heeled his bets
all over the layout. He tried the high
card. He tried calling each turn, but
could not even dope out a cat-hop." "
In fact, he was whipsawed from the
soda card to the hook.
Daylight filtered into the room. All
the other players had long since quit
to watch the fnancfer's heavy play.
Gates counted up the markers against
him and learned that he was little
over 100000 to the bad.
you're taking away about all 1
won at the track" he laughed up at
Davy.
Johson was tired. He looked at