Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-09-27
JACKSON sINcLAIR's STORY.

II don't suppose you ever killed a
man, did your" asked Jackson Sin
clair, who has been known on the
Bowery for many years as Lone
Jack" because of his reticence and
dislike of society.
l entered a modest disclaimer.
well, II you never did, then you
can never understand the feeling that
goes with It, especially when the man
whose life is taken has been a friend
to you, no matter what the circum-
stances may be.
well, killed my friend, Chris
Berry, and see Chris every day, and
I hear his last words ringing in my
ears, Just the same as II 1t was yes
terday on the Bowery. instead Of over
thirty years ago. Chris Berry was a
good fellow. and the finest card sharp
In the country. l was considered the
best man on the Bowery with the
cards in those days. but Chris could
give me points without turning hair.
Being In the same business and
something of a crook myself, 1t was
only natural that l should run up
against Chris at many a game. and
those games were always for blood,
but on the level. I was more easy
going than Chris, and we took kind
Of liking for each other After time,
In company with Jake Seymour. we
went regularly into the business Of
running a skin game Of cards.
I'VE had little poker game at No.
26 Bowery Seymour did the steer
Ing, while we did the playing when
ever the sucker was big enough game.
The business ran so big and we played
so well together that Chris proposed
that we should make a tour through
the West and South, where we would
have a chance to win a bigger stake
This just suited me, and, with Sey-
mour, who was one Of the best bunco
artists that / ever saw, and had a
tongue SO sweet and persuasive that
It would coax the bank-roll out Of the
pocket of Old Mr.. Tightwad himself,
we started West. We put up for a
few days at Albany, where the legis-
lature was in session. and cleaned out
every dollar there was in both houses.
We left Albany with $21 900 more than
we had when we landed there.
'In Chicago we started on another
tack, and from there We were East
ern sports making a tour Of the couD-
try, looking for fun Of all kinds, ready
for game at any time. Sometimes
we would be together es friends, and
then again we would accidentally
meet as strangers in some other To-
cality to disarm suspicion.
Seymour was the greatest drum
mer-up of business that ever met. He
was nearly always In the game, and
frequently lost heavily, but, as either
Chris or I got about all there was at
the table in the end, 1t didn't make
much difference. We pulled a lot Of
money out of Chicago, but we quit
when we saw that they were putting
up a brace game on us. We didn't do
much business then till we got into
st. Louis. Then we struck q game
after We had been there about two
weeks that in the end gave me more
trouble than anything / ever had be-
fore or since.
Seymour was on the scout all the
time. and he pulled an old cove named
Colonel Wentworth into a private
game in our room In the hotel. Col
onel Wentworth was a very wealthy
cotton planter ard a stiff player.
He preferred Game without a
limit-so did we. Nnen he began to
lose. he began to drink. We played
all night, and we coaxed him along
until we had about $4,000 in money,
which he had sent out and borrowed
from time to time. Then he became
q bit reckless-he was pretty drunk,
too-and lost $4,000 on one hand. He
quit the game. and said he'd give a
check for the $4,000. He dashed on a
check In hurry. like an angry, drunk
en- man. and said that he would give
us another battle the next day.
Then Chris made a big mistake.
He raised the $4,000 check to $4,000
by putting In a letter and a cipher.
He presented It to the bank and asked
to have It certified, but the cashier
refused 10 certify It without first see
H. - ~