Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-01-31

field Butte, the Coeur dAlene and many
other sections. The practice prevailed to
greater or less extent In the larger towns.
Everybody has money in the early days of ri
a mining camp. "
1t was an era of speculation. The
try had not been proven and hence a
find" in section resulted in a great
rush to that locality. Property changed
hands at fabulous prices overnight The
ragged prospector of today might be roll
ing In wealth tomorrow. 1t has happened
SO many times.
When there is money to throw at the
birds. the gamblers, likesso many vultures
Assemble at the point to which 1t is being cast
by the thoughtless and improvident possessors.
Games were played where the stakes ran into
the millions. wealthy in the morning
sometimes had to borrow money to avoid going
to bed hungry at night.
stockman in Colorado sat into" a poker
game In Denver and by midnight had not only
lost all the cash he had with him. but had ex-
hausted large bank balance
He owned. on the range in Colorado the neu.
.ral strip Ono Mans Land" extreme west
srn Oklahoma), and in Texas ten thousand head
of cattle, worth twenty dollars head a total
6 100000.
He possessed land In three states and hand
some residence In Denver He made bet of
thousand steers-worth twenty thousand dollars
and lost He continued this until the herd Of
en- thousand head of stock belonged to another
nan. Day dawned. and he still playing
BREAKFAST was sent In from a restaurant main
tanned at the end of the gambling hall for just
wch people.
Now" he said to the who had won his
.attle, you have the critters. but place to
Keep them. VIII play you my Texas ranch"
He lost that Then followed the Colorado
-anch, finally the residence in Denver, together
with the furniture, his horses. his watch and
chain. At eight O'Clock at night-twenty-fouI
iours 1ater-he was penniless, and started for
the Rio Grande country of Texas. where he found
lost more than a quarter of a million dollars in
twenty-four hours!
''Will you oblige me by taking off your shoes p
asked road agent politely. while he held re-
volver menacingly in the face OF a passenger
who stood up in line with others.
The hold-up man had stopped the stage going
into Leadville to collect toll" He had Just pur-
chased the road. he said. and needed the money.
He passed down the line and. by means of a
passenger whom he forced into service, gathered
up all the money and jewelry until he came to
the last man in the line. Then he asked the man
to take OF his shoes. He found four thousand
dollars under the inner soes!
Several nights later the man who had been out
witted by the holdup man was sitting in the
dealers chair OF faro game in the CLOUD City, ="
as Leadville is called Before him sat a man
who lost money steadily. The gambler "raked
in the money carelessly and with the utmost un-
concern. The player lost something like five
thousand dollars and then pushed back his chair.
brows
'Yep-youve cleaned me out"
Then we are even for that little Incident the
other night. when you collected your road tar
from me-"
Il"
The hold-up knocked down half a dozen
ioterers in his rush to reach the door and escape
wellknown mining man. who was noted fol
his Judgment in knowing hole in the ground
when he looked into it. had just made purchase
in Cripple Creek. He had money. and he will
ing to spend 1t for anything that looked good
After having tramped over the hills all of one
day he sat into" poker game in the lobby
of the principal hotel that night. and engaged IL
friendly game with number of acquaintances
They playing for twenty-five cents a cor
ner. While the game in progress a ragged
prospector appeared and attempted to inject him
self into the company The mining man explain
ed that 1t was simply private game between
frfends-outsiders. and particularly strangers
not wanted.
81 have money that has never been spent
I'VE don't know you"
"oh. that's It! Then let me introduce my
self"
There was no way to get rid of him appar
emily. Then like an Inspiration and in an an
noyed manner the operator said:
How much money have your"
Eight hundred dollars"
sit down, and II show you how to pla,
poker"
In less than fifteen minutes the prospecto
withdrew
Shortly after he returned with thousand dol
lars more. This Interesting He lost It
Then he lost diamond pin. following it with
watch and his "cayuse"
When he pushed back his chair the operator
asked:
Are you broke now7"
I have claim on the hill"
What do you value it at?"
"one hundred thousand dollars
This staggered the mining man for a moment