Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-01-31

y VO/ ' lSACASO.
Not SO long ago. however, the cry of the
roulette man and the click Of the ball could
be heard in the lobbies Of many of the i
principal hotels. This was particularly true n
Of Ell Paso, Cripple Creek, Leadville, Gold
field, Butte. the Occur d'Alene, and many \
other sections. The practice prevailed to a
greater or less extent in the larger towns.
Everybody has money in the early days of a.
a mining camp. W
1t was an era of speculation. The coun- "a
try had not been proven" and hence a ~
find in a new 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
80 many times.
When there is money to throw at the
birds, the gamblers, like so 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. A man wealthy in the morning
sometimes had to borrow money to avoid going
to bed hungry at night.
A 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 a large bank balance.
He owned, on the range in Colorado, the neu-
trail strip Ono Mans Land" now extreme west
ern Oklahoma, and in Texas ten thousand head
Of cattle. worth twenty dollars a head, or a total
of 5000, 900.
He possessed land in three states and a hand
some residence in Denver. He made a bet OF
a thousand steers-worth twenty thousand dollars
and lost. He continued this until the herd Of
ten thousand head Of stock belonged to another
man. Day dawned, and he was still playing.
Breakfast was sent in from a restaurant main
tanned at the end of the gambling hall for just
such people.
Now" he said to the men who had won his
cattle, you have the critters. but no place to
keep them. I will play you my Texas ranch"
He lost that. Then followed the Colorado
ranch, finally the residence in Denver, together
with the furniture. his horses. his watch and
chain. At eight o'clock at Neutrality-suspicious.
hours later-he was penniless, and started for
the Rio Grande country of Texas, where he found
employment hauling logs to a sawmill. He had
lost more than a quarter of a million dollars in
twenty-four hours!
Will you oblige me by taking off your shoes p
asked a road agent politely, while he held a re-
volver menacingly in the face of a passenger
who stood up in a 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 iewelry, until he came to
the last man in the line. Then he asked the man
to take off his shoes. He found four thousand
dollars under the inner soles!
Several nights later the man who had been out
witted by the hold-up man was. sitting in the
dealers chair of a 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.
"AH in?" asked the gambler, arching his
brows.
"Yep-you've cleaned me out"
Then we are even for that little incident the
other night, when you collected your road tax
from me-"
Yes, you!"
TI,o hold nm NAV ooI, do~,p hale = do,o
loiterers in his rush to reach the door and escape.
A well-known mining man, who was noted for
his Judgment in knowing a hole in the ground
when he looked into it. had just made a purchase
in Cripple Creek. He had money, and he was will
ing to spend it for anything that looked good.
After having tramped over the hills all of one
day, he sat into" a poker game in the lobby
Of the principal hotel that night. and engaged in
a friendly game with a number of acauaintances
They were playing for twenty-five cents a cor.
ner. While the game was in progress a ragged
prospector appeared and attempted to inject him
self into the company. The mining man explain
ed that it was simply a private game between
friends-outsiders, and particularly strangers.
were not wanted.
81 have money that has never been spent"
We don't know you"
ooh, 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 mucn money have you?"
Eight hundred dollars"
sit down. and II show you how to play
poker"
In less than fifteen minutes the prospector
withdrew.
Shortly after he returned with a thousand dol
lars more. This was interesting. He lost it
Then he lost a diamond pin, following it With a
watch and his "cayuse."
When he pushed back his chair the operator
asked:
Are you broke now?"
Il have a claim over on the hill"
What do you value it at?"
One hundred thousand dollars"
This staggered the mining man for a moment