The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1913-02-07

[Z1NN on under cover and in
S/IlWNS slant dread of police inter-
V(bON ference
Not SO long ago, however. the cry of the
roulette man and the click Of the ball could
be heard in the Hobbies of many of the ~
principal hotels. This particularly true Ms
of Ell Paso, Cripple Creek. Leadville. Gold IN
field, Butte, the Occur d'Alene, and many \.
other sections. The practice prevailed to Il
greater or less extent in the larger towns. :
Everybody has money in the early days of Am
a mining camp. W.
1t era of speculation. The coun- ~
try had not been proven" and hence NY
find In section resulted in a great n
rush to that locality. Property changed y
bands 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, like many vultures,
assemble at the point to which 1t is being cast
by the thoughtless and improvident possessors
I, Games played where the stakes ran into
the millions. man wealthy in the morning
sometimes had to borrow money to avoid going
to bed hungry at night.
A stockman in Colorado sat into poker
| game in Denver and by midnight had not only
| lost all the cash he had with him, but had
hausted large bank balance.
| He owned, on the range in Colorado, the neu-
trail strip Ono Mans Land" now extreme west
efn Oklahoma), and IN TeXaS ten thousand neau
| OF CATTLE worth twenty dollars head, total
! of 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
| 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 who had won his
cattle, you have the critters, but no place to
keep them. l 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 sawmill. He had
lost more than a quarter of million dollars in
twentyfour hours!
will you oblige me by taking of your shoes?"
, asked a road agent politely, while he held re-
volver menacingly in the face of 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 soles!
Several nights later the who had been out
witted by the hold-up sitting in the
dealers chair Of a faro game in the CLOUD City,
as Leadville is called. Before him sat a mar
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
: "All in?" asked the gambler, arching hi
brows
; 'Yep-you've cleaned me out"
q ''Then we are even for that little incident tn,
: other night when you collected your road Ia
f. from me-
Il
T Eyes, you!"
The hold-up man knocked down half doze
loiterers in his rush to reach the door and escape
= wellknown mining man, who was noted fo
a his Judgment in knowing hole in the ground
when he looked into it. had just made a purchas
- in Cripple Creek He had money and he was will
- ing to spend 1t for anything that looked goo
i After having tramped over the hills all of or
~ day he sat into" poker game in the lobE
of the principal hotel that night and engaged
10 a friendly game with a number of acquaintance
They were playing for twenty-five cents CO
=, uer While the game in progress raggt
5 prospector appeared and attempted to inject hiI
- self into the company The mining man explai
~ ed that it was simply private game betwes
friends-outsiders and particularly stranger
ce not wanted.
~ Il have money that has never been spent"
- I'VE don't know you"
- !. "Oh that's it! Then let introduce m
ov self"
~; There was no way to get rid Of him appt
- entity Then like an inspiration, and in an a
80 noyed manner. the operator said:
90, How much money have your"
Eight hundred dollars"
"a "sit down, and III show you how to pl
~, poker"
ea- IN less enah H'ee" NniAu0 Ae pi0'peS'
t. withdrew.
Shortly after he returned with thousand d
lars more. This was interesting. He lost
a. Then he lost diamond pin. following It with
- watch and his "cayuse."
=. When he pushed back his chair the operai
At asked:
Are you broke now?"
-. Il have claim the hill"
- What do you value 1t att"
eek one nunueu . ~" ".,N,. uoa