Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-07-31
PLAYING A HUNCH'
(copyright.l
BY PETER FLINT.

(C~opyright.)
II you take a map of the state OF
Texas and search the far western por.
ton you will find a dot right on the
line between Pecos and Brewster
counties. That is the city of Hay
mond. Not many persons know OF
Raymond and have acquaintance with
lts greatness. 1t is not important as
4 commercial or an agricultural center.
but it is remembered, especially among
telegraphers, on account of its being
the scene of one Of the strangest
games of poker that even was played
A telegraph operator named Stevens
put Raymond on the map some rs
years ago. Stevens had worked in
Did Mexico on the construction of the
Ferrocarril Central Mexicano, when
former Governor Anthony of Kansas
was general superintendent of that
property He had been all through New
Mexico and had worked at Las Lunas
San Marcial. Ysleta, and other places
He was a frstrclass operator, but his
efficiency was impaired by his fondness
for poker. At YsIeta, for instance. he
almost brought on an Indian uprising
one night by winning all the coin tpos
sessed by the peaceful PuebIos. He
was bounced from one road and from
n station to another; but good op
orators were hard to ind in those days
and he was employed again and again
despite his failing.
One morning he awoke in Ell Pasc
with empty pockets. He was as good
a poker player as he was telegraph
operator, but faro bank always was
his undoing. He struck the dispatcher
Of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San
Antonio for q job, and was sem to
Raymond. In those days Raymond
consisted Of a box a on q blind sid
Ing and a large. hastily constructed
section house.
IN the section house lived some &c
cnlnamen whose overload was an Irish
foreman. Hall a hundred miles away
was the Rio Grande and to the north
west the Sierra Madres. The desert
sereecneo between mere was one
passenger traln 2 DAY and an occa
SONAR freight. q a station
was ~ miles distant.
tevens and the section brennan
punked IN the box a that did service
as a station. II was very dull the first
month; mourned for the
salety q Las Lunas, fsieta. Albu'
uuerque' ana FL Paso, and waited for
pay gay.
Wnen the pay car arrived and Ste
sens received MS $50 IN goldthe China
men iound an interest In him. Ste.
vens round an interest In them also
They a been working for IS months
and received $40 a month each; and
Stevens calculated that somewhere
.ney q more than $4,000 in gold
hidden away. the boss Of the China.
men invited Stevens to take a hand at
some Of their gambling games. Ste
vens uld SO, lot ne would bet on any
thing. In an hour or two they cleaned
PIN Put n he retired moodily to his
Q a
The next day a dog jumped off the
w~est-bound passenger train. evidently
tired Of the long trip. He chased liz
ards and ran around generally among
the powders and cactus, and finally
after the train had departed. came ur
to Stevens and barked for a drink Of
water They were fast friends imme
diatelyE The dog, whom Stevens
named Pete, seemed to be a mixture
Of many breeds. but fox terrier pre-.
dominated. He had a stubby tail
about six inches long that he wagged
on every occasion.
Having nothing else to do, Stevens
took charge OF Pete's education. There
Y was q more intelligent or willing
pupil Pete could do as many tricks
as a dog In q circus before the next
pay day came around On this coca,
sion, also, Stevens lost his months
salary at Tartan.
Pete loved the telegraph sounder
when no otherwise employed he
would lie down on the rough boards