Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-07-29
PLAYING A 'HUNCH'
BY PETER FLINT.
BY PETER FLINT.
CconyriSht)

Texas and search the far western por-
ton you will find a dot right on the
line between Pecos and Brewster
counties. That ia the city Of Hay
mond Not many persons know of
Raymond and have acquaintance with
its greatness. 1t Is not important a.
a 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 ever was played.
A telegraph operator named Stevens
put Raymond on the map some rs
years ago. Stevens had worked In
Old 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 frst-class operator. but his
efficiency was impaired by his fondness
for poker. At Ysleta, for instance, he
almost brought on an Indian uprising
one night by winning all the coin pos
sessed by the peaceful Pueblos. He
was bounced from one road and from
one station to another; but good OPP
orators were hard to find in those days.
and he was employed again and again
despite his failing.
One morning he awoke in Ell Paso
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 a job, and was sent to
Raymond. In those days Raymond
consisted of a box car on blind sid
ing and large, hastily constructed
section house.
In the section house lived some 30
Cinnamon whose overload was an Irish
foreman. Half hundred miles away
was the Rio Grande and to the north
west the Sierra Madres. The desert
stretched between. There was one
passenger train a day and an occa-
sionaI freight The nearest station
was 40 miles distant.
Stevens and the section foreman
bunked in the box car that did service
as station. 1t was very dull the first
month. Stevens mourned for the
gaiety of Las Lunas, Ysleta, Albu-
Querque, and Ell Paso, and waited for
pay day.
When the pay car arrived and Ste
Vens received his $50 in gold the China
men found an interest in him. Ste
vens found an interest in them also.
They had been working for Is months
and received $40 a month each; and
Stevens calculated that somewhere
they had more than $21, 900 in gold
hidden away. The boss of the China
men invited Stevens to take a hand at
some of their gambling games. Ste
vens did so, for he would bet on any
thing. In an hour or two they cleaned
him out, and he retired moodily to his
box car.
The next day a dog jumped off the
west-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 up
to Stevens and barked for drink of
water. They were fast friends imme-
diately. 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
never was more Intelligent or willing
pupil. Pete could do as many tricks
as a dog in circus before the next
pay day came around. On this occa-
sion, also, Stevens lost his months
salary at fan-tan.
! Pete loved the telegraph sounder
When not otherwise employed he
would lie down on the rough boards
that served as a table and listen to
the clicking of the instrument. Ste
yens declared to the Irish foreman that
A1C MOuA0 ACdCA Cue Tic 44O1S SO COQSs
but Pete never could handle the key
Then, at the foremans suggestion,
Stevens taught him the names of the
90 cards in the deck so he could pick
them out Immediately.
Here is the rest of the story in Ste
yen's own words:
One day Murphy, the section fore
man, and l started to play poker for
fun. We used cactus needles for chips.
I had given Murphy my word that l
wouldn't go against any more of those
Chinese games, and there wasn't any,
thing else to do. l asked Murphy if
the Cinnamon knew anything about
poker, and he told me that three OF
four of them were among the best
players he had ever known
SO l suggested that when the pay
car came around again we have a little
poker. Murphy agreed. but said he