The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-08-03
observation-disclosures
PLAYING A 'HUNCH'
BY PETER FLINT.
Downright.

line between Pecos and Brewster
counties. That is the city OF Hay
mond Not many persons know OF
Raymond and have acquaintance with
Its greatness. 1t is not important as
q commercial or an agricultural center,
put 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 20
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
hILAOoI UiOuSAl Va dll lluldu uplloLLlS
one night by winning all the coin pos
Bessed by the peaceful Pueblos. He
was bounced from one road and from
one station to another; but good op-
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
poker player as he was telegraph
operator but faro bank always was
his undoing. He struck the dispatcher
Of the Galveston. Harrisburg and San
Raymond. In those days Raymond
consisted Of box car on blind sid
Ing and a large, hastily constructed
section house.
In the section house lived some 80
Cinnamon whose overload was an Irish
foreman. Half a hundred miles away
was the Rio Grande and to the north
west the Sierra Madres The desert
stretched between. There was one
passenger train day and an occa-
sional 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 FL 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 month each; and
Stevens calculated that somewhere
they had more than $4,000 in gold
hidden away The boss of the China,
men invited Stevens to take 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 dog jumped of 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 a drink Of
water. They were fast friends imme-
diately. The dog, whom Stevens
named Pete, seemed to be 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 a 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 table and listen to
the clicking of the instrument. Ste.
vens declared to the Irish foreman that
he would teach Pete the Morse code
but Pete never could handle the key
Then at the foremans suggestion
Stevens taught him the names of the
81 cards in the deck SO he could pick
them out Immediately.
Here is the rest OF the story in Ste
vens own words:
J One day Murphy, the section fore
man, and | started to play poker fol
fun. We used cactus needles for chips
had given Murphy my word that
wouldn't go against any more Of those
Chinese games. and there wasn't any
thing else TO do, asked Murphy 4
the Cinnamon knew anything abou
poker, and be told me that three Of
four Of them were among the bes
players he had ever known.
so ! suggested that when the pa,
car came around again we have littl,
poker Murphy agreed, but said b,
didn't think we'd have any show at all