New Britain herald., 1915-11-27
' PLAYING THE GAME.

~-~ PLAYING THE GAME.
 This will tell you about Cliff Berg. the gambler, who was always fair and square. It will tell you of his start in the West as porter in a joy emporium and how he won tho place from the proprietor in a game of cards. It will have something to say of his rise to prosperity when money fell into his exchequer like rain on an April day. It will give you an insight into his adeptness with gun, for Cliff Berg killed man. Yes, he killed more than one man. In Mexico City, where he later migrated, he laid low six men, four Mexicans and two Americans, and he showed his love of country one grave and gave the two Ameri- cans separate resting places. That was Cliff Berg's style. He was square. He never reached for his hip pocket until som ebody had the drop on him. But when his hand did move in that direction it always meant slow music and flowers. Cliff was a true shot Furthermore, when he conducted his place in St. Jo., Mo-. he was the friend of every tenderfoot that ever came from the East. For Cliff would not let his Western gambler friends mulct his visitors from the East He. had room with a low ceiling for them so the stakes could not go too high.
 Now, in this day of moving picture heros, Cliff Berg would not be count ed as a handsome man. To begr, with, he was red-headed, and no man with red hair is handsome. He was tall and gaunt, with a clear blue eye and shock of hair. There were freckles on his hand as big as the ace spots on the cards he dealt. When he gripped your palm you knew he was man, a man clear through. Cliff was not afraid of anything or any | body. All he insisted upon was for his friends to be on the level. And, S, l you had to be square. That is why he was great man, even though he was i a gambler. Had he been raised in the proper environment he might have been president of the United States. He was that big.
 We'll once it occurred to Cliff Berg that he would do better if he came | East. So he did. He set out for New York. He blazed trail along Broad way somewhere, and set himself up. Understand, when he left the heart of the Sunset country he brought with him something like a cool million dol lars, for he had been very successful in his ten or twenty years at card dealing. After two years of it in New
 York Cliff Berg was poor man. In the language of the Tenderloln he Was
 "broke" They had trimmed him. An
 honest gambler could not get alons
 in the East. And, realizing this, Cliff 1 Berg gave up the business. He re
 formed. He met wonderful woman
 in the big city, he married and wen
 back to his old home town. And wher he arrived there did he open a gam
 bling house? Did he? No! He die
 not! He emulated the example of one
 young fellow named after the Sab
 bath day and he set up church. A
 small church it was, but Cliff BerE
 became a preacher and told the Wes , of the waywardness and WickednesF
 of New York. And he has convertC. many persons. He is doing a goot F work back there in the wilds ant
 wooley, for they all knew Cliff was z
 square gambler and they realize h.
 makes even a better minister. All O
 which is merely set down to shoN
 that no matter how a man gets hi start in life he can have a gloriou
 ending if he plays the game as j
 ! I,o fl~