The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-03-14
''SWEOE SAM" WALL|NG
FAMOUS BUTTE GAMBLER
LUCK CHANGED AT RAWHIDE-
DYING IN POVERTY IN A
HELENA HOSPITAL.

king of the gambling fraternity OF
from Nome to Rawhide, and who, II
years ago, was the executive head OF
a gambling syndicate operating in
Butte which is said to have won over
s1,OOO,ooO in two years, is dying in q
Helena hospital.
He has lived a life of adventure
and accumulated and spent several
fortunes. While he had his ups and
downs, the goddess of chance smiled
on him until he went to Rawhide, II
years ago, where he was associated
with Riley Grammar, famous plunger
Associate of Copper Barons.
"Swede Sam reached the zenith of
success during his Butte career. He
ran a famous establishment in a well
known hotel which shall be nameless.
His gambling rooms were frequented
Heinze, and little copper barons whom
the rising market had made rich in a
night. 1t was nothing out of the or
binary for 100000 to change hands in
nights sitting at Sans poker table
where the ceiling was the limit
About the time that luck was
turning against him Butte had a
moral spasm and closed up Sans es-
Enlistment. Rawhide, new mining
camp in the Nevada desert, was be-
ginning to attract attention Free gold
had been struck there and within 10
days the population jumped from
nothing to $4,000 people Sam went
to Rawhide.
There he met Riley Grammar, the
turf plunger. Inasmuch as both were
down on their luck there was a COM
munity of interest between the two
men. A large gambling house had
just been opened. The men back of it
had no money. They offered to sell
Walling and Grammar controlling in
terest.
Goodwin Backed WaIIing.
Grammar was a friend of George
Graham Rice, the Goldfield promoter.
Rice had just associated himself with
Nat c. Goodwin, the actor in the brol-
erage business. Grammar went to
Rice for the money. Rice went to
Goodwin, and the purchase price was
forthcoming Immediately.
Walling and Grammar had been
operating their place for a week when
Tex Richards opened a large gambling
house just opposite their establish
ment. Richards fame promised to di-
vide patronage, and as it was known
that he was operating on short capital
7 it was decided to send Grammar into
Richards place in an attempt to break
the bank. He took $1,000 from the
Goodwin Rice Walling Grammar bank
roll and sat down at the cases at Rick
ards faro bank.
Fortune waned and flared up with
him. At. one time he had $4,000 of
Richards $4,000 in front of him. Then
he lost it all back and had to send
over to his own place for more money.
Half the town was in the place watch
ing him. If he won it meant that
Richards would have to close up shop
and the Grammar Walling place would
be the big gambling center of Raw
hide.
Grannan's Last Effort.
Grammar sat at the faro table for 36
hours, having his meals brought to
him. He lost $4,000 in his attempt to
break Richards. He was finally taken
from his chair and carried to his room
| in state of exhaustion. Pneumonia
set in and Tex Richards telegraphed
to San Francisco for 500 worth Of
flowers. The flowers came in time to
grace the bier of the dead gambler.
| From the death of his famous part
ner, Walling dates the turn of his for
! tunes. Came the Rawhide fire few
weeks later and his building burned.
Sam went out Of Rawhide without any
money.
Found in a Cabin.
He spent the last few years in Butte.
Gambling, as he knew, was a forgot.
ten vocation. He eked out miser-
able existence. A few months ago he
decided to do some prospecting. He
was found in a lonely cabin a few
miles from Helena recently, sick to
death, and was taken to Helena hos
pital for treatment.
A good hearted old Butte sport he
was Wallings friend in the old days,
lis paying his hospital bills, and the
ATTENDING physician says Walling s
days are numbered. He is the type of
the old-time Montana gambler, square
to the last cent, and ready to divide
his purse with anyone in trouble
Thousands of men whose hair is turn
ing at the temples will remember him
! when he was king of the Butte fra .cr-