The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-24
GAMBLING HOUSE BROKE
 RICHARD FLAT IN YOUTH
Noted Promoter Of Championship Fights Staked Ricl
 Claims In Gold Fields But Went X 5 5 MS 4SB Broke GambIing#gSs .11
Broke Gambling

uo fonEsr, needed, and then told the world That we could have Alaska and he'd take TAxAs. Will Slack was one of the best fellows in the world, but he liked his scomfort more than Non- dike gold. don't know but that he was sensfbIe,s at that. still, he went back to Texasiand was killed in gun {, K does Through With It
 had taken a chance, though, and was going through with 1t. We wintered in Circle City and worked out rom these in the spring. was lucky enough to buy out; the No. 8 and No. A claims, Of the Bonanza strike. This, however, was after I left Circle City and got into the Klondike. !. George Cornack, who had an Indian That was the first time I ever. heard of . squaw man. That is what every body called Cormaek.
 The squaw man had been on a moose hunting trip. On ohia way down a little river, which, he afterwards named the Bonanza. he stopped for water. Right on a piece of gold. The rocks and sand in the swift water had worked at the gold until 1t was exposed.
 No use for me to tell you what ex- citement there is over a gold strike. The odd part of it is that Cormack, CNCh WItA tUtAllOtlS ITOuI ulIu, u2u not struck the richest part of the gold at all. There were many fortunes in what he found, but on little branch of the stream little further up, called the Eldorado-well, 1t was simply studded with gold. It would be diff cult to coifHt the millions of dollars Anyway, staked out those two Be- nanza claims and had a half interest. They brought me Tn a lot of money.
 When we got back to Circle City in May we heard some big news.
 "A man named Mckinley was elected President last November" an old min CT told me. "Ever hear of him?"?
 To tell the truth, hadn't. Then we got the details of the campaign with Bryan. The talk of sixteen to one had fixed the price of gold in Alaska We used gold dust for hmoney and it was always worth sixteen dollars to the ounce. N
 They Bet On I7 And B
 sold out my Bonanza interest and had about s60,000 in gold dust. Just like the others, went in for ,good time: Then it was that. I first got;the
 A man named Tom Turner had come in from the outside with9news of how badly they needed a gambling house at Dawson. The, miners wanted amuse- ment and also wanted some fellows with whom they could leave their gold for safekeeping.
 The proprietor of a gambling house was much like a hotel or innkeeper. It was. no cinch. There wasn't any graft. There were no suckers, to tell the truth A gambling house was sort of social headquarters.
 went in with Turner and we opened up gambling house, drinking and eating place. We lasted about four months.
 One. night a lot of fellows came in to bet on the middle column and Nos. 17 and 23 of the roulette layout and hit us hard. If they won they'd sim- ply pile on more gold dust in small stacks and tell us to roll. We rolled ourselves right out of house and home. At the same time they were taking us hard on faro,
 As I say, the gambling house was no cinch. Later I will tell of a more ex- citing gambling adventure--of my rise to wealth in that country. This. time, though the. finish is sad. cstarted 'in lwAh $57 200 that [ had left out of-the Bonanza. strike and lost every nickel t'of 1t. Twas flat broke, and it was getting colder.
 Don't worry, my boy" a friendly old miner whispered to me the next day. "Thsy're striking it rich down at
 That night we were busy. packing up. Tomorrow: The Fourth of JuTv 1900