Newspaper Page Text
THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE.
VOJj. XX.
OUTWITTING A GAMBLER
Exciting Fasaa from the History of Mls
slsippt’a Gamoling King.
Old Benedict Kirk, the king of the
Mississippi river gamblers was born in
.Maysyille, K)\, and received Ids lirst
lessons in cold decking and stripping
in the quaint old town of Washing
ton, which is four miles south of
Maysville on the Lexington pike.
In those days Washington and Cirele
villo, Ohio, were the chief commer
cial towns of the new west. Cincin
nati was only a straggling village and
Chicago a pioneer camp. Washing
ton was the scat of 11 aso .1 county,
and during court term there was
gathered there all the leading planters
merchants and sporting
men of tho Blue GraMcountry.
Young Kirk had a talent for cards
and before he was 17 years Of age he
Mad no equal about Washington. He
sighed fqr other worlds to conquer,
visited Circlevilic anil went as tamp
the river a* Pisttsburg. His mothods
filled his wallet, and ho determined
upon an extensive trip South.
a (JAM n'lJtlt’s ups Axn nows.
From that hour his lame was as
sured, and Ins fortune fluctuated lornt
extreme poverty, to equlewt riches,
lie won at the card table thousand of
dollars at tho card tabic, hut as speed
ily lost his easily acquired riches try
ing to beat faro. When the Bine
Lick Spring became tho summer re
sort of tho wealthy Southerners. Ben
edict mingled with them freely
laughed at their jokes, ’listened to
their stories ami won their money.
His career was a most eventful one
and he died poor. One of his tavo
ite pastimes was to “down”a follow
gambler, usually by combining with
him to fleece an outsider and then
giving away the grme.
• Once he found himself in LaulsYillc
after a protracted siege at faro, with
out a dollar. He became disgusted
with the Falls City and boarded a
down liver steamer. It touched at
gomelittlo towu on the Indiana shore
and a genuinejawhawker about emi
grating to Kansas came aboard. He
displayed plenty of money and Bene
dict selected him as a victim. He
lormcd the fellow’s acquaintance and
thejawhawker was delighted with
his ncw-friend. It happened that
there was another gambler aboard
the boat and he, too, cast envious
eyes upon the Tndianian. He know
Benedict Kirk, and watching his op
portunity called the great gambler
aside.
“Benedict.” he said, pointing to the
Indianian “your friend seems to have
plenty of money.”
“About |s,oooiMiswered Kirk.
“Why don’t yen get it?”
“I would but I lost my last dollar
at faro in Louisville."
“I’m pretty well fixed,” cried the
gambler, eagerly, displayed a large
roll of bills and a sack of calm “you.
play and I’ll stake von.”
“Agreed!” said Benedict. “Give
me one tmndred to start with.
PI.AVIXO WITH AX WWANIAX.
The gambler placid in his hands
the required sum and Kirk rejoined
the Ind’anian, When they were
alone he leaned forward and said :
•‘My fricad. you are an innocent
good-heartad fellow and I like you.
••Canyon play poke*?’”
“A little.”
“Well suppose wc play a game. I
am Benedict Kirk, anil that fellow
forward there, “Moddingtoward the
other gambler, “wants me to fleece
yon. licit going to furnish the 111011-
er, and after we have been playing
awhile I will deal you four kings
Discard ihe useless card and draw
another. Then bet every dollar you
have, and I’ll see you with money
that I'll borrow from mv friend up
forward. You’ll win.and we'll divide
up.”
The Idianian had heard of Benedict
Kirk and he agreed to go into the
game. The gambler who had staked
Kirk sauntered up to the table where
they were playing, a3 though out of
■.die curiosity, and stood so that he
could see Bet elict hand. For a
half an hour the game moved along
slowly the bets being small.
Finally Benedict dealt, and when
he raised his hand the gambler saw
that it contained four aces. The In
diatiian made good his ante
and call forone card. Beneilkfdrew
one. Tncn they began to bet, cauti
ously ac first. Finally when it was
Benedict’s thru to bet, 1 e hesitated
and said:
"I’ve girt a hand here (hat I would
back with a million it 1 had it. I Bate
to call you, but I am afraid I shall
have to.”
This was the gambler’s cue and he
was quick to take it up.
“I’ll loan yon any sum to back ttiat
hand, my friend,” lie said, and laid
a roll of notes beside Kirk.
THE HAM) WAS CAI.LEI).
The betting proceeded and finally
when’every dollar (if Ihe gainliJer’*
money was on the table Kirk called
the liidiatiiaii's hand.
“Four kings !”cried the jayhawker
spreading out his hand and reaching
for the pot.
“Bold on there!” interposce the
gambler who had been backing Kirk.
“This nand beat yours. Four aces I”
Kirk turned up liis cards, but to thq
the surprise and digust of the gam
bler there were three acres, a five#utl
seven spot.
•‘Confound the luck !”cried Kirk, jn
well simulated astonishment. “I dis
carded the wrong card.”
The gambler not daring to accuse
Kirk of double dealing, but confident
that he had been made tho victim
of otic of the great gamblers shrewd
tricks, turned on his heels with au
oath and retired to his state room The
.Indianian gathered up his winnings,
“Now ('sillies the funny part of the
story,” sail! Kirk, who sold me this
incident himself tcvcral years ago.
When 1 got an opportunity to see my
jayhawker friend alone and asked
him for mv share of tho winnings ho
laughed at mo.
“I won the money, and its mine,”
he said, hut as you are broke I don’t
mind giving you hack 1100. I saw
no use arguing the question with the
countryman, and I took one hundved
dollars. I never saw him afterward
but he was the only man that ever
got the best ol me at my own game.
I left the boat at Memphis, mode a
stake continued on down to Vicks
burg, and three days after my arriv
al there had won a cool $50,000 in
cash and forty head of negroes and a
good plantation. That was my last
visit to Vicksburg. A committee of
citizens waited on me. and gave me
three honrs to leave town, “f rent le
nten. ’ I said, bowing politely, you are
too magnanimous. I require only 3
minutes*, and lumping into a little
pirogue that was t'cd to the levee, I
tossed the owner a t‘2o gold pieeo and
paddled for the other side of the river,
—Philadelphia Times.
SAM JONES
The main element #f Sam Jones'
success iu hi* earnestness. The man
is earnest ami lie is sincere. To zeal
lie adds disinterestedness most gen
uine. He works for results. Ilis
methods are all directed to success In
the work of human conversion.
Jones his proven his disterested
ness. He was offered a SIO,OOO home
in Nashville. He declined it. A
purse of $2,500 was raised for him.
He took S3OO of it to pay what he
owed and to provide for his family,
and told the donors to give the rest of
ihe money to help those saloon deal
ers who had been converted and sa
crificed their bnsinoss for their new
ly-gained Christianity. These acts
show tlie man’s disregard of wealth
His fearless denunciations of sooic
cvince his utter disregard of the favor
of the high and influential. There is
no doubt that Mr. Jones is an enthu
siast in liis religious zeal and seeks
neither wealth or fame, save as means
to do his self-allotted work. —Atlanta
Capitol.
The little two-year-old daughter of
Mr. 8. A. Gheesling, Jr., had a wa
ter-melon seed to lodge in her wind
pipe last year which has caused her
much trouble. At times she would
almost choke to death and doing one
of her coughing spells last Saturday,
and when it seemed that she couid
not breathe any longer, she made one
great effort and succeeded in dislodg
ing the seed, and it flew from h<r
mouth and fell to the floor several
feet awav. The seed seemed as sound
as when it was ewallowd a year ago.
—Warren lon Clipper.
The large sawmill at Screven,
Wayne county, owned by Mr. Dale,
has been shut down. It is said that
at least 100 hands will he out of em
ployment on account of the suspen
sion.
WASHINGTON, GA., FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1885.
TI RNING A HrSBAKBOtT, !
A Donetle Scene In Tnnc*Nce—How
u Woman Vi nati
on trs Hertivlf.
(From the Detroit Freo Press.)
"We were winding down one of the
mountain roads of Tennessee in a
cart drawn by a mule. The land
was barren, the cabins no better titan
hovels and it was a quary how people
made a bare living or were content
to stay. By and by we came to a
turn ip the road where there was a
trough to water horses and mules
aud a cabin of a settler. Tho
was the poorest of all and nothing
srouml it Indicated that the owner
made any attempt to cultivate the
soil. We reached tho place just in
lime to witness a tableau. A woman
poorly dressed and her face bearing
the look of one who had seen much
worry and suffering, stood near the
trough and a satchel filled with cloth
ing set on the ground beside iter.
Five feet away stood her husband, a
hurley, toughfaced mountaineer, and
he held a switch iu his hand. Neith
er minded us as we drove up and it
was full a minute heforc the hus
band said:
"Mary, I'll wollop yei”
“Jim. ye Hasn’t I” site roplid.
“Mary, you cant, leave me now!”
“Jipl. I’m gwinoterdo it! I've
starved an’ suffered till I’m clean
gone! I'm going home.”
“Mary, if you don’t take up that
satchel and march iu I'll wollop ye
good and stout!”
There were two of us besides the
driver. The woman looked up and
scanned our faces, as if to judge how
far she might count on our help, and
the driver said:
“’Taili’t putable for strangers to
mix in, Mary ; and Jim's got a knife
anil would kill somebody. Better go
in.”
‘‘Never!” she hissed.
"If you dou!tj'’aj(l the husband, as
he came n Mdp nearer, "I’ll make the
fur fly. Take that!”
With a swish he brought the switch
down across her shoulder* and raised
it again. She stood stockstill fora
minute and looked him in the eye.
and then walked into the hovel.
“Bavlher port, but the gad will
cure her I” grinned the husband, as ho
drew the switch through his fingers.
His triumph was short-lived. In
sixty seconds Mary reappeared She
had the mountaineer’s heavy rifle in
her hand, as she came outshc raised it
on a line with the man’s heart.
“Jim, I want you to git!”
“No-o!”
“Sartin!”
“Shoo! Can’t do it!”
Clink! clink!
“Mary, what yergwine ter do?”
“Kill ye like a wolf in yer tracks if
ye don’t walk away.”
“Wliar to?”
“Nobody keers. Go snmwliar’—
keep goin’—don’t never come back I
Hurry up, far I’m going down on the
stage!”
He looked into her eyes and saw the
change. Poverty and brutality had
come to an end. Love had turned to
disgust, and in place of fear was such
bravery as he would not have looked
for In a man on the road. Ho saw
“shoot” in her eyes, but he still hesi
tated.
“Mary, drop that rifle, “he whis
pered.
“Jim, git! If you arc hero when
I’ve finished counting twenty I kill
yon as sure as there is a God in heav
en!”
He began backing away. When lie
bad gone twenty feet he turned and
walked. When he had gone one hun
dred lie halted, wheeled about. and,af
ter a long time muttered: “Wall by
goslt! Maty, let’s make up!”
“Keep a-gittin’, Jim,” she replied,
as site still covered him with the
rifle.
lii five minutes lie was out of sight
up the road. The woman placed the
gun and satchel in the cart to be gone
two minutes and when She came back
to the cart and took a scat with us
flames were creeping through a hun
dred crevices between the dry logs.
Without a word she climbed in and
only once during the five-mile ride did
she utter a word. At a bend in the
road she looked back at a pyramid of
smoke and flame wrought by her
hands and said, as if to herself:
“Jim did’ut know Mary; Jim
didn’t.!'’
The outlook for fall trade was never
so hopeful for Rome as at present.
TEXAS LIARS.
Where Skill In the Accomplishment Is
Specified.
[Texas Siftings]
This article is not intended to re
form tie politicians and editors of
Texas, 'gut not only to other persons
who have attained a suprising prof
iciency in “drawing the long bow." It
is not meant to insinuate, however,
that the class tirst mentioned, if they
are oily exasperated, are lacking
in ski! in the accomplishment speci
fied.
i When Gov. Scott, of Virginia, re
turned from his first visit to tho then
part ol Virginia known as Kentucky,
lie declared that that the soil of Ken
tucky was so fertile, “that if a ten
penny nail was planted in it it would
growtpinto a crow-bar. lie was
eloquent in his description of the
si*e of. the trees and tho density of the
forestand cane brakes. He averred
that lip saw herds of elks there and
that “the horns of the bucks wore
ten feqt wide from point to point."
Whonasked how those elks could get
through the forests atld cano brakes
he described, ho replied “tiiat ,hat
wgs thejr business” not his. While
in Kentucky, lie gathcaed a lea'f of
Buffalo olover which was larger than
a silver dollar, and was accustomed
to wind up his amplification in re
gard to Kentucky by asserting that
thetioli was so very fertile thero
“that a clover leaf grew to ho larger
than a dollar.” and would then pull
out his pocketbook produce a dollar,
and tficn take out tho dried clover
leaf and put it upon the dollar, tints
demonstrating that it more than cov
ered it. He, on another occasion,
boasted that on the strength of that
single leaf of clover, ho had palmed
of some of the biggest lies that hu
man credulity over swallowed. Gov.
erpor Scott, is must be admitted, was
in bis day. quite a proficient iu the art
oflving.
But the liars or Texas, in boldness
and originality, hate far surpassed
TSitv: Scott. Take for instance, Sack
W . well known along Ihe
lower Bio Grande. The readiness,
case and grace or his extemporan
eous lying command respectful at
tention wherever he went. No lo
cality could ho mentioned In a cas
ual conversation but ho would show
himself to be familiar with it, and
that in some way it was con
nected with his family. When an
illusion was made to the superiorly
of Goshen butter, he merely observ
ed tnat old Goshen, who first intro
duced it into general use, was his
uncle. When on another occasion
an allusion was made to the Nalur
a Bridge of Virginia, he remarked,
with an air of modesty, that he knew
all about it, and could give its dimen
sions with precision if desired, as
his father was one of the constructors
that built it. He was quite an artist
in his way.
But the most briliiaht, original and
ready of all liars, was an old army
scout that settled in Western Texas.
He had won such a reputation tiiat a
General in the srmy. iu passing his
cabin on liis way to a military post,
halted and called upon him, inform
ing him that lie bail beard of hi in so
often all along the frontier tiiat he
desired to make his acquantance and
hear him tell of the strange sights lie
had seen in the far West.
Tho old scout ’hereupon proceeded
to say that he had indeed seen strange
sights out West. That on one scout
ing trip lie had come upon a high
mountain that consisted of of a sin
gle crystal of diamond, so very clear
that lie could see through! it herds of
deer and elk on the ether side; and
tiiat when lie was going around it to
get at them, lie came upon a buffalo
tiiat was in a standing position and
was entirely petrifed, even the end
of the animal’s tail, which was in an
erect position over his hack, as he
was about to charge when petrifica
tion set in, was also petrified.
“Stop,’’said the General, “now I’ve
got you. Tne attraction of gravita
tion would have caused the end of
tho tail to drop down.”
“No,” replied the scout, “tiiat was
petrified too,”
Capt. .1. L. Barnett, of Butts county,
lias tho astronomical works of Robert
Grier, author of Grier’s almanac,
who filed near Stark, in Butts county
in 1819. Those books were purchased
at the administrator’s sale of Robert
Grier’s son, A. S. Grier.
GEORGIA'S PUBLIC MEN.
A Pew Anecdotes of a Couple of Judges.
Judge Cone, f Greene county, was
in his day of the ablest lawyer* in the
state. He was full of humor and
enjoyed making fun for others. Ho
represented Greene county in the sen
ate. He was approached soon after
his election by a candidate for door
keeper’ place who came to his room
canvassing for votes. Ho asked the
judge for Ins support, when the fol
lowing conversation took place:
“Have you ever topi a door,” asked
the judge.
“No,sir”
“Have you ever seen a door kept ?”
“No sir’. ’
“Have you ever read a treatise on
doorfcecplug.”
“No, sir.”
“Well, said the judge, I think you
unfit for such a responsible position ;
but. it you get tho proper books ami
study and master the art, I will vote
for you next year.”
uentlemen’s horses.
Judge Dooly was very fastidious
about Ills quarters at tbo taverns, and
was a great terror to landlords who
fqared his wit and culling jemarks if
things did not suit him.
Wfiilo he was on the bench tho Au
gusta lawyerslpratlccd. in Warren
county court, apd usually came with
equipages, servants, etc., In a style he
thought fuvoredof ostentation, and
liis jealousy was provoked on account
of their receiving, as he thought more
than their share of attention from tho
landlord.
One morning it was noticed that lie
came from Mrs. Chapman’s insload of
l’aris’ tavern, whero he had been say
ing the tirst days of court. Somooue
asked him what was the matter.
Ho said ho had gone to a plaoe
where he hoped hq would be consid
ed a gentleman, for, said ho, “I went
to the horse lot, and seeing my horse
in the rren, I inquired why he was
not stabled, and was told by the host
ler the stable was full of ‘gentlemen’s
horses, salt.
“I made tho same inquiry about
mo sulky, which I found exposed to
the weather, and 1 was told that the
carriage house was full ofgentlcmcns,
carriages, ssh.”
“I asked for a glass in my room, and
was told that tho looking glasses were
all in tho ‘gentlemen’s, rooms, salt.”
“And when I asked for auy necossa
ry article I received the reply—all in
tho gentlemoii’s rooms, sail.”
“I said I would go where I would
ho considered a gentleman, too, so I
went to Mrs. Chapman’s where ! hope
to sustain that character.”
IIIHOIIAHOEU HIM.
Avery pretentious landlord in one
of tho counties of the nothorn judicial
circuit, keeping a‘very common ho
tel,” was always going to have great
improvements to liis house, table, fur
niture, etc. After many false promi
ses of tho kind, at last a court day
came when lie redeemed them all by a
dish of which any landlord, as ho
thought, should feel proud.
At dinuer time there was the dish.
It was a pig roasted whole, stuffed to
bursting with light broad, onions, etc.,
standing erect as life, flanked by Irish
potatoes, and having a big red apple
in its mouth.
The pig faced Judge Dooly, and tho
judged faced the pig with a squizzleal
expression.
The carving knife and fork were
handy; lawyers were all around tho
table. No one offered to carve the
pig. Dinner ended with the pig as
perfect as when it began. Supper
came, and the pig came and went.
The same thing was repeated at the
three meals next day.
The second morning, when Judge
Dooly came to the table, there was
the pig. Making a how, the judge
said:
“Good morning, Mr. Pig. I am
afraid you have lost your appetite,
seeing you have not eaten that applo
yet, and I presume you are tired of
attending court. Mr. Sheriff, you
may discharge him on his own
recognizance, until the next session
of court, of courso, seeing we will
have no further use for him this ses
sion.”
The petition to movo the Ogle
thorpe court-house from Lexington to
Crawford has been abandoned, as not
enough names could be had to give
any hope for success to the orgina
tors. The court-house will ho built
at the old site on the public square.
NO. 33
A GEORGIA SKETCH.
Hank, in reply to John’s inquiry as
to “old Johnson,” who, I gather, was
engaged in the business of moon
shining, soberly told of liis fate.
“You see, he and the old man Bas
come bought a sow together a year
ago last October. They were part
ners like. This fall they drovo her
up to the still house, and she and her
seven shoats lived on the slops of 'the
still. Along in early December
Johnson sent word to Basoome to
eonte over anddividc the youngstock
as he wanted to kill his meat. Now,
you know that it would have beon
but fair seeing that John had fed the
pigs, for him to have kept four of the
snoals, but Bascome, he talked him
out of four, and the old man was sat
isfied with three. The understand
ing was that he was to hare the odd
pig next year if there should be one.
Bascome allowed that there would be
one sure. Well, old woman Johnson
when she heard of tho trade, site al
lowed that there would be no odd
pigs next year, and she put Johnson
to go and claim the shoat or at least
one-half ot it. The old chap ho went
across tho ridge to Bascomo’g house.
It is about two miles through the
woods. Of course they fell out, and
Johnson beat Bascome with a club,
and he yelled for help. You know
his gal Bet? No? ahe is as big a*
as a cow, and as strong as a mule.
She ran out of the house, and, gath
ering a stone, she mashed Johnson
in tho ribs, and knocked the wind
out of him. He fell up against the
corn house, and Bet grabbed him by
the goozleslring (windpipe) that set
tled him. When a 250-pound wom
an gets her hand on a man’s goozle-
Htrlng that man has got to do some
thing mighty sudden, or it’s all day
with him. He was silent for an
instant, and gazed moodliy out ot the
car window. I judged from tho ex
pression on his face that ho had ox
perience with 250-pound women.
He cheered a little shorly, and re
suming the, to me, thrilling story,
said: “Johnson sqirmed away from
her and broke for the timber.
She sal a big yellow hound on him,
and he bit old Johnson. Bet chased
him over the ridge,and at.'evory jump
she threw stones at him. She hit
him, too, and the dog tore most of hie
clothes off. That Bel never stopped
chasing him until the heft of her
clothes was snagged off of her.” Mus
ingly lie remarked: “Wimmen is
tough customei sand, after a short
pause, added: “Bet says she can whip
the stuffing out of him in a fair fist
fight; but Lord ! John, he oan’t fight
no more. He is all smashed up.” St
bcrly John expressed his sympathy for
old man Johnson. Neither of them
smiled. A vision of a half-naked man
chased through the forest by a yellow
hound and an angry woman, whoun
lovingly threw a stono at. him, and
who encourgcd the dog to disrobo
and him, who kept up tho chatc until
lior own clothes were gone, aroso
promptly before me, anil I yelled with
laughter. The two grave Georgians
smiled in sympathy with me, but they
did not see anything funny in the
story.—Frank Wilkeson, in the N#w
York Sun.
A GEORGIA SAMSON.
X Mon Who Can Throw an Anril flt
Distance of Fifty Yards,
Perhaps the strongest man in the
State is Mr. Beussoe, the blacksmith
at Mr. T. E. Birchmore’s shop, Max
eys. He is about six feet ten inches
high stands, erect and his muscles
prominent. He stands and with one
hand raises a hundred and twenty
pound anvil out straight for a min
ute, and take a larges cart wheel in
one hand by one spoke and holds it
out horizontally at arm’s length. On
hearing of his wonderful muscular
power we went oscr last Monday to
witness some of this modern Sam
son’s strength, and when wh asked
him about it, “Yes,” says he, “I
think I am strong as any man in this
country. lean take flii anvil and
throw it from hero to that wagon (a
distance ot fifty yards.) I u*o the
hammer with my right hand, but I
believe I am stronger in my left.
Here,feel fins arm, and flic muscles;
measure it if you want to. When I
used to shoe horses I never encounter*
cdonc that I couldn’t manage. I
could hold them if they were wild.
I havo never found a man that was
as stoul in the arms at I am.—Lex
ington Echo.