I was on board the _John Simonds_ coming out of New Orleans one
night. I had a very lively game of "red and black," and did not
close up until two o'clock in the morning. We were sitting around
the stove in the bar, drinking, smoking, and telling stories, when
there was a man came in whom I had not seen since the boat left
New Orleans. When he came aboard he was pretty full of "bug-juice,"
and had been asleep. When he woke up, of course he was dry, and
had come into the bar to get a drink. I said to him, "You look
dry, and you are just in time to join us." After thanking me, he
took a drink, and then told me he had missed his supper. I told
him I would send the porter into the texas, and get him a lunch,
which I did. I then thought if I can get some more of that "go-
your-money" whisky into him, I can size him up. So after taking
another round, I said to him, "You should have been up when the
big betting was going on." He said, "What was it?" I said, "There
was a great tall fellow sat down to the table just after supper,
and called all the men in the cabin to come and see how he had lost
$2,000 of his father's money. He pulled out a lot of cards and
began to throw them on the table, and said to us, 'If you see the
same fellow who got my money, don't you bet with him, for he has
two chances to his one.' I can't explain just how he did it, for
I haven't got any of the cards." The barkeeper then said, "I have
some of the fellow's cards that he left when he got off the boat."
I said, "Let me have them and I will try and show the game." I
took the cards and bent them, and then said, "You ought to have
seen him throw them through those long fingers; it would have made
you laugh."
I was throwing and explaining when my partner came in. After
looking on for a little while he asked me if I would bet on the
game. I pretended not to hear him, but invited them both to take
a drink. Then my partner offered to bet the drinks. I took him
up, and he lost. While we were talking he picked up the cards and
turned up one of the corners of the winner, and then let the other
man see what he had done. I commenced to throw them again, when
my partner wanted to know if I would bet just as they lay. I said
I would after the shuffle. He said, "You beat me out of the drinks;
now I will bet you $100 I can pick up the card the first pick."
"Enough," says I, and up went the money in the "hungry" man's hands.
Over went the card, and my partner caught me for $100. I said,
"Give him the money, as he won it fairly." The stakeholder threw
down his bread and meat, jumped up, pulled out his money, and said,
"I will bet you $500 I can turn the right card the first time."
I saw he had about $1,500 or $2,000, so I said, "I will make but
one bet, and then quit; I will bet you $1,500." "Enough said, I'll
go you." The money was put up, and over went the card; but, as
luck would have it, he turned the wrong one; and, to tell the truth,
I was glad of it. He then pulled out $400 in gold and wanted to
bet that; but I told him to keep it, for I did not want to win it
from him, but wanted to keep what I had. We sat down and had a
drink, and in a short time the man went out on the guards. My
partner and I were talking and laughing about how we won the money,
when all of a sudden in rushed the man with his clothes all torn
and very much excited. We asked him what had happened, when he
told us that two fellows had grabbed and robbed him of the $400 in
gold.
We got the mate and watchman, and searched the boat until we found
one of the robbers in a fireman's bunk, down on the lower deck.
We got all the money from him and returned it to the man. The
other robber could not be found. We turned the one we had captured
over to the police of Baton Rouge, and that was the last we ever
heard of him. I took the next boat back to New Orleans.