General Canby captured Mobile, taking 1,000 prisoners, 150 cannon,
and 3,000 bales of cotton on the 12th day of April, 1865, and this
about closed the war of the rebellion. I was in New Orleans at
the time running the race-course and my games. I knew there would
be plenty of money at Mobile after the Union Army took possession,
and I resolved to get over there just as soon as possible. So in
a short time after the surrender I was in Mobile trying to get
permission to open up my games. It was not long until I had a faro
bank in full blast in the city, and a rouge-et-noir and wheel game
at a resort on the shell road, about seven miles out from the city.
I had a partner in the faro bank by the name of Pettypan. He was
a Creole, and not the best fellow in the world by any means when
in liquor. He looked after the city trade, while I ran the game
out on the shell road, in which he had no interest.
The Union officers, and all the citizens that could afford it,
would drive out to the road-house where I was holding forth, and
I was making a barrel of money out of them. My old friend and
former partner, Charlie Bush, was running faro in New Orleans, and
when he heard how much money I was making at Mobile he came over
to run opposition. I gave him a call and he downed me for a big
roll. He made big money, and then wanted to go back to New Orleans
without leaving any of it, but the Grand Jury indicted him and made
him come down pretty heavy. They got an indictment against me at
the same time, but somehow it got into a pigeon-hole, and I guess
it is there yet, for I never heard anything of it after Bush left.
My partner in the faro bank was a little jealous of me, for I was
making more money out on the shell road than he was in the city.
One day when we were settling up our bank account he got mad, as
he was drunk, and pulled his gun and said he would shoot me. He
knew I did not have any gun with me, so he took this advantage.
I saw he had me, so I just opened my vest and told him to shoot.
That made him ashamed of himself, and he put up his gun and
apologized.
I was dealing red and black at the resort one night, when an officer
came up and said:
"I'll bet $25 on the red."