Bad Roads, Indians, & Roller Skating by @JacquieRogers #western #oldwest

This month in the Old West
by Jacquie Rogers

By November, the weather makes a decided turn for the worse in the northern climes.  We prepare for winter now, but in the Old West, they had a lot more to do.  Besides that, there was the ongoing fight for the land — new settlers considered the land free for the taking, and the existing population was a might perturbed by the invasion.

All articles cited are from The Owyhee Avalanche, which is still in business and publishing in Homedale, Idaho.

November 10, 1866

INDIANS IN FLINT. Last Saturday night two horses were stolen from a ranch in Flint District, and some other devilmint transacted, the character of which we are not informed. For pure cussedness, these red men are unrivaled. They come into the Owyhee settlements occasionally and, when there is a dearth of horse-flesh for stealing purposes, they break up agricultural implements, slosh round and fix things that as A. Ward would say. O, the gentle cues so to speak.

Silver City and surrounding boomtowns were, of course, in the mountains.  The toll road, privately owned and only route to the area, was rugged in good weather, and nigh to impassable when the rain and snow entered the equation.  (Still that way, although now a public road.)

November 10, 1866

ROADS. Teamsters landing goods in Owyhee have more trouble in getting here after having apparently a arrived at their destination, then they had all the balance of the trip. When persons here of their freight on Reynolds Creek or in Jordan Valley, seven or eight miles distant, they anticipate its reception in a day or two at far best, but in nearly every case teams seem to be a week to days in a accomplishing the feat. The road to Jordan Valley or more particularly the part between Boonville and Wagontown, has been a source of great deal A to the heavy teams coming from California. The heavy rain last Sunday rendered the grade, which is too narrow most every where, and gives great trouble to teams and passing, dangerous and the extreme. Major Biggs had trouble enough for a dozen of man, his wagons being large and very heavily loaded came pretty near never making that few miles. Skinner & Co. should endeavor to have the road improved by early spring, though the road as it is has been a great blessing to the people. The travel over in it next year will amply justified the proprietors for further improvements.

The Owyhee Avalanche had been established in Ruby City, then moved to Silver City when residents of Ruby got tired of the yearly flood. The newspaper was only a couple years old when the original owner sold out. But those years were hard-scrabble, and I'm sure the editors deserved a fine vacation on their way to new adventures.  The new editor sent them off with a fine piece of purple prose.

November 9, 1867

JNO. & JOS. WASSON, former into tears and proprietors of the Avalanche, departed this week from this vale of tears. They are "God's own men," and with but few exceptions take with them the best wishes of our whole community. They established the first newspaper in all why he, and carried it on for two years; in doing so they did more than anyone else for the prosperity and development of our mines. John left here on the morning of the sixth, and goes of the Columbia River route to 'Frisco. He will visit the Puget Sound country on his way thither. He is now special correspondent for the New York Tribune and Alta California, in whose columns he has acquired a distinguished reputation as a spicy and elegant writer.

Joseph Wasson has been out all summer with Gen. Crook, and in his letters to the Avalanche has given an interesting account of the Campaign. He is a practical printer and writer of more than average ability. He left here this morning on the Humboldt Stage for San Francisco. The brothers will meet at the metropolis of the Pacific, compare notes, and enjoy a city life after a four years' sojourn in the mountains. They will write to the Avalanche occasionally. Now we must say: "Farewell, a word that must be and hath been, a word that makes as linger, yet farewell."

I included a piece about roller skating before, but their enthusiasm for the new pastime was so great, I just had to show you another article.  I've searched the archives and maps, but can't find the actual location of the skating rink.  

November 25, 1871

ROLLER SKATING. The gayest amusement, to which our people have yet been treated, is McKay's Roller Skating Rink now in operation at Jones & Bonney's Hall. For particulars as to time, &c., see advertisement in another column. Although the rink has only been running about a week, it is quite extensively patronized and already there are many quite proficient in the art. Besides being one of the most innocent of pastimes, it is exhilarating, healthful and pleasant in the highest degree. Our word for it, go to the rink annual have a jolly time. Old and young, parents and children, lads and lassies—and in fact everybody goes.

And a bit of tongue-in-cheek was always welcome.

November 25, 1871

JEFFERSON'S TEN RULES. A friend of sends us "Jefferson's Ten Rules," which he says cannot be too often published. He has ridden them down from memory, and it seems to us that he has got them quite right:

1. Never do to-day what you can put off till tomorrow.

2. Never do yourself what you can get any one else to do for you.

3. Never spend ready money when you can get credit.

4. Always buy anything that is cheap. If you don't want it now, you may by and by.

5. If you only have proper pride you can endure hunger, thirst and cold.

6. We seldom repent having eaten all really good dinner.

7. A man should not be too willing to put himself to trouble.

8. It is better to be troubled about imaginary evils then real ones.

9. When angry, pitch in at once.

NOTE: only nine of the 10 rules were printed.

On a more serious note, where there's gold and silver, there'll also be competition for who gets it, whether the ore is still in the ground or out of it.  And so it happened amongst greedy men in 1872 when The Owyhee Avalanche reported this incident.

November 23, 1872

A MINE JUMPED. Yesterday morning, or sometime during the previous night, Col. Fogus took possession of the Illinois Central mine which has been worked by the Sands Brothers and H. S. Cheasbro for nearly two years past. They had not been working at night but went to the mine as usual in the morning and found Fogus and some other parties on guard with Henry rifles. We know nothing in relation to the title to the mine. Fogus may have a just claim to it, and he may not, but we cannot, nor shall we countenance any such high-handed proceedings. If his claim is right and just, he should have sought redress in our law courts, instead of taking forcible and armed possession of the mine. In this matter the general sentiment of the community is against Fogus and the quicker he leaves the Illinois mine, the better in it will be for him.

Later, Col. Fogus arrived at the Idaho Hotel, at two o'clock this morning, and has probably given up the idea of holding the mine.

Even with all the mine jumping about, Silverites still loved their entertainment.  I included some of these tricks in my book, Sleight of Heart, in which the hero is a thoroughbred gambler and sleight-of-hand artist.

November 23, 1872

CARL BOSCO. This world-renowned sleight-of-hand performer and illusionist gave one of his wonderful entertainments in Good Templar Hall last night. The Hall was crowded, and everybody present was immensely delighted. Among other incomprehensible tricks performed were the following: The Enchanted Cards; Candles and Handkerchief; Wreath and Rings; Coin and Decanter; Aerial Bell and Frame; Mystic Clock; Demon Hat; or how is that for high? Floating Stick; Mysterious Water; The Hindoo Chain; Lessons in Legerdemain; Mystic Ball; Turkish Handkerchief; Treasures in the Air. Mr. Bosco will give another performance at the same place of this evening and we advise everybody to attend, as it is decidedly the best "show" that Silver City has ever had.

Local Happenings

• Morality is still triumphant. Fans are getting fashionable. Raffles are all the goal here now. Iced lemonades ain't just the things now.
• Father Mesplie christened seven babies during his recent visit to our town.

November in the Old West

• November 16, 1821: William Becknell arrived in Santa Fe, taking the route now known as the Santa Fe Trail.
• November 4, 1835: Nueces River, Texas—seventy Texans commanded by Adjutant Ira J. Westover fought ninety Mexicans led by Capt. Nicolás Rodríguez at the Battle of Lipantitlán.
• November 13, 1835: The Lone Star Republic is established as Texas officially claimed independence from Mexico.
• November 6, 1858: The Territory of Jefferson, which became Colorado, adopted its first constitution.
• November 2, 1861: President Abraham Lincoln removed General John Charles Fremont as commander of the Western Department.
• November 4, 1862: The US Patent Office granted a patent for a rapid-fire gun to Richard Gattling.
• November 13, 1863: Chipita Rodriquez, convicted of killing John Savage, was hanged. She’s the first legal hanging in Texas.
• November 14, 1863: Henry Tilden, riding across Horse Prairie, Montana Territory, was set upon by Harry Plummer and his gang, and robbed.
• November 15, 1867: For the first time, a train rolls into Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• November 6, 1869: Residents of Evans, Colorado Territory, hanged Jack Carr after an impromptu trial. He’d shot Daniel Steele because he didn’t like the food he’d purchased at the victim’s hotel.
• November 4, 1870: The Central Pacific Train No. 1 was held up by gambler Jack Davis, who got away with $40,000 in gold.
• November 5, 1871: Apaches attacked the Wickenburg-La Paz stage, killing six, severely wounding another woman who died later. Only one survivor, a man named Kruger.
• November 10, 1875: Three men robbed the Silver City stagecoach just outside of Boise City and made off with the strongbox.
• November 5, 1877: Canada Bill, considered the best at three-card Monte, died in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
• November 4, 1879: William Penn Adair Rogers was born near Oologah, Indian Territory. He became known as Will Rogers and entertained all with his rope tricks and cowboy philosophy.

May your saddle never slip.
Jacquie
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Chromotropes, Cowboy Laundry, & Indian Attacks by @JacquieRogers #western

October in the Old West

by Jacquie Rogers

We can get a unique perspective of the Old West from newspapers of the time, and my idea of heaven is browsing the archives. The period's syntax, the attitudes, and exactly what they chose to report, or didn’t report, all reflect their contemporary outlook on this exciting time in our history. The articles here are all taken from Silver City’s The Owyhee Avalanche, the oldest continually running newspaper in Idaho, now publishing in Homedale, Idaho.

Entertainment was a highly sought-after commodity in boomtowns, and Silver City was no exception. But the citizens weren’t all that easily impressed, as we see in the October 5, 1867 issue.

THE DIORAMA came off last Saturday evening as per announcement. Everybody and his wife and children were there, and consequently the Court House was crowded. The performance did not come up to popular expectation, although a few very fine Chromotropes were displayed. The funny genius, the “razor-strop man,” helped the arrangement out considerably by singing a few of his comic songs. The general opinion of our people seems to be that the “Grand Diorama” was gotten up as a show for school children in the backwoods, and that the proprietor was guilty of a great mistake in bringing his show before an enlightened community—as that of Silver City.

It is but justice to Mr. Matteson to state that the reason why his views did not show to better advantage was that through an accident his calcium light was broken, which materially lessened the brilliancy of the scenes.

For examples of chromotropes, see Dick Balzer’s page.

Burglary has been around since the beginning of time, we all know that. What’s interesting is what and how they wrote about it. I don’t know who was more frightened, the reporter or the woman, in this news item found in the October 19, 1867 issue:

MIDNIGHT ALARM. About three o’clock, night before last, we were awakened from pleasant slumbers by the most heart-rending cries of distress and alarm that it was ever our lot to hear. Having become accustomed, in days gone by, to be startled from sleep by the fierce war hoop of the bloodthirsty savage, and for a moment, before we could collect our scattered ideas from the land of dreams, the scalping knife and tomahawk gleaned a fearful proximity before our eyes, and we almost involuntarily grasped a six-shooter to prepare for mortal combat. The facts of the case, as we afterwards learned, are as follows: A house adjoining our office is occupied by Mr. Jennings, who is absent from home. A burglar had effected an entrance to the kitchen, whereupon making some kind of noise, alarmed Mrs. Jennings, who was sleeping in another room, she screamed loudly for assistance, which attracted the attention of the night watchman and others, who immediately repaired to the scene of alarm. They found the lady in a great fright and much excited. During the confusion the robber escaped, leaving the door open behind him. We would advise our neighbors to keep their doors and windows well bolted and blocked at night, for there are many hard cases prowling round.

A year earlier, in the October 27, 1866, issue, the reporter took great delight in testing the area's refreshment establishments.

IRRIGATION. We take pleasure in saying to thirsty Silverites, when on a pilgrimage to Ruby [City], that the Poorman Saloon is a popular and first class place to moisten the bowels with any kind of toddies. “Peter” you can do up a hot or cold whiskey in a very palatable style.

And in that same issue, good news in the underwear and clean-smelling department:

BATHS. The bath house on Jordan Street is running again, and it will cost but little for everybody to go there and ascertain the whereabouts of sundry socks and undershirts which they have charged somebody with stealing. Drop by and try a bath, and possibly find some undergarments to last you till spring.

But all was not such lighthearted news.  In October 26, 1867, The Owyhee Avalanche reported an Indian attack that received a great deal of attention for the weeks to come. This article was printed as all one paragraph. I put some breaks in to ease our modern eyeballs.

SHOCKING MASSACRE. Again it is our painful duty to record one of the most terrible Indian massacres that has ever taken place in our midst. From M. S. W. Strong, of Jordan Valley, and others, we learn the following particulars: On last Monday morning, Sergeant Denoile and wife, and Sergeant Nichols, of Camp C. F. Smith, started in a four-horse ambulance from the Camp Lyon, on their way to Fort Boise.

They had preceded about nine miles, arriving at a point half-way between Camp Lyons and Reynolds Creek, when they were attacked and fired into by a party of Indians, who lay a concealed among the rocks near the roadside. Denoile, who was driving, immediately threw up his hands, exclaiming: “My God! I am shot!” dropped the reins and fell from the ambulance. The horses then ran at full speed about half a mile.

Nichols, who was armed with a Henry rifle fired several shots at the savages in the interim. The horses then became in some manner entangled in the harness and one of them fell. Nichols leaped from the ambulance, as also did Mrs. Denoile, who appeared perfectly frantic. The Indians were then only two or three hundred yards away and Nichols endeavored to persuade Mrs. Denoile to take shelter with him among some rocks a few yards distant; instead of which she started back towards her murdered husband.

Nichols to save his own life, found shelter in the rocks and commenced shooting at his pursuers. He finally succeeded in getting out of sight of the Indians, and arrived in a spiteful plight a short time before dark at Carson’s Ranch, on Reynolds Creek. He says the last he saw of Mrs. Denoile she was in the hands of the fiends. How terrible! How heart-rending the thought!

The lady was near the period of giving birth to a child, and if she were not immediately murdered, her fate at the hands of those devils incarnate would be infinitely worse than death. The horses were taken, the ambulance burned, and Denoile’s body stripped and dragged some distance from the roads, as we have recently learned. The atrocity was committed between ten and eleven o’clock in the forenoon.

The party made three other attacks during the day, but without killing anyone else. About noon a Mr. Hardy came along on horseback near the scene of the outrage. The Indians fired on him and killed his horse. He escaped into the rocks, and with two six-shooters kept the devils at bay till at last he made his escape.

At two o’clock Mr. Strong came along the same road with a wagon and two horses. He was also assailed and had both of his horses badly wounded, but succeeded in making his escape unhurt to Reynolds Creek.

The last attack the devils made was on three ox-teamsters, near sundown, but the man fought them off and they disappeared in the darkness, uttering demonic yells, after spending nearly a whole day in their fiendish work. Different accounts are given of the numbers of [the] murderous band, ranging from ten to thirty.

Maj. Hunt, of Camp Lyon, did not hear of the occurrence till Tuesday night, and he deserved credit for his promptness of action. He only had ten men in Camp, but immediately dispatched to five of them to the bloody scene to recover the dead body, and if possible get some trace of the woman. The Major at once started for Camp Three Forks Owyhee to inform Col. Coppinger, and Wednesday night they were encamped at Flint with sixty men, intending the next morning to go by way of Eves saw mill to Wagontown and if possible on the trail of the murderers; since which we have heard nothing from the command.

In a follow-up article:

STILL LATER. W. L. Burnham and J. McCourt, who were of the party of six men that went out on Wednesday eight to the scene of the massacre, between Camp Lyon and Reynolds Creek, have just returned. They found the body of Denoile which was partly stripped but not mutilated. They are of the opinion that Mrs. Denoile was carried off alive. They found a ribbon apparently belonging to a lady’s hat, a German bible, portions of a woman’s dress and sixty dollars in greenbacks. Some of the articles were five miles apart. The Indians went towards the Owyhee, and Col. Coppinger and Command are after them.

And, in the spirit of civic duty, the Avalanche reports a callous disregard for the public byways in the same issue.

DANGEROUS CARELESSNESS. It is truly astonishing to see what tranquil indifference some people evince for the welfare of their fellow men. As an example of downright and criminal carelessness we mention the fact of a neighbor of ours taking up a plank of the sidewalk in order that he might stow wood away in a subterranean passage, and after doing so, with the utmost disregard of consequence, he folded his arms and walked away without replacing the plank. An unfortunate hombre came along soon after, and not noticing yet, “put his foot in it,” (the hole in the sidewalk) spraining his ankle in a serious manner, which has confined him to the house for a number of days, and it is doubtful he ever well entirely get well. In our opinion, the perpetrators of such criminal neglect should pay dearly for their absence of mind.

Incidentally, elsewhere they report a case of Champagne delivered to the Avalanche office, and in yet another article below, they explain that the previous issue was printed late because of a printer’s difficulty. So the likelihood is that the lot of ’em were liquored up, the printer stepped into the hole in the sidewalk, and none of the rest were sober enough to get the newspaper printed.

OUR READERS will remember that the cause of our being late to press with the last issue was blamed on the printers and Thos. Ewing’s liberality. The main cause can be learned by finding out who it was that went through the sidewalk on the day of publication. Printers can stand some things but when it comes to piling it on thick—we pass.

The first thing you think of when someone mentions the Old West is poetry, right? As it happens, poetry was quite popular—it was certainly better received than the malfunctioning chromotrope.

LISLE LESTER gave one of her chaste and pleasing entertainments at the Court House on Tuesday evening. It consisted of a set of beautiful selections from the poets, any one of which, when embellished with the charming elocution of Laisle Lester is worth more than the price of admission. She left here on Wednesday evening on the Humboldt Stage, on her projected tour through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. We wish her a pleasant journey and safe return to Owyhee.

October Events

• October 2, 1835: American settlers defeated the Mexican cavalry in the first battle of the Texas Revolution. 
• October 22, 1836: The Republic of Texas’ first president, Sam Houston, took office. He ran against and defeated Stephen F. Austin for the job. 
• October 7, 1858: The first Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach from St. Louis, Missouri, arrived in Los Angeles, California, on its way to San Francisco carrying mail and one passenger, New York Herald reporter Waterman Ormsby. In San Francisco he wrote, “Had I not just come out over the route, I would be perfectly willing to go back, but I now know what Hell is like. I've just had 24 days of it.” 
• October 29, 1858: C.H. Blake and A.J. Williams open the first store on a site that would become Denver. 
• October 4, 1861: Seth and Clara Sackrider Remington of Canton, New York, had a baby boy, Frederick. 
• October 10, 1863: Denver finally gets a telegraph connection, a line from Julesburg. 
• October 5, 1868: William F. Cody joined the 5th Cavalry as chief of scouts. 
• October 20, 1870: A new townsite, formerly known as Swilling’s Mill, was formally established as Phoenix, Arizona Territory. 
• October 5, 1871: Marshal James B. Hickok shot and mortally wounded Phil Coe as well as Deputy Marshal Mike Williams in Abilene, Kansas. 
• October 9, 1872: Montgomery Ward mailed its first catalog, a one-pager listing 163 items. 
• October 6, 1874: Texas lawmen kill Belle Starr’s common-law husband, Tom Reed when he attempted to escape from custody. 
• October 5, 1877: Nez Perce Chief Joseph made his famous speech, “I will fight no more forever” when he surrendered to Generals Nelson Miles and Howard. 
• October 8, 1878: Sheriff Bat Masterson and his posse—Wyatt Earp, Charlie Bassett, Neal Brown, and Bill Tilghman captured James “Spike” Kenedy, wanted for the murder of singer Dora Hand (stage name, Fannie Keenan). Kenedy was later acquitted. 
• October 26, 1881: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. 
• October 4, 1883: Jack Alder of the Red Jack Gang was shot and killed by Sheriff Bob Paul and his posse after tracking Alder to a hideout near Wilcox, Arizona. 
• October 5, 1982: The Dalton Gang was shot down in Coffeeville, Kansas, when they tried to rob two banks at once. Only Emmett Dalton survived. 

May your saddle never slip.

Sleight of Heart: a gambler, a spinster, and a fortune

Hearts of Owyhee series:
Much Ado About Marshals
Much Ado About Madams
Much Ado About Mavericks
Much Ado About Miners (coming soon)

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Gambling in the Old West #western @JacquieRogers

Gambling in the Old West
by Jacquie Rogers

Gambling in the Old West was not considered a vice as it is today.  People who immigrated risked life and limb, not to mention their life savings, on hitting it rich, whether in land or gold, or both, so it's only reasonable to see why gambling was ubiquitous.  Bat Masterson wrote: "Gambling was a respected profession, almost equal in rank to Medicine and a lot higher than Dentistry and Undertaking."

I'm not a gambler (although there's a casino less than a mile from my house), but my protagonist in Sleight of Heart (High-Stakes Heroes), Burke O'Shaunessey, is a riverboat gambler so I had to delve into the lives and attitudes of the gamblers who left their marks on history.

Westerners bet on anything that moved — how fast it could go and how high it could jump. They bet on foot races, boxing matches, flea-jumping contests, frog-jumping contests, bear and bull matches, dog fights, cock fights, as well as cow-boy tournament events such as saddlebronc riding.

But most of all, westerners like to play the ponies: “Gradually, as wealthy men made a hobby or a sideline of breeding horses, Western races became more carefully orchestrated, the crowds grew and betting flourished. Indeed, gambling and a day at the races became a virtually synonymous. And when Westerners got around to staging formal stakes races the prizes were sometimes much richer than those back East. In 1873 what was billed as “The richest race in the world” was run at Ocean View Park in San Francisco. The winner’s purse was $20,000 paid in gold. In the same year New York’s famous Belmont was worth only $5,200 and Maryland’s Preakness a mere $1,800.” [Gamblers of the Old West, p.200]

While horse racing was wildly popular, a close second was boxing. This sport wasn’t exactly the refined version we have today. Boxers wore no gloves and a round lasted until one of them knocked the other down — with no limit to the number of rounds. As long as both fighters could throw a punch, the match was active. The winner took the purse which could be as much as $10,000.

And of course they played the card and dice games.  Faro was by far the most popular gambling game.  Professional gamblers in the Old West, the really good ones, were called “thoroughbred gamblers.” I’m listing several thoroughbreds and sources where you can get more information, as well as a few famous gamblers, not necessarily thoroughbreds, but definitely well-known.

George Devol

Mississippi riverboat gambler, born in 1829, who worked the river for 40+ years and made a fortune on 3-card monte, poker, and keno. He wrote a fabulous book, Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi, that I used when I researched Sleight of Heart. I've never found anything even close to this book's helpfulness as far as explaining how gambling and conning works. Mr. Devol was probably charming, rough, and genius (in his way).  He came from a good family who had no idea what to do with such a rambunctious boy, and he won and lost many fortunes over his lifetime.

Elanora Dumont (Madam Mustache)
Quoted from American Gambler Online (which no longer contains history):

“In the 1850s Elanora Dumont was a sexy young dealer who attracted love-starved players that gladly lost their gold to this expert player. As she grew in popularity so did her earning. Eventually she owned her own casino, "Dumont Palace" which also prospered, because she enjoyed a reputation for fairness and free food. The mustache appeared suddenly well after she'd made her money. Following a busted romance and a worse marriage which left her broke and alone, she poisoned herself 1879.”

Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith II

A very colorful character, indeed! Soapy is more in the spirit of con men than traditional gamblers, but his talents spanned both and he certainly can’t be overlooked. His family came to Texas from Georgia and early on, young Jeff showed quite an ability for organization, a skill that served him well in building his bunco empire.

Originally running a shell game, he graduated to the soap scheme where he wrapped 5-cent bars of soap with in plain paper, some wrapping covered $20, or $100-dollar bills, and he sold the bars for $5 a piece. Of course, the only people who actually “won” were on Soapy’s payroll.

Always ready to make a buck, Soapy did everything from fixing elections (once with Bat Masterson) to the more standard job owning and operating a poker hall.

His great-grandson, Jeff Smith, wrote Soapy's definitive biography: Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel.  And there's lots of great information about him at the Alias Soapy Smith website.

Wyatt Earp

Everything has been written about him, but I’m including him because he was a renowned gambler who owned gaming halls and saloons throughout the West. Here’s an interesting site about Earp’s life: The Wyatt Earp History Page.

Poker Alice (Ivers)

"Praise the Lord and place your bets. I'll take your money with no regrets." Poker Alice was an amazing woman. Outstanding mathematical ability stood her well throughout the years while she made her way quite nicely through a man’s world.  My heroine in Sleight of Heart, Alexandra Campbell, is based on her — and on my aunt Grace, who was so good at counting cards that she was unwelcome in Reno casinos.

There’s a good article about Poker Alice at Legends of America, and another article on Alice's Sturgis, SD, house.

James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok (1837-1876)

We've all heard of aces and eights, the dead man's hand, of Wild Bill Hickok, shot in a Deadwood saloon by Jack McCall. James Butler Hickok fancied himself a gambler, but lost more than he won. Still, when we think of Old West gamblers, his name always comes to mind. Here's a good article on the life of Hickok at Kansas Heritage.

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1856-1921)

Bat Masterson made his living as a sports writer for 38 years, but was best known as a lawman and a gambler. He played poker and faro, of course, but he also loved base-ball and was especially fond of boxing. You can learn more about Bat Masterson on the Ford County Historical Society page.

And there you have a handful of gamblers — not all of them the thoroughbred variety, but well known, nevertheless.

Interesting Books

Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi, George H. Devol, originally published in 1887 by Devol & Haines, Cincinnati. Republished by Applewood Books, 18 North Road, Bedford, MA, 01730. ISBN 1-55709-110-2. This book is a series of vignettes by Mr. Devol recounting various adventures he had as a Mississippi riverboat gambler.

Gamblers of the Old West, from the Editors of Time-Life Books. ISBN 0-7835-4903-2. This is a terrific book with many fine illustrations the aid in the understanding of gambling in the 19th century. Please bear in mind that the terminology is often modern.

Games You Can’t Lose: A Guide for Sucker$, Harry Anderson and Turk Pipkin, Burford Books, 1989, 2001. ISBN 1-58080-086-6. While certainly not a historical reference, this book is an interesting read for anyone who’s writing a con artist character.

Card Control: Practical Methods and Forty Original Card Experiments, Arthur H. Buckley, Dover Publications, Inc., 1993 (first published in 1946), ISBN 0-486-27757-7. Need to deal from the bottom or stack the deck? This book shows you how. Not that I got anything but gales of laughter from my husband and friends when I tried cheating... (Remember the manual dexterity requirement?)

The Pocket Guide to Dice and Dice Games, Dr. Keith Souter

Interesting Sites:
Gambling in the United States
Western slang and phrases


May your saddle never slip.

Jacquie Rogers 
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Romancing The West
Hearts of Owyhee series
#1: Much Ado About Marshals
#2: Much Ado About Madams
#3: Much Ado About Mavericks

Until Nov. 1, Sleight of Heart is only available in the 9 Ways to Fall in Love box set.  9 romance novels for 99¢, including two western historicals.