FLEECING A MINER.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2084, 8 September 1875, Page 3

FLEECING A MINER.

A thrilling, incident occurred on a recent trip (says an American correspondent) which I made over the Union Pacific, that may.be of interest to your readers. We were rolling along between Salt Lake and Omaha, when I made my way into the smoking-car to enjoy a cigar. I noticed a group gathered in the centre of the car, and crowding my way up, found two men gambling. One was a well-dressed man, but bearing the general appearance of a blackleg ; the other was a veritable miner, just as he came from the mountains, with long grizzled beard, rough, coarse, and dirty clothes, but with lots of gold. The play was for quite large stakes, and I heard whispers that the gambler was about to fleece the miner, and much sympathy was manifested for him. The game—draw-poker- -still went on, with hardly a word spoken by the players, till finally, when a large sum was on the board, the gambler being called to show his hand, threw down three aces and two queens, and reached for the money ; the miner stretched arid held his hand and laid down two aces, showing, of cours.e, fire aces in the pack. He then reached back and drew a large navy revolver, cocked it, placed the muzzle directly between the eyes of the gambler,still holding his band. Not a word was spoken but each looked steadily into the eyes of the other. Soon the hand began quietly to move from the money, the form of the gambler to draw back, and still the revolver followed. He stepped into the aisle, and here the scene became so uninteresting to me and several others that we dropped under the seats. The gambler slowly backed towords the door, with the revolver following till the door was reached and he passed out. The miner coolly let down the hammer of. his revolver, replaced it in his pocket, swept the money from the board into his pouch, quietly lighted his pipe, and settled back in [his seat as if nothing had happened. The strangest part of the whole business was that not a word was spoken from the time the gambler laid his three aces on the board till he passed out of the cardoor.