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Show BALDWIN DID NOT FLINCH. Stake on tho Turn of a Card Was j Land Worth, a Fortune. "That somewhat Icthyologlcal story In the recent cable news about the Mississippi Mis-sissippi Colonel-promotor who succeeded In batting $325,000 out of the Monte Carlo Institution of chance In two weeks' play sounds pretty good, but it seems to me that It took him a long time to get hold of a little money like that," remarked a member of Washington's Wash-ington's Oldest Inhabitants' association whose only prolonged absence from the capital during sixty years occurred when he Joined the '-19ers In California. "I once saw that sprightly young man Lucky Baldwin win $200,000 In considerably consid-erably le?3 than a minute, although there were no cables or telegraphs at that time- to Hash the news of the thing aroung the world. "That happened one night In September, Septem-ber, 1S5C. Baldwin owned several acreH of line land on the crest of what Is now known as Nob hill In San Francisco. This property even at that time, On account of Its obvious future value for hlgh-grndo residence purposas, was worth easily $200,000. "Tom Vanbrugh, the proprietor of the El Dorado, a big San Francisco gambling gam-bling club, owned faro banks all the length of the slope as far as it was then settled, Jn addition to possessing a big gambling club In the City of Mexico, and he was a millionaire several times over. Vanbrugh wanted Lucky Baldwin's Bald-win's parcel of Nob hill ground, but Baldwin wouldn't even talk about selling sell-ing It. Vanbrugh owned a whole block on Lower Market street, on which' Baldwin Bald-win wanted to build. It was worth about the same amount as Baldwin's Nob hill ground. Vanbrugh had offered to trade the Market street' block for the piece of Nob hill land, but Baldwin wouldn't listen to him. "That's the way it stood between Baldwin and Vanbrugh on this night In September, lSaS, when Baldwin strolled, along toward i.ldnlght, into the El Dorado Do-rado nfter hav.ag dined pretty cozily somewhere or other. Vanbrugh was sitting sit-ting at a desk In his private room Just off the main faro bank when Baldwin stepped In " 'Hello, Tom," said Baldwin to Vanbrugh. Van-brugh. 'How are you feeling?' "'Still Nob hilly, replied Vanbrugh. 'When are you going to transfer the deed of that piece of ground to me, .anyway?' .any-way?' 'Tom,' replied Baldwin. "I'm getting tired of hearing you talk about that ground, Come out here and get behind the .box,' and Lucky Jed the way Into the main faro room. Vanbrugh, seeing see-ing that there was going to be something some-thing doing characteristically Baldwin-esque, Baldwin-esque, followed him with alacrity. "The dealer at one of the no-limit tables was Just shuffling the cards for another boxful. " 'Sit down there, Tom, and get busy,' said Baldwin to Vanbr.ugh, pointing to the dealer's chair. "Vanbrugh motioned to the dealer, who slid out ot the chair. Vanbrugh slid Into It. " 'If the ace loses, Tom,' Baldwin said, without a trace of excitement, to Vanbrugh, Van-brugh, 'the Nob hill ground is yours. If the ace wins the Market street block is mine. How about that?' "Vanbrugh nodded. He shuffled the cards, did the unusual courtesy in faro bank of passing them over to Baldwin to cut Lucky could cut twenty-six cards as well as any veteran faro-bank dealer and slid the cards Into the box. " 'With your permission, gentlemen, around the table whose play had been Interrupted, and they leaned back In their chairs to watch the outcome. "Baldwin removed tho round-topped Panama from his head, and the cabbage cab-bage leaf which he always wore Inside of his hat In hot weather fell to the floor just as Vanbrugh started to slide the cards out of the b'ox. Baldwin stooped to pick up the piece of cabbage leaf and replace It In his hat. Before he stood up erect again he was the owner of Vanbrugh's Market street block. The ace had come out on the right side for Baldwin while he was stooping over. " 'If your name Isn't a fit, Lucky, I'll be ,' was all that Vanbrugh said, and on the following morning he transferred trans-ferred the Market street property to Baldwin." Washington Post. |