The Poker Habit of a Public Official
L. D. Ross, implicated in the city treasury scandal, led a double life as a high-stakes gambler at a downtown cigar store.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
L. D. Ross, the most active, if not the largest, borrower from the city treasurer, is still in Victoria. Developments yesterday indicate that his prolonged stay is due as much to regard for his own liberty. The disappearance of the large sums which Ross has raised during the last few years is explained by the fact that he has been an inveterate and unsuccessful poker player. It is more than probable that several thousands of the city’s money has gone over the gambling table. Shortly after the municipal election in 1892, Ross became a frequent visitor at Ben F. Goldwater’s cigar store, corner of Yesler Avenue and Second Street. He was introduced to the game and, to show his infatuation, would telephone the store between 12 and 1 o'clock in the day to save a seat for him. By the majority of players, he was considered a 'soft snap' as he had no more idea of judging an opponent’s hand than a child.
“He drew four cards as often as three and no matter how high the ante was raised he came at it like a salmon after a fish spoon.”
The story of Ross, a public official losing city funds at a secret gambling den, is a sharp reminder of the intersection of vice and power. Such 'soft snaps' in city governance remind modern readers that the intersection of private addiction and public trust is a historical constant.
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