Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi

An episodic memoir recounts the author's rise from a mischievous boy to a seasoned riverboat gambler, describing cabin-boy years, a life spent on Mississippi steamers, and involvement in card games, cons, and rough fights. Chapters present vivid anecdotes of marked and cold decks, paymaster bluffs, partners and betrayals, run-ins with lawmen and detectives, and occasional military service, all told in candid, unvarnished detail. The work emphasizes practical techniques, the social world of gambling, survival, and the author's reflections on luck, skill, and the moral ambiguities of life on the river.