Colony Olivenhain By Richard Bumann. Published by the
author, 1981. IIlustrations. Index. Maps. 108 pages. $16.00.
Knights of the Green Cloth: The Saga of the Frontier
Gamblers. By Robert K. DeArment. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1982.
Index. Bibliography. Photographs. Maps. 423 pages. $16.95.
Reviewed by Clare V. McKanna, Instructor of California and
Latin American history at San Diego Evening College (Mesa College Campus).
We often envision frontier gamblers as tall, slender men with
mustaches, dressed in black suits, who detected even the slightest movement with
their piercing eyes. Robert K. DeArment suggests this stereotype is not
accurate. He says the gambler was "often short and sometimes quite stout. His
hair was frequently fair rather than dark. . . . There were some gamblers who
neglected to shave and still others were beardless because they were women." In
this well written volume, DeArment gives us another look at the gamblers who
made a living traveling through the west in search of "easy pickings." Some made
a comfortable living at it, many barely scraped by, and others met violent
deaths because of their occupation.
DeArment begins his story with Charles Cora, a famous but
unlucky gambler who used his skills to advantage in early San Francisco. He had
the misfortune to become involved in the vigilance movement of 1856, when he
killed the United States Marshal in a scuffle. After a hung jury, the vigilance
committee extracted the supreme penalty. Cora's death, at age 39, is
significant because it set the trend for many gamblers who died young in
similar violent fashion: Luke Short 39, Langford Peel 36, John H. "Doc" Holliday
35, Jefferson "Soapy" Smith 38, and "Wild" Bill Hickok. Yet others like Bat
Masterson (67) and Wyatt Earp (80) died of natural causes. Obviously, gambling
was a hazardous business throughout the west, but it was not exclusively a
man's profession. Doņa Gertrudis "La Tules" Barcelo, Eleanore "Madame Mustache"
Dumont, Martha "Calamity" Jane Canary and others made their mark.
This is a very readable book; DeArment spins an excellent
story about gamblers and their life-style. One might question the division of
sections into Aces, Kings, Queens and Knaves. For example why do Earp and
Holliday deserve "ace" status while Hickok ends up in the "knave" chapter? The
former had just as notorious a reputation as Hickok. But this is a minor item.
The history buff or general reader will love this book. Professional historians
will complain that he has used secondary sources (some of them very
untrustworthy) exclusively. Knights of the Green Cloth includes good
photographs and a useful bibliography; it is highly recommended.
