J. J. Cozad - Faro King of the West

By G.R. Williamson

The gambler, John Jackson Cozad, was a dreamer, a visionary, a land developer, and above all else, a paradox. He raked in fortunes at the faro tables across the West—yet he aspired to develop a vice-less community devoid of saloons, gambling halls, and bawdy houses.

He was a major winner at the faro tables in all the elaborate saloons and gambling halls, so much so, that he was soon banned from playing when his identity was revealed. He made all of the gambling hunts in North America, as well as South America. To avoid detection, he changed his name frequently—a trait that he used throughout his life. It was by changing his name, as well as his wife and sons, that he avoided being hung for killing a man in Nebraska.

This book is a historically accurate account of J J Jackson's life, detailing his latter life in Atlantic City, New Jersey where he operated an arcade on the Atlantic Boardwalk. His two sons (using aliases) went on to become respected citizens—one a Philadelphia physician and the other the renown and highly acclaimed artist, Robert Henri.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Indian Head Publishing
• Release date: Dec 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386848301

G.R. Williamson

G.R. Williamson lives in Kerrville, Texas, with his wife and trusty chihuahua Shooter. He spent his early years living in Crystal City, Texas, which is located twenty miles west of King Fisher's ranch in Dimmitt County. As a Boy Scout, he hunted for arrowheads on the land that once belonged to King Fisher, and he fished in the alligator waters of Espantosa Lake. He has written many articles on Texas historical figures and events in Texas history. In addition, he has penned several western film screenplays that make their way to California from time to time. Currently he is at work on two nonfiction books-one on the last old-time Texas bank and train robber and the other on frontier gambling.

Book preview

Introduction

THE OLD WEST HAD THOUSANDS of faro dealers, some were straight up while others were referred to as back legs or jacklegs—gambling cheats of every description. Separate from the two-bit operators were the faro kings who won a great deal of money at faro banks across the west.

Paramount among this small elite group were two major players: Charles Cora and John Jackson Cozad.

Charles Cora started life in 1816 as a cast-off infant raised by a brothel madam in Natchez-under-the-Hill.

He was a professional gambler by the time he was 16 and ranks as one of the most proficient masters of faro to play the game.

Charles Cora

AT ONE POINT EARLY in his career, he raked in $85,000 over a six-month run playing the faro banks in New Orleans, Vicksburg, and Natchez-under-the-Hill. In 1835, Cora was barely 19 when he used a $10,000 bankroll to make a run on a half a dozen faro banks in Vicksburg, trimming them for $40,000.

None other than Colonel J.J. Bryant owned most of the faro operations and he took great umbrage at being bested by such a young newcomer.

Using a complicated scheme, Bryant feigned admiration for the lad while all the time laying a trap for him in braced faro games.

The plot backfired and in a short time it was the red-face colonel who was in debt to the kid for the tune of $35,000.

Bryant had no intention of paying his markers and was tired of being bested by Cora so he simply hired a local thug to run him out of town.

Returning to his haunts in Natchez-under-the-Hill, Cora was busy piling up winnings when the crusade against the gamblers began. He was one of the first to leave and over the next few years racked up a pile of money playing in New Orleans and Mobile as well as the riverboats traveling the Mississippi.

At the age of 30, Cora had developed into a tall, dashing Italian-American with jet-black hair and mustache. With penetrating dark eyes and an air of complete confidence, he had his choice of women everywhere he went; but it was beguiling Arabella Ryan who captured his attention in New Orleans. Described as a stunning beauty with dark hair, hazel eyes, and a gorgeous body, Belle, as she liked to be called, was working in a high-class parlor house when he found her in 1846.

Three years later in December of 1849, the glamorous couple stepped down from the gangplank of the side-wheeler California and quickly became the talk of San Francisco - Belle with her dazzling beauty and Charles with his uncanny skills at the faro banks.

After amassing a large bankroll, the two moved to Sacramento a few months later and then on to Maryville where Charles ran the New World gambling hall with a partner named J.Y. McDuffie. It was a very successful venture and the partners reaped sound profits, but after a few months, the wanderlust in Cora caused him to cash in his interests and embark on a tour of the mining camps.

With Charles working the faro tables in a series of mining camps, Belle used her expertise to open a first-class bordello in Sonora.

Then, later in 1852, she moved her operation to an elaborate house on DuPont Street in San Francisco. Charles concluded his stint with the mining camps that same year and with a reputed $400,000 bankroll, joined her.

Things started to go sideways in 1855, when Charles shot and killed U.S. Marshall, U.S. Marshal Richardson, over a dispute centering on Belle Cora. Eventually, a gang of furious vigilantes hung him from a yardarm at their headquarters.

IN CONTRAST, J.J. COZAD was born in 1830 to a religious family in Ohio. But like Cora, he left home as a young boy to become a roaming gambler. 

As a young man, in 1858, he married a refined young lady, named Theresa Gatewood, in Malden, Virginia. They had two sons, John A. and Robert Henry.

Now, Cozad’s incredibly true story continues in this book. I hope you enjoy the ride.

(AS AN AID TO UNDERSTANDING the game of faro, a detailed description of how the