We all know that where chips are found, often has nothing to do with where they were used. Wayne Threadgill found the PT hubs in Hot Springs, Arkansas. He was hoping for a new Hot Springs illegal. It was not to be. Bad for Wayne, super for Ed Hertel in Texas! A huge "Thank You" to Wayne for seeing that the IOTD team all got a PT hub.

Take it away Ed:
Gene has been doing his best to throw me some curve balls lately with these weirdly initialed chips. The latest was a Mason chip hot stamped “PT” and came back from my home state of Texas. He said, “It’s from Pampa, Texas.” I answered, “Great!” paused, “Wait… where???”

Ever heard of Pampa? No? Me neither.

Pampa is about as far north in Texas as you can get. From my home in Houston its 600 miles northwest to the outskirts of the city which Duane Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, calls home. I thought I knew Texas pretty well, but thanks to Gene I learned something today.

The chip was delivered to:
G. M. Walters
Pampa, Tx – 1935

Not much, but as it turns out, it would be enough.

In the years before the chips were ordered, George Walters and his partner Grady Slocum split their professional time between running the local Central Tourist Camp and being regional distributors for Coors beer.

Around the time that Walters orders the mysterious “PT” chips, he starts being associated with a night club called the Southern Club, run by brothers Cal and J.D. White.

In March 1935 is the first mention of the Southern Club breaking the state’s gaming laws. They are again cited in October 1936, along with a few other local clubs for having “gaming tables, bank and slot machines, and the people were permitted to wager and bet on cards and dice.” It is during this time that Walters, his former partner Slocum and the Whites are listed as owners and operators of the Southern Club.

By 1937 it looks like J.D. White has taken the position as front man for the Southern Club, although Walters was still listed now and then in complaints. (Slocum moves from the club business and starts concentrating on the wholesale liquor business.)

As the leader, it would be J.D. White who would take the heat in early 1937 when the Southern Club was answering charges of gambling. The state was looking to make an example and went after the Southern Club and the local Y-Tavern for gambling violations. White’s first trial ended with the jury deadlocked and the judge having to declare a retrial. This time, clearly upset with his counsel, White fired his two attorneys and acted in his own defense. The prosecution called nine witnesses who testified that gambling occurred at the Southern Club. Then came White’s opportunity for his defense and he called no witness and declined to testified himself. He simply turned to the jury and said, “All I ask, gentlemen, is fair consideration when you get to the jury room” and sat down. When the jury returned, they handed the judge their decision – “Not Guilty”.

Despite the Southern Club’s propensity to escape any harsh punishment, it wasn’t without its problems. For the next couple of years, it would be harassed and raided numerous times. It was part of a big crack down in January 1939 when the combined efforts of the Texas Rangers, the Texas Highway Patrol, the Texas Liquor Control Board and Gary County officers all met at the Southern Club and rounded up everyone inside. Both J.D. White and George Walters were among those charged.

The embarrassment of the overkill must have festered in J. D. White for the better part of that month because the next time he would be approached by the authorities, he was halfcocked and ready to go.

That opportunity came at the end of January when the Southern Club was rented out for a birthday party for the president of the local American Legion and two hundred of his closest friends. The orchestra was swinging and the dance floor was full. All seemed good until Gray County Sheriff Cal Rose, Constable O.T. Hendrix and two deputies walked in the front door. They were returning from watching a wrestling match and thought it was a good idea to check in on some of the county’s problem children. The Southern Club was their third, and final, stop of the night.

Upon seeing the officers entering the closed event, J. D. White jumped from behind the bar and rushed towards to the officers yelling, “Get out!” to which Sheriff Rose was reported to have asked, “What do you mean?” With a quick stroke, White replied, “This is what I mean…” pulling out a gun. Sheriff Rose went for his own gun and soon both men were firing wildly into the now panicked party guests. After the guns were emptied and the smoke cleared, J. D. White and Constable Hendrix lay dead. Four guests had been grazed by bullets, but would be treated and recover.

A grand jury was quickly assembled and after one week all officers were exonerated of any wrong doing and the blame given to the only man who couldn’t defend himself – J. D. White.

The Southern Club would live on however. George Walters would now become the front man and we see for the first time D. H. Slaughter, previously a partner in the Y Tavern, as a co-owner. If Walters and company wanted to move on from their recent violent past, they might have thought twice about their next promotion:

George Walters would close the Southern Club in 1941 and move into the Blue Bonnet Inn. If there was further gambling activity he kept it on the down-low. He remained in Pampa his entire life, passing away in 1971, just shy of 70 years old.

What the initials “PT” mean in the original casino chip is anyone’s guess. One person thought “Pampa, Texas”. Maybe, why not. Being two initials instead of the customary three makes it a little more plausible that it means more than someone’s name. We may never know what it stands for, but now we know a little history of where it’s been.

This is "Illegal Of The Day" #283. I would like to run a contest on how many club names we have found for initial chips delivered to individuals and no Club name on the order cards. Problem is, I have not been keeping count. Many we found have not made it to "Illegal Of The Day" posts as the stories are small compared to the ones that do make it. I think it's been in the several 100's. Some weeks like the last 2 we are working on 5/6 at a time.

All have been added to TGT database for the new edition. No clue when that will be.