The New York Herald Newspaper, August 19, 1870, Page 11

GANBLING IN NBW YORK. en Grades in Metropolitan # Games of Chance. ‘Yo Sullivan and Thompson Streets-—imong “Policy” Players at the Down-towa Hells—Along Broudway, at the (labs azd Palutial Banks, Pare asa Business Enterprise—Its Am- bushes, Lucky Turns and Certain Finale. The Tendency of Playing, and How it is Fast Becoming a Na- tional Misfoxtune. Gawvdiing as Viewed by f Gamblers. waning has long been an evil propensity with men—one of the worst, becanse with it has been associated most every crime that preys upon en-' lightened society. Whether among the sporting fraternities of Rome, when Rome was in her Au- gustan grandeur, or in tre era when the republic waned before the incursions of Northern soldiery, or atthe hour when Greece was at the height of her proud philosophy, or rushing over centarics and traversing all climes, gaming fs still found to have been, or to be, the institution of no particu Jar latitude. Still there is a peculiar geographi- cal demarcation that must be noted in the bound- aries of the vice, having its distinguishing feature in the fact that it has flourished chiefly and most extensively whore 1 INDOLENCE js more honored than industry. ' -Gambling at this hour is the favored pastime of the tropical zone. In this heated belt, enciteling the globe and extending north and south of the equator in such a way as to include vast territory inhabited by varying natfoualities, intellectual Progress has been slow, material prosperity has staggered along at an indifferent pace, and the latent energics of the people seem to have been dissipated in wildest profligacy. Beyond the mere consideration of idle aud immoral sports the landmarks of civilization have been so faintly vis- ible that one can hardly fail to observe the stag- nation gathering for conturies.. Intuitively. it is compared with the rapid flow of progress in the United States—n domain tying in close contiguity—but exhibiting oharacter- istics in diametrical opposition. In América people work. They are the lovers of abundance and the producers of aimost boundless Wealth, IN prazin, for instance, the people, the sovereign people, do not work. They are the patrons of gambling and the pensioners of extravagance and dissipation. The staves are tho producers; their masters are the autecrats of rociety. Therefore vice exists under the equator by tho comparative opulence of the higher classes, while in America the same Jeaven of ivtelligence ‘and application runs through all strata of society. : Gambling in “Brazil is pursued as a recreation, asa sport—in the United States as a business, as a paying investment upon the actual capital in- terested. Ia one ease a man is drawn into the vicé by a personal attraction which isa part of his nativity, and which, be he winner or loger, will remain with him to his latest day; in the other case avarice is the pr vailing incentive, and whatever fascination he may become pos- sessed of asa devotee of faro or kindred games arises from moments of extraordinary success, from the recklessness of a écspairing mind, or froma hope of retrieving the iil-fortures of his play. An American is aficr money; a Brazilian isa gambler iu himself. The distinction we have made ix not at all peculiar to the empire of the Dons. It has been employed as representing one extreme, of which Amevica is the other. Let the reader take up in his own mind the proclivities of all purely or partially despotic States in every part of the world and avalyze them as releting to gaining. He will find that the same trath is appa- rent among all those nationalities, but to different degrees. Forms of society are numerous where gawbling is sanctioned by law; where games of chance flourish under tie dignified name of LOTT RIES 5 where leasehold tenures pay large revenues to the public treasury; where salaried officials par- ticipate in affording to patrons of rouge et noir, faro, roulette, and dicir allies, the recognized rules of fairness; and where vast amounts are annually staked, openly and brazenly, by the im- plied permission of the Icgislator, the executive and the judiciary, in which all these functionaries are beneficiaries, though direct and positive laws prohibit gaming under heavy penalies. But at no time, from the primitive games of Greece—or even at an earlier day from aught anything can bo gleaned from authentic history—have there been legislative enactments, imperial or ministerial de- crees, anathemas of moralists or Christians, or any Aggregation of political or social forces capable of makiog gambling A PRACTICAL OUTLAW. Therefore it has @ striking history, from its strange power over men and women of whatever grade of wealth and refinement. It has catered into the intrigues of courts; it has had an impor- tant influence in framing inws, of making danger- ous sports established institutions, of banding loose statesmen and politicians in combinations that have left a deep impress upon the surface of European society. No one will forget Dore’s porteait of Baden-Ba- den, wherein he has photographed faces that were hardly as pleasant when they saw themselves reproduced by the faithful artis’s hand, as when gloating over heavy drafts from their play. Dore succeeded in this famous work in giving on cane vas’ the highest type of European degradation— if degradation gains anything from quality or gold, The reader will recall the scene. Features familiar in the first drawing rooms of the great Powers are accurately drawn. Beaux dispensers of place and prerogative, trustees of international interests, confidential advisers to thrones, leaders of fashion and arbiters of style ; ladies of wit and beauty are there, mingling in ivory checks, in wine, in the repartees of the play and the peculiar excitements of the game. By producing this work Dore has discharged his duty towards history. It would be interesting to trace the legal restraints which legislative bodies have attempted to impose upon gaming, and especially in Eng- land; but this feature involves much that belongs to jurisprudence, and would draw out the article @ too extended length. One fact alone will suffice to show how ineffec- tive are STATUTORY LAWS, even in England, where common laws and the joint statutes of the Lords and Commons may be said to have attained the acme of legal perfection, both in close definition and rigid enforcement. In the third year of Queon Anne a bill was passed interdioting gaming and giving the police authority to close NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1870.—TRIPLE SHEET. law officer of the Crown made Soe usual epurt that generally follows a prokinitory law, ‘and the games were played only in great secrecy. A few months passed by; tax; mollified the executive powers; opex ‘iouse prevailed and soon the statute wis a dead letter. Gambling again re- sued its sway, and society drifted along to luxuriance and the ease of George I, Gambling became frightful. The law of Queen Anno’s time was exhumed. In it was found a section allowing the loser to ste at Common Pleas and recover tho fall amount of his misfortune. A victim implored the court and British fasti¢e awarded him the damages. There was also another clanse; it gave to the informer & sum three times the amount staked and lost by any player. The courts were again sought, and the informers were triumphant. The peerage, the gentry and the throne, too, be- came alarmed, The law was speedily repealed. Since then no practisal restraints have ever op- posed the English mania for gambling or betting. Men seldom digest the food they cook for others. there be any wisdom in this assertion, it is com- prehensive enough to embrace the voluminous tomes in which all prohibitory law might be ool- lated. This, at least, is the experience of the United Kingdom. In its other aspects gambling is susceptible of much wordy elaboration, parttcu- larly in its historical view; but this it is proposed to ignore. Concerning Irs Gnognarny and identity with diferent degrees “of civilization wo have Written cursorily, Without intending to treat the subject comprehensively. One might go iat the details of Chinese gambling, where mere than fifty million adults spend the larger portion of their lives in Oriental dominions; along the Mississigpi, where the fitting accompaniment ofthe game has been thieving and murder; at Washington, where Congressmen and Seitors bet on the same cards with lobbgists 4nd profes- sional gamblers; or among the rade savagery of Africa, where wntutored minds render tho vice comparatively irreprehensible; bat we will leave these fields and enter the circumscribed domain of our Yaetropolitan city. i GAMBLING IN NEW YORK. Of gaming kere a great deal has been Written, most of it well written; but the most hot under- s'audingly written. The putposo Would scem to have been to treat the subject as a bold, reckless and ungovernable mania, destitute of system and without suy organic prmeipie. We take a different view. Amvrivai gambling is purc'y Ametiesn. Its objecé is gain, wot pleasare, not indifference to tioncy ana the satisfied luxury of easy hours. Any Ofie Who cavils at this opinion, an opivion residing as near the facts as possible, must ac- cept the statement in general terms. here are, doubtless, a latge tumber of profestional gam- blers in thistity, who, Whatever their resoutces or Worldly prospects, could scarcely forego the fascinations of playing at games of chance, yet their tendeacics come rather from habit than any inborn proclivities of gamblers in other parts of the world. As we write now only of the highest class of gunblers, it would hardly be within our scope to treat of gambling in all its phases and oxists in i a of crizainal debauchery as i ‘ew York. However,a few facts in brief inay render tho eubject clearer. There are TEN CLASSES OF GAMBLING HELLS in New York, Beginning with the lowest, we note the vile dens infecting Tiompson and Sulli- van streets, which are patronized by negroes, with whom playing at chance games amounts to a constitutional disease. In these houses “pontoy”? receives the most attention, It is the worst swindling that enlists the credulity of mon. Cun- ningly orgamed by those who have means, which they could devote to better parposds, it is sup- Cady by lavish capital, which has increased wit the spreadiug ef che game, till now it is self-sus- taining. Elaborate systems of fraud are prac- tised, in which the object is to give away con- siderable or inconsiderable sums as “drawn.” The omounts are varied to suit the class of cople among whom the drawer Associates. He Shae noises Bis cone luck about. His success in- duces greed with his companions, and the shrewd advertisement is the magnet attracting the money of those who are easily gulled. The direct result is a constant excitement, a con- glant outlay, a constant, hopeless expendi- ture. Thousands pursue this fruitless la- bor. They . spend their surplus earn- ings, and often go imto their wretched substance, thus compellisg their own lives to be tributary to their cuperstitious anticipations. Re- siding in the midst of filth and vermin, with large families to support, their incomes are constautly depleted by gaming; a neighbor’s contrived good fortune stimulates them to fresh trials; they are always losers; eventually they become erimfnals, and with whom lics the burden of guilt? With the miserable gamblers or their brutal deceivers ? Society could inake this game poor policy. Next higher in the scale of the vice we touch the hives of CHERRY AND WATER STREETS. Sailors feed these places with their hard-earned stipends. Of courso fairness is never known in the piay; it is a bold game of cheating, and when not cheating downright robbery rules. The natural consequences of the games of chance, which are various—cards, dominoes or faro—are murder,debauchery in its vilest forms,and tragedies leaving a brief impression upon the public mind, then sinking into forgetfulness. Women of the worst classes play extensively. Dollars earned in sin flow through the same channels again and again. GAMBLING AT HOUSES OF ILL-PAME. Extensive gambling is carried on taroughout the houses of ill-fame on Manhattan Island. In these localities tho vieo is frightful. A girl no sooner takes her first step in guilt before she en- ters upon @ career of gambling. Her visitors, wherever she lives, are generally gamblers; they induct her into the mysteries of cards; they are played in the parior; she joins; she soon becomes an expert. Gambling is thus a fixed fact in most every house of prostitution in tho ci The girls lay among themselves. When y can en- ist young men about entering ‘ dissolute lives it is their interest and object to doso. These same young men play with those they regard as ianocents, but they pay dearly for their experiments. Here we might stop to point out where more than one-half of the gamblers of New York are made. Wedo not speak of pro- fessionals. One evil leads to the other in either case, and it makes no difference which is the initial vice. In some casesit is one, in the remain- der the other. Willsome one say which is the worst, the financial or the social evil? THE FOURTH CLAss, and thercfore one still higher in the scale of re- spectability, constitutes gambling at the lager beer dens and saloons. We place these here not cause they operate very powerfully, as an anti-social force, but because they prevail, with litthe distinction in degree, all over the city. Gaming in these places is found in dominoes, cards and bagatclie. The stakes are never lerge. Scarcely any avaracious motive can be discovered in this species of amusement— for amusement it surely is, Frugal Germans gather after the toils of the day for an evening of conviviality and sociability over beer and sand- wiches; they call for cards; play bluff, vingt et un and kindred games. Generally it can not be truthfully affirmed that there is any cheating. THE FIFTH CLASS consists of gambling, eating and chop houses, which are considered as low places of resort. They embrace corner groceries, gin mills, restau- rants on South and Front streets, on the east side, and establishments in Greenwich and Washington on the west side. A great deal of “fleecing” is abuadant at these places. All nicely planned frauds are eon upon peripatetic countrymen. who are allured away from pa jewelry stores, from the down-town hotels and ferries, \Gangs ef mon make ita Hare business to play upon the susceptibilities of strangers and engage them in drink at the bar, in stakes at cards and at open swindling when the victim is no. longer tho subject of his own faculties, These places are not, of course, sanblicg hells, but they are worse—they are gambling hells in disguise, A man never knows that he has held a hand against a professional swindler till in a sober state he counts up his melancholy losses. Coming now to THE SIXTH CLASS, we touch upon that branch of the vice which ac- knowledges the nate of Sanibling. It will appear to the reader that we have done oY sieleace to the truth when we haye clearly de- ni WHAT BEAL GAMBLERS ABE. It. scarcely makes a difference when @ man stegls under the cloak of business life oraae ry ie 8 thief, and either ve taken calling a spade a ‘iberiy we all places where it might be found toprevail. The } 8) " hi series c's Rasen ers x localities. chee are secure down-town and brokers as customers ; to fatten on the full parses of filling the hotels on the lower part of island, and to form a business ceatre among other business centres for up-town gamblers gb have no “banks” with which to deal during @ day. very little sombing aoe above Bleecker street before nightfall, therefore these houses or arich harvest. But it should be understood that they never cater to r of the rofession. The first class gamblers are con- ‘ented with the high stake berlain’s, Mor- rissey’s and Ransom’s, vo banksin ahd about A Ann and her sister streets, with bat few excep- APE “SKIN GAMES,” that is, they employ agents, who, in general, con- sist of expert thieves and burglars to “rope in” unsuspecting people, The task of these men is usually very iy Faro is 4 game so well known the land over t persons who are what the world calls sports are familiar with its simple de- tails, zy there is not one in a thousand who know the tricks, the littie ingenuities, by which a player can be given brief gusts of good luck and then have the ill-winds whivh swindlers have kept nursing, blown against him. So a man oan go to Ann street, to Fulton or Chambers street, depart with no money, and still never have the satisfuc- tion of feeling that he has beon a VICTIM OF FRAUD, Instances are oeourring every day where drovers, pa) ‘ters and cashiers are despoiled of sa sume by these dens. ® fruitiul “cause of thany of the defaloations, embezzlements and direct thefts recorded by the daily press can be traced to these houses, An Average case will suffice to show how. Curiosity mekes a young, clerk, holding a responsible and confidential posttion, accept the invitation to spare a half an hour at lunch time to make a de- tour of some notorious “hell” not a block from his place of business. He enters. Fo. is green, He is wined, treated with courtesy. tnd hospital- a He leaves with on invitation to call again, e thinks he would like to understand faro Just out of curiosity. He ce repeatedly. Tt woutd not do to partake of their refreshments too often without pay, and PAY I8 NOT REOPIVED, So to be Just he ventures 9 sail sum on a card; he wins by the “bank’s" intention; he plays again and again and soon is involved. His future may be—a gambler, an embezzler, a defaulter, an in- mate of a State Prison. BiOADWAY FARO BANKS. The hells on Broadway can be placed ina seventh clags. They extend from about the City Huil to Harlem river. There are some fair games, butthe majority are “skin games.” They aro about one grade above thé last class specified. A representative establishment is now in running order in the vicinity of Houston street. Ascend- ing the staircase to the second floor, the visitor stands before a door at the rear ied of the hall. He pulls a hand bell, which gives a lo muflied sgund: A_negro appears and opensa panel. Assured that everything is right, the visitor is admitted. He passe’ through a dark apartment, makes asharp turn and cinérges into the front room. It is ten o'clock at night, Some twenty men ara gathercd about a faro table, and asmall bewhiskerod man is dealing the cards. The players are clerks, ordinary sporting charac- ters, and ‘old devotees of the gatiie; they do not mingle in the upper circles of society. The ies is lively, but no bets exeeeding $100 aro noted. Deal follows deal, and taking an average it is found that $3,000 is wagered by the throng in total upon each deal. To balance the losses and winnings of the players, of course, but a smeil sate of this amount actually changes hands, jome evenings the game continues TILL MORNING, etd fs only closed as the last gambler has satisfied his greed. To citipsnah these places, let any night pedestrian of Broadway pass along the sidewalk and glance at the second stoty on the route. He will perceive here and there shutters from which suspicious streaks of light are emitted. Watch the staircase and scores of flashily dressed men will be observed to come and go. CRIMES of the most startling character frequently occur in these places; and the pulice make a descent and sel the “hell.” But & few months since, as will be remembered, a noted gambler, the keeper of a house on Broadway, was assailed in his own quarters in the stillness of a Sunday evening and pislenily robbed of $10,000, then bound and left elpless. RANSOM’S AND MORRISSEY’S gambling houses. One is in Twenty-fifth street and the other in Twenty-fourth street. They are supported by politicians, men high in authority and influence, by combinatione, and the playing is of the most extravagant description. ‘The dealings are always: fair. These palaces are somewhat similar to Chamberlain’s, which, when an inside view of the workings is revealed, tho reader will readily believe the first institution, of kind in America. 't is perhaps too severe to say that all the SQCIAL CLUBS of New York are places where gaming is a fa- vored institution. This assértion is not made; yet without specification, it is a fact that the very highest organizations of this character allow (teoteg of chance, whereon money is wagered in urge amounts, to taint and corrupt the best blood of the city. The influence is bad, very bad. It takes young men from elegant homes, from intellectual pursuits, from Christian enterprises and sends them adrift upon the sporting elements of the metropolis. It makes more than one young broker a suicide; it makes more than one mer- chant a bankrupt; it makes disgrace and shame fall upon proud but innocent families. The hus- band of a brief year, under the deathless fascina- tion of his early game, strays into the club to [ia his old chums, hardly knowing what force as drawn him there, It is the subtle enchant- ment of gaming which & beautiful wife could not banish, which a tender babe could not extinguish, to which the affections of home are but secondary impulses. A short while and his work is done— domestic ruin, vile companions, grief, despair. Where are the agents of morality needed more than in the club life of New York. In THE TENTH CLASS 5 we place John Chamberlain's establishment alone, because its operations have been obtained upon reliable authority. Chamberlain considers gam- bling a business. He is A MERCHANT GAMBLER. The divisions of gambling houses as classified, with the nationalities of patrons, are as follows: Names, Patroniaed by. 1. Policy or exchange offices {Nqgr0H. | foreigners = andl ie nationalities, Amort- 2. Sailors’ gaming houses. com penrote Three-eighths American ; five- 8. Houses of ill fame. ighths foreign. 4, Lager beer gardens, £0... Principally German. 8. Low eating houres and't wogty Irish, 6. Day gaming hela’ down) yosty American, Mixed nationalities, Chiefly Amertcan, es American. fifth street, { American, Of the above classes, fair playing can acarcely be expected in the six first mentioned, save in the lager beer gardens, where there is no ‘‘bank.” The remainder have the reputation of participat- ing in legitimate risks alone. We now come to THR HIGHEST PHASE OF GAMING in America—that carried on at the establishment of John Chamberlain, in Twenty-fifth street, not far from Broadway. The system, the patrons, the betting and the game itself are all so different from anythin” known in the city or the eountry, and are such excellent types of this fast age, fast society and the eee correption in business circles, that it may be as well to take & survey of the house, its owners, cus- tomers and beneficiaries from an interior view. Ascending a broad brown stone staircase, at the bell’s demand the visitor is met by an elaborately dressed hallman, whose duty it is to attend the door. The obsequious colored servant takes your hat, your coat and whatever outside garment you may have. With particular nicety he shows you into the parlor and there you meet a scene of tinexpectedJuxuriance. The front apartment is carpeted in velvet, with softly up- holstered cushions to match, and the tints corres- pond with the prevailing coloring of the walls, which are finished in DELICATE SHADES OF LAVENDER. The ceilings overhoad have been treated by an artist’s hand, and they show, encircling the grace- fully outlined modallions, gilt tracery and carved scrollwork that are very fine. Large wall mirrors ascend over mantels of Vermont marble, and pier lasses terminate either end of the double parlors. he front apartment is devoted solely to the re- ception and entertainment of visitors. It contains some elegant works of art. A large rr of “Dante and Virgil in the Frozen Regions of Hell” is supported on one easel, while another bears a copy of ‘“Jeptha’s Daughter.” Bronzes of ve considerable value are placed upon pedestals about the room, and represent human attributes, fowls, beasts, and muscular action. A cabi- net safe, which the writer would scarcely ake for anything above a parlor ornament, is coneealed {n the rich panellings of ebony and rosewood. By into the parlor at eleven o'clock it is found filled with the oustomers of the house. They sit around in the easy chairs, smoke, order wines, discuss the to} day. Often the reader would whes Gebating esthetic culture. Several visits i busy evenings by the reporter disclosed the astonishing fact that Chamberlain's house is not only erg by what the world calls gen- tlemen, but also by men of erudition, r and acute discrimination, back parlor is used for the game. On tho Gastern side stands the roulette table, one of the handsomest picces of furniture in Amerioa, Im- mediately opposite on the western wall is the sideboar: ‘ided with decanted liquors and the choicest cigars. Standing athwart room, at southern end is the faro table, which, pro- ably more than any other on the Continent, has been the foundation for building good or ill fortune to fabulous degrees, In other respects the furni- ture matches that of the front parlor. Passin, through a heavy rosewood door at the souther: wall of the back parlor, we are in an elegant dining room fitted expressly for the purpose of EPICUREAN FEASTS. In all that relates to richness and lavish ele- gance this room is well suited to its purpoze. Its colors are dark, the woodwork heavily moulded, the figures yes eb in a profusion of gilt, and the wainscoting, sideboards and mirfor frames indl- cate wasteful extravagance. Even the glass globes of the chandeliers are cut in figures, re- presenting rural scenery, hunting exploits and marvels of the animal kingdom. Fifty can dine at -one spread. The large hallway leading to the front door is tesselated in rch ‘mosaic work, and is capacious and lofty. Such is the field where men gather to be con- vivial, to be social, to eat, drink, make merry and gamble, The effect is DAZZLING when these three rooms are flooded with brilliant light from the pendaut chandeliers; when tho front vlor is full of well-dressed men; when the game is proceeding at the table amid the sound of checks and the deal of cards; when the ia bhi contains the cream of game- sters, seated about the best the market allords, Supper is served at & quarter-past cleven, about the hour the theatres aud other places of atmuse- mont close. Tho table is thickly strewn with dishes which represent every department of re- fined cuisine. Game, salads, vegetables from the ropics, all kinds of fruits, gastronomical delica- cies, prepared pastries, creams, 1cés, relishes and | wines seem to be exhaustless. Such a bill of fare has charms independent of the immoral business | of which it is but a keen ally, Chamberlain ap- | preciates this, and hundreds of others also, who are visitors at the house simply to enjoy the plea- sures of his eating. The steward, wifo has a carte blanche and several hundred dollars con- stantly in his pocket, is as famous as TRUSTY. He 8 one of the oldest ani best in the city, He scours the market, has orders never to “Jew” the | tradesman or grocer, and the result is that cash | down secures the choicest material. Cuamber- | lain, therefore, is accorded A GOOD cvsTOMER, not only from his liberality, but becanke he fever questions the justice of a bill whatever its amount. itisthe most natural thing in the world that | pfrasites should find such a feast as we describe | 4 fine place to while aivay hours of leisure. Yet | Chamberlain does not dislike to see these people. | He says, on the contrary, they are always welcome | to his house when they ard not distasteful to his customers, and many take advantage of his hos- pitality. But thero ‘are classes who, with syco- piiantic ease, gaiu the confidence of the proprie- or, and then carry on a game of BWINDLING. Chamberlain relates an interésting incident, He states that a man, formerly one of the richest bankers of the Union, who some years since be- came & bankrupt, was, until receiitiy, a frequent visitor at his house. He came in about supper time, and for months was hardly noticed, though he always distinguished himself at wines and | salads. “At last he became acquainted and was | looked upon as 8 nice fellow, though he never eee & penny of revenue to the proprietor, He continued his visits, One evening 4 light player had concluded his stakes on faro and found imself the winner of $1,600. Such an unusual result made the player feel EXORRDINGLY HAPPY, Now the swindler steps in. He engages tho winner in conversation, and the winner and the | swindler are hail fellows. The latter very cau- tiously suggests to the former tho propricty of a | loan of fitty dollars, following up the intimation with the assertion that he had staked and lost at faro. Though a stranger to the winner the win- ner felt that the borrower’s presence in the house alone was a guarantee of his responsibility, or that if he never obtained his money again it would be an indifferent loss. So the swindler put a fifty dollar bill in his vest pocket and went about the roofs as unconcernedly as over. ‘Tho sharp eye of Chamberlain’ had detected this bit of strategy. Chamberlain determined to block it. He induced the swindler to return the money without many preliminaries, and politely coupled | forced to be the beueficiar with it the assurance that his room was exceed- Jngly more desirable than his company. The sycophaut swindler departed with little umbrage. In two nights ho was again wining and dining at Chamberlsfn’s table. Chamberlain invited fim Into the fresh air, to remain indefinitely, and | pautioned the servants not to admit him to the honse. A YHAR PASSED BY. On New Year's day this customer again sought Qhamberlain’s Bonpehlé ground. He returned to his early love. But his career was turned into other channels—into the street. This man was an elegant gentleman in appear- | ance. He had formerly been one of the heaviest bankers of the Union; he had been intimate with the wealth and talent of the country; he was fluent gnd sparkling in conversation, easy and engaging | fi his address, a humorist and a wit. How long | he may have kept up his “ borrowing propensity” is hardly known. He is but one of a clasa who | thake itat once a business and pastime to fatten af the successful risks of gamblers. Gamblers are the most easily swindled of all men upon a here extortionate or fraudulent demand. Supper continues for upwards of an hour, therefore It is PAST MIDNIGHT before the active playing commences, those ac- enstomed to faro scarcely believing on risks with a craving stomach. A good square meal, as people are accustomed to say in this day, does | much to enhance one’s Sed nature, particularly if sharpened and pointed with Widow Clicquot. Chamberlain, who isa subtle master of his art, understands that this weakness is in favor of the hank; he therefore indulges it to the best of his ability. The reporter Eappened in at midnight, when the house-was quite full. The dining table was all but full. “Supper, sir?” gupper.”” Obeying the invitation of the servant the ro- jiorter was soon seated. HILARITY, merriment and sharp repartee ruled the guests, Most every profession was represented. Pre- siding over all was Chamberlain himself. It would: scarcely be exaggeration to say he is as bandsome @ man as there is in the metropo! He is of middle stature, compactly built, an almost perfect head, abundantly covered with fine, black, silken hair, His features are small. fine color mantles his cheek. He hasa merry Wack eye. It is said Chamberlain was never seen to frown, Sure it is that he is oue of the best-natured of men. These points alone would never have made him a successful gambler. What has; then? It is his irresistible charm of manner, an_ intuitive power fas- cination, an inborn force of magnetism. He puts every one at ease, and allows no one to monopolize his attentions, One’s first impression is, why is he a gambler? The marvellous elegance and subtle attractions that made Bolingbroke the first gentleman and statesman of his day rush upon the mind. ‘The tenderness of St. Jolin’s na- ture seems alive in Chamberlain, These thoughts do not cease thus abruptly. They finally come again to the query, “WHY I8 HE A GAMBLER?! Highly educated, flitted to command, keen, kindly and forbestne his position could have been determined by his own selection. He made the choice. * Sitting next to Chamberlain is a wealthy banker. Hlis name is stereotyped in the daily press. There is a literary light, a humorist, the author of a number of successful books; he, too, is famous, Further in we catch the features of a gentleman who was eg of Washington despatches to the morning journals for months. By his side is a distinguished lawyer; near by are well Jmown stock operators, legislators, merchants and sporting men of the higher grade. The bell rings, and a general of the United States Army walks in. Upon other evenings the observer could note a Juans, @ Senator or a statesman. The table is gradually deserted. Cigars follow. ‘The game takes a brisk start, and those who wager on faro gather around the dealer. “Supper, sir?” “Walk into FARO is distinctly a gambler’s game. Thus considered itis the fairest of all games upon which money can be risked. A brief description, without tech- nicalities, may render what follows more intelli- gible. The table a which faro is played is not unlike an ordinary di ining table with rounded cor- ners. At the middle of one side, the place gene- rally occupied by the head of a family, the dealer sitsin a space of about three square feet, which has been fashioned in from the table. The surface ig covered with tightly drawn green ladies’ cloth. The thirteen suit cards of a whist pack aro inlaid upon the surface in two rows, with the odd | generally \ being visible. ‘THE CARDS gre confined within it y ‘a stiff spring and tho top card fs visible to sive & narrow strip running about its edge, which is necessarily cov- bc ‘the rim of the box to hold it securely in mn. P Tne game now begins, ‘whe dealer pushes out the top card, and the second card acted upon b the spring rises and fills ita place. The second cari fs pushed off likewise, Tater tironah tie narrow slit constructed for the exit ofall the cards. This pair thus drawn out constitutes a ‘‘turn,’’ the first one being the winning and the second the losing card; so that the first, third, fifth and in the same progression throughout the fifty-two are WINNING CARDS, and tho second, fourth and sixth, &e losing cards. The betting is done this player huys ivory checks and never uses mone, openly. The checks are white, red and blue ani yore. ‘he white checks are one dollar each, he red five dollars, the blue twenty-five and the purple $100. wg | Hecieape himself with the number of checks (which in size resemble an old fashioned cent) he lays down any amount to suit his fancy on bap one card upon the able—one of the thir- teen described. Suppose the deal is about to be- in. He puts $100 in checks on the ace. The lealer throws off the cards till flnally an ace ap- pears. Ifit be tho third, fifth, seventh, &c., card THE PLAYER WINS, and tho dealer pays him $100 in checks—the “bank’s" loss. If, however, it were the second, fourth, sixth, &c., card the dealer takes the checks and the bank {3 $100 winner. Should a player desire to bet on a card to lose he expresses this intention by putting a “copper” in his cheeks, and then if the card fs thrown off from the pack by the dealer as a losing card the player wins. ‘This is practically ALL THERE IS TO PARO, It should be remembered that the losing cards fall on one pile and the winning’cards on another. When pny fonr cards remein in the box there is ively betting as to how the three under cards will come out in are the ‘The recike order, the top one In this instance alono the player can treble his stake if fortunate in his prediction, This evolution fs a ‘‘call.’” A tally board is kept, showing what cards re- main in the box after each turn, This provision is to guard the player. Ofcourse four of each kind are thrown from the box—four aces, &c. Some one will inquire how DOFS THE BANK MAKE IT PAY while taking such even chances? In this way. If two of a kind should come ont in one “turn,” as, for instance, two aces, half of the money bet on the ace, either to win or lose, goes to the bank, This is Known as a “split.” They are very frequent, and large sums pass to the dealer through this channel. That is where the bank makes the money. Chamberlain says that if men were to study and labor ten thousand years they COULD NEVER BEAT TAR BANR, or rather the game. It is something which no one understands. When only ono of a kind remains in the box, as an ace for instance, to bet then that the card will come to win or to lose is just like Srowing up a copper and awaiting the result, head or tail. So it will be seen that the ber isin a position where ithns everything to risk. CHAMBERLAIN LOST STRADILY nearly every night for thirteen months, but this did not shake either his capital or determination. The game thus described continues every night in the week except Sundays; and when the house is closed on Fesnrday. night it is not opened for play again till Monday night. When interrogated as to thia rule, Chamberlain stated that his busi- ness was the same as any recognized legitimate business; that it was necessary to respect public sentiment, and that though many eorin play on Sunday he could not gratify them. He stands alone in this particular. Hence he is &@ merchant gambler. Chamberlain has tho wealthiest custo- mers in the Union who play at faro at all. He pee no professional gamblers in hia institu- jon. His patrons are bankers, merchants and men of ease. Ho wishes no clerks or salaried men of any clags to play at his table, and he gives his reasons. He says that @ salaried man has fittle mofey to waste in idle play; if a clerk loses at his table a family suffers by consequence. Suppose a man with $2,000 a year came in and lost $300, he would — fee! it severely; but supposo Chamberlain lost, it woul make no difference. Then there {s another view. If the clerk wins $300 he goes away and spends it, and gives the bank no chance to win it back. Where- as, were the clerk, instead, a man of wealth, winning or losing, it would fail to jeopard his yalue as a customer. He would play, whateyer his luck, Proprietora are oleoo advsess to play when their clerles or subordinates are interested, and also when the clerks or subordinates of a campetitor are about. Chamberlain is, therefore, of society in a very marked degree. The mea who gamble at Chamber- lain’s are, therefore, heavy players. Operators in Wall street, members of the different clubs, Union League, Manhattan, theatrical managers and noted sportsmen from abroad are among the frequenters. The Fel de tl of conrse, endeavors to make everything pleasant, and here he has to be master of the art of enter- taining. The gamo once under way it is kept up until four or six inthe morning, but if the stakes are very heavy they play on through the day; and it has been a common occurrence to play forty-eight hours ata sitting in this establishment. Bets ou a single card are limited to $250, but on a double card $500 may be wagered. When the game is cloned the books are written up with the same particularity as in a regular banking house, and the expenses of the day, tbe winnings and losses, are care! entered and the balance struck. Some pei imagine that gambling con- sists in going in, Opening a game, stuffing the money in the vest pocket and spending it in rum and dissipation. This is a natural mistidke. Chamberlain’s house permits no game _ to proceed that ig not orderly and sober, and the players are intent on the fascina- tion of the hour. Chambcriain’s business is profit. His books show that faro yields less percentage than any other banking pene in the world, less than the same amount of money would bring in- vested ina business enterprise. Knowing this Chamberlain does not hesitate to play faro him- self, frequently as loser, frequently as winner, asa two hours sitting some time since he lost 500. The reader will inquire how does the bank de- rive a heavy income? Answer, because it doos a fast business, WHENCE COMBS ITS PROFITS? From “splits’’ and from the fact that aman who is losing plays to retrieve and a man who is win- ning plage for more. It is common sense that both in the long run, with the odds of ‘splits’? against them, will suffer ill fortune. Take a case. A person sets out to risk $500, and he makes up his mind to lose no more. He starts off aud wins $5,000. The tide turns against him, and before he knows it in the excitement of the hour he has lost $5,000. “This,” says Chamberlain, “is where I make money, It is human nature, and nothing can change it.’’ The player pinches his good luck and presses his bad luck. : Playing is conducted largely by CHECKS ON THY NATIONAL BANKS of the city, men seldom carrying money about their persons. Here Mr. Chamberlain has to use his wits. A check given for gaming purposes is not validin law. Therefore it is necessary to know his man—to be sure of his wealth, to be certain of his credit. It requires instantaneous decision. If the check is refused the drawer is mortally offended. Buta few evenings since a city millionnaire offered his check; it was declined. This was Chamberlain’s mistake. It is said that if a merchant repudiates his gambling check at the bank it will destroy his credit in commercial circles, This “is the only safeguard upon which the faro bank relics. It shows, however, to what a dangerous extent gambling has Inid hold of the mercantile com- munity, how rottenness is at this hour the inward ‘erm of apparent soundness, and how heads of heavy concerns fritter away their capital at faro. The largest number of business men who play at Chamberlain’s are stock brokers, and these per- sons say openly that it isa fa'rer game than the cunning and unscrupulous gambliog of Wall street. ‘Che brokers, as well as other patrons, go in the night time to try and regain what they lost by day in speculation, Thus they alternate be- tween one gaming resort and the other through- out the year. At the faro table they may lose several thousand dollars; but this they consider equivalent pay for rich suppers, costly wines, flue cigars and a merry time, and they are WILLING TO PAY FOR FUN. Besides the opportunities which Chamberlain affords to his patrons to lose or win, as luck may direct, he — a sort of midnight national bank, where he will cash @ check for ary man he knows as @ reliable party, and many who never think of gambling take advantage of his accom modating aie his is why he is reputed a good and valuable neighbor. How skilfully contrived are all these minutia of a gambling palace! They seduce even those who would gladly have never seen a game of chance, and before one is aware of his danger he redemption. A glance at the expenditures of this establisk- ment will disclose its enormous capital. Jue past card placed as at the round of the letter U. The dealer has a full pack, which he shuffles, then in- serts in a silver box with an open face, This box in laid upon the table directly to his front, house is managed by William Chamberlain, who is thoroughly acquainted with his duties. He has Th expenses "of the house Gre $60,000 @ actual , year, Every one is engaged at salary, ll and, unifke other houses, no. one par ticipates in the profits but proprietor, It is a curious that» the uta fact mblers have of being liberal ‘on. 4 their door petitions Rea, reli Foe nations and denominations of @lt clasyes. the re- porter was talking with Mr. William Chamberlain a perasn came in with a charitable plea, and be left with fifty dollars. The manager assured the reporter that this occurred every day, he cottributed $500 to the Avondale sufferera; bat that charities are never assisted publicly, Gamblers, he asserts, know what it isto want, and they fecl for others who are DESTITUTE AND NEGLECTED by the cold formalities of the world. As to the actual sum that changes hands at faro and rou- lette it is something that can hardly be deter- mined, hut it is incredibly large. The bank win or lone. At Chamberlain’s the money p ing between the player and bank is millions a year. Let us pass to A PEW GENERAL REFLECTIONS, From what the reader can perceive, gambli is one of the low and uncontrollable viees w! exist where other forms of degradation superin- duce a general laxity of morals; but it doos not by any means have such base allies when consider in its a fae phases. To suppose that this is for the well being of society is an erroneous judg- ment upon facts. The more gambling or any other radical wrong gains dignity from luxuriance and refinement from patrons who bring to it the prestige of social influence the greater is the measure of eee cy the deeper its degree of damnation. hile it kept within the bounds laid down by irresponsible losfers and was cireumseribed by certain limite defined by such classes as to whom it was but & natural birthright there was little occasion for alarm. Now, however, the case is different. It is a polite evil. It is one of the Scoomel ments of the period; it isthe rule in évery business and gains ghee 3 bk au time rolls on. No y man who is ambitious for the status of a sporting man, fast horses, game cocks and champion con- tests can restrain himself from betting, Tt fs @ condition of one’s life about town. If he is ens paged aga cotton broker, as an oil broker, mone} roker, or in any branch of speculative busi where profit ay upon the fluetuatt of an hour, though his actual inter may not be those of a gambler, he certainly is a middleman for sage who lay at games of chance and cunning. Wrecked career 28 an agent of transactions which ar undonbtedly immoral, we see him soon make thé ransition from an agent to a principal, and if this evolution is accomplished with facility we may jock again, and then we behold him at the gaminj ble, boldly endeavoring to regain his financial losses. Brokers, from the character of their con« nections, possess a wide acquaintance. Pants consideration for their friends is equal to their ow. selfishness, for they are a very liberal class of mens The result is that unconsciously they often becomd the advertisers of the ephemeral luck of a heayy player at faro, and the hearer is interested ; makes up his mind that stock buying and sellit after all, ony & Apecies of gambling, writ have long been in the habit of proclaiming i From worse he thinks it an improvement to go bad, and it is seldom long before he is master of every game whereon money can be staked. There are causes of an unmistakable TENDENCY TOWARDS GAMING in the flash halls, the unsettled condition of society—wealth to-day, poverty to-morrow; ig the reckless dishonesty which public officials exx hibit in draining the city treasury; in tho “ni ments and growing fascinations of the turf, whid) in England, bronght the Marquis of Hastings to ai early grave, the Duko of Newcastle to the un< Aesereee contumely of his rivals; in aimless ives; in the enjoyments of vast fortunes which fall by inheritance to untutored and easy-go! heirs; in dwelling in cities, among crowds, an rpGHiving the foreign influences imported to these shores, It can only bo said, in closing a subject of this vital importance to purity in morals, integrity in government and sonudness in mercantile afftirs, that it is one which should incite the careful con- sideration of every citizén. When a vice rises above all others—above them all combined—and struggles at power, has a voice in legislation and influence at the courts, and has enlisted as ite supporters the leading politicians of the dey it in truly a question of exceeding gravity. When if goes farther, and puts Its grip upon every branch of business, then people may look for a financial crisis when disturbing national causes have no weight. The reader will inquire, ‘What remedy do you propose?’ We answer “None.” There is no practical cure, and men not attainable through peau Bre scltvun seuvmea wy oe rality. t ret it is believed that a constant and systematic agitation of the question will bring many things to light which will gard society ageinst the greatest dangers of gaming. Let ona fact alone be impressed upon tie player—that no game was ever permitted in any house wherein the keeper was not eventually the winner. The amusing spectacle of giving two dollars for one, whether by gambling or otherwise, Is only a wild man’s dream. The inference is with the reader. A GYPSY TRICK. How They Mesmerized a Lady and Pillaged Her Residence. (From the Rutland (Vt.) Herald, August 16.) There has been for some days past an encamp- ment of what may be called gypsies, in Rutland, their camping ground having been changed from time to time, if nos from day today. On Saturday last two of them called at the house of Mra, Hut bard, a widow lady, residing on the corner of Waleq West streets, ‘with some baskets, which they osered for sale, Upon Mrs. Hubbvard’s deciining ta purchase they entered into convefsation with Ner, and one of them, observing that she had a small bunch on her forehead, ponees to remove it. Mrs, Habvard informed her that tt ortginated with an in« jury which she bad received some years ago, and that as 1t had affected the bowe it couid not be reme- died; whereupon one of the gypsies made a pre- tence of examming the bunch, and commenced passing her hands over Sirs. Hubbard's face. Thia 1s the last she remembers of the Senaaction at the time. Qn the next day, Sunday, Wishing te use some money, she went to the place wi she was in the habit of keeping it, but could find any, and upon further search It was ascer- tained that a dozen sliver spoons and some other articles were missing. Mrs, Hubvard then remem. bered that she was unconscious at the time these two women left, and that there had been during th rest of the strange feeling of dizziness in het he. and her suspicions were at once aroused that she had becn magnetized by these women, and that, taking advantage of her waconscious condition, they had taken the money, silver, &c., with them.’ Proc curing & team sie started in the direction of thelr encampient, and taking advice, proceeded to pro« cure a search warrant and an officer, While doing this she was probably observed by the women, tor, on returning to Ker house to get ready to go’ with the officer, aud while up stairs, the two women cume into the house, left a bundle on the tavle, and simply remarking that “it was all right, they had only borrowed it,” or something to that effect, went away. Upon opening the bundle alt of the iissin; articles, as well as the money, with the exception ‘ot some two or three dollars, which was in sliver, were found, Jt is supposed that the women noticed Mrs, Hubbard goiug to different places, and thinking that she suspected them of the theft, und not having had lime to properly secrete the articles, took Unit meihod to avold @ prosecution. SERIOUS DOMESTIC TRUEBLE. A Family Shooting Match. {From the Davenport (Iowa) Gazetie, August 17] On Saturday last a domestic unpieasaniness tween a son-in-law and the family of his wife cule minated in a legibet | scrape, in which # wout Was inflicted, but nothing serious. Ther parties f the affray were B. L. Seaman, & young man twenty-eight years of age, and his farmer and Gilbert Wicks. Both are well-to-do farmers, an live in Sheridan township; their houses being about three miles apart. It appears that about eighteen Months ago Seaman married Miss Wicks, and for a time the young couple lived happliy, or, at least, seemingly so, Quarreli.ng suosequentiy, however, became freyuent, and the young wife after a while made her troubies known to her parents, and a suit for divorce Was Instituted, bnt afterwards was Withdrawn, and the wife returned to her husband. A few weeks ago the wife was again taken home by her parents, she complaining that, owing to tho mcompatibliity of temper tt Was impossible for her to live happily with her hoa- band. Sin.e that time youn caman, it is said, had ihreatened to barn Nis fat In-laws house, &c. ist Saturday Seaman cated at his father-in-law’s, and while there @ quarrel arose from Seaman de- claring that he would take his child, an tnfaut, home With him, tf his wife would not go. Mr. Wicks and he had some rough talk, and seaman, etepped back, drew @ pistol and fired two shots-at bis father-in law, the last one mnfictog a fesh wound in the side, Mr, Wicks, who was armel, drew a pistol and tired two shots at Seameu, but neither nit him. The shooting atiracte’ Mr. Wicks’ brother and thetr hired mau, ang, after a short chase and a tussle, tha son-in-law, who had failen down, wis tied and brong! the city, Where be gave bail and was re. leased i yesterday afternoon, Abner Davison ay pearing for the prosecution and J, T. Lane for defend. ant deaman was heid th bonds of ‘$1, w ghswer for shooting with intent to KIL “Tae bilittes are that the Jather-in-law ‘and Ws brethor will be summoned to answer a charge of Mt upon Seaman, who is at liberty, bis father g¢ing his ball. GENERAL N. B. Fo! ST's RAILROAD~—The Coluny ‘bus (Miss,) Jndex regrets to of the tempor suspension of work at the bus end of ti Acoourt of the dopresafon th Cae wale a he bea r ‘on le 0 1 with Chanceilor Lyon, sais