Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1847-10-06
A SCENE INA GAMBLING HOUSE.

The following very remarkable circumstance is
vouched for by Green, the reformed Gambler, which
we condense from his work ON gambling. There
is degree OF romance attached that in manner
relieves it Of the horror excited by the catastrophe.
1t occurred at New Orleans some years ago.
A sea captain was in the habit of frequenting a
Roulette Table, kept by Frenchman in company
with party Of Gamblers. Green remarks that
they playe with more regard To fairness then than
is customary or general with them now. The cap
tam was evidently influenced in his visits more by
wish to Kill time than from any passion for the
sport lie had visited the room frequently and his
lnvarlabe bet was twenty-five cents, and winner
or loser hs never increased it, lie visited the place
on the night III question
The sea captain, having placed his bet upon the
red, sat with his head leaning upon his hand, as if
to await the result of the game. The ball fell into
The column. and he was the winner The wheel
started again, but the Captain did not move. and,
contrary To usual practice, the amount of his bet
was doubled. He won the second third fourth
and fifth, the sum doubling each time. Thus it
went OH TO the eighth time, when the gamblers be-
gan to be excited, and utterng loud curses, ex-
claimed-I'Ile wins again." AT this, many who
were in the room gathered around the table The
result of the ninth and tenth being the same, one
of them cried out-''He is a fool Why don't he
make sure of what he has won % The eleventh,
twelfth and thirteenth brought the same result and
exclaimed many-"He is madl" But the game
went on and the captain continued Needless. The
fourteenth was in his favor. AT the fifteenth,
thousands were at stake, from the small beginning
OF twenty-five cents, and all eyes seemed fixed in
amazement. Still he won. The 10th was the
same. The bankers vociferated curses upon the
wheelplayer. Others urged the Captain to with
draw at least Il. part of his winnings. Sixteen
thousand dollars was AT stake for the seventeenth
The tall flew like lightning, but there was no
change. The money was piled up before the Cap
tain IN heavy bank notes, but he moved not fin
ger nor uttered a word Al this juncture, husky
voice, in seamans phrase was heard" Haul i'm. old
Captain you don't bet all that pile against this
set Of land pirates! haul in !" and a hand was
stretched forth from one at the table craspinp the
money and depostng it in hat. 1t was the first
mate Of the Captains vessel. Having thus secured
the money, he seized the Captain by the shoulders.
saylng-"Come, you have full cargo, it's time to
hoist sal''-when horrible to relate the CORPSE of
the Captain fell against him. He had been sitting
with his head upon his hand throughout all this en-
citing scene having died while in the act of betting
his first quarter. The mate called for water and
dashed it into his face then for spirits; but all eff
forts to reSuscltate him were in vain. Life was
extinct.
Green goes on to detail the result.
The gamblers then demanded that the money
should be refunded; but the mate had rolled it up
Iii handkerchief, put II into the hand of cabin
boy, and charged him TO with it for his life to
the ship, and deliver it to the clerk and summon
the crew to the gambling house. The tumulr and
confusion were 50 great that the boy slipped away
unnoticed
When the corpse was laid on the plank, the
gamblers again demanded the money of the mate.
stating, that as the Captain had undoubtedly died
betting the first quarter justice required that it
should he returned TO the bankers. The mate i'm
tone ri Defiance replied that the orphan children
OF the Captain needed the money, and should have
IT, Force was then threatened if he refused to de-
liver il up. Seeing that their threats were uneed-
ed, they rushed upon him with violence, seized his
hat, and bore it off, supposing they had thus Sc
cured the money but to their surprise the hat was
empty. \ large number who were present took
the part of the mate, and great excitement prevail
ed throughout the house. An assault was made
upon the mate. Some cried one thing, and some
another "Down with hint" Get the money ~
Let him alone!" ''You have no right to rob
him i''-mingled with oatiis and imprecations. and
curses. At this moment twenty or thirty OF the
ships crew rushed in, and one word from the mate
brought them TO his rescue, and the gamblers were
soon made to stand at distance.
Something was SAID respecting the money, which
robbed, and they were about rushing upon Monsieur,
G'ampin. is the proper person to indemnify him
for any loss he might have sustained but were
diverted by the entrance of some twenty of the CITY
watch armed with short swords The sailors knew
the character Of this posse, made up of what were
called among them, '.wha.f rat Ffencl,mcn," and
were no more dauned by their array of force, than
they would have been by the display of tin swords
In the hands OF 50 many trained monkeys A fra
cas- was, however, prevented between the sailors
and the watch, by the assurance of the mate that
the money was safe, and request from him that
they would quietly return to the vessel He pro-
posed to take the corpse on board, but was informed
by the Captain of the watch, that Coroner's i'll
quest must be held over it before it could be re-
moved. He then seated himself by the CORPSE OF
his Captain, to watch it during the rest of the
night, and the gamblers returned to the common
work of darkness, playing cards, and drinking Ii
quor, meanwhile, now and then uttering curses up
OH the dead body of the Captain.
COMPOSITION FOR ROOFS.
The following recipe which we copy from the
Maine Farmer, 'loE the formation OF an inconbus
tble wash, TO be applied TO the roofs of dwellings