Evansville weekly journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 184?-18??, 1848-02-24
THE JOURNAL.
a ScENR HOUSE.

The following very remarkable circumstance
isvouched for by Green, the reformed gambler
There is degree of romance attached, that il
a manner relieves it of the horrors excited BY
the catastrophe. 1t occurred at New Orleans
some years ago:
A sea captain was in the habit of f~requent-
ing e~rolette table, kept by a Frenchman in
company with a party of Gamblers. Green re-
marks that they played with more regard to
fairness then, than iseRskemary or general with
them now The captain was evidently infu-
enced IA his visits more by a wish to kill
time, than from any passies for the sport. He
had visited the room frequently. and his inva-
fiable bet was % cents, and, winner or loser,
he never increased it. He visited the place
on the night in question.
The sea captain having placed his bet upea
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 cap
tain did not move, and contrary to his usual
Practice, the amount ofhis bet was doubled
He won the second, third, fourth, and fifth
the sum doubling each time. Thus it went on
20 the eighth time, when the gamblers became
excited, and uttering loud curses; exclaimed
HE wins again" At this, many who were in
The room gathered around the table. The re
suit of the ninth and tenth being the same,
one of them cried out she is a fool! why don'i
he make sure of what he has WONT" The elev-
enth, twelfth and thirteenth brought the same
result, and many exclaimed, He is madr"-
But the game went on and the captain contin-
ned needless The fourteenth wasi in his ia
ver. At the fifteenth thousands were at stake
IRON the small beginning OF twenty-five cents
and all eyes seemed fixed in amazement. Still
he won. The sixteenth was the sane. The
bankers vociferated curses upon the whee
players. Others urged the captain to withdraw
at least a part of his winnings. Sirtcen thou
sand doHdr lrds at stake, The ball flew like
Tightening but there was no change. The mon
ey was replied up before the captain in heavy
bank no ties, but he moved not a finger no
uttered a word. At this j~uDcture a voice in
seaman's phrase was heard@Haul in, old cap
tain! you don't bet all that pile against this Sc
of land piratesj haul in! and a band was stretch
ed forth from one at the table. g~rasping thl
money and depesiting it in a hat. Il was tht
first mate of the captains vessel.
Having secured the money, he seized tn
captain by the shoulder, saying-'Come, yot
have full cargo, it's time to hoist off.'-WheI
horrible to relate, the corpse of the captain fel
against him. He bad been sitting with hi,
head upon his hand throughout the ~excitin,
scene-having died while in the act of bettin!
his first quarter. The mate called for water
and dashedi it intohis face; then for spilits-
but all efforts to resuscitate him were in vain
Life was extinct.
Green goes GU odetail the result:
The gamblers then demanded that the money
should be refunded, but the mate had rolled
itup IN a handkerchief, and put it into tbs
hands of a cabin boy. and charged him to rur
with 1t for his life for the ship, and deliver il
to the clerk, and summon the crew to the gam
bling house. TIE tumult and confusion wa;
SO 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 undoabt-
edly died betting the first quarter, justice re-
quigea that it should be returned to the bank
ers. The mate IN a tone Of defiance, replied
that the orphan children of the captain needed
the money and should have it. Force was
then threatened if he refused to deliver it up.
Seeing that their threats were u~nheeded, they
rushed upon him with violence, seized his hat,
and bore it off, supposing they had secured the
money. But to their surprise the hat was emp
~. Alarge number who were present took
the part of the mate. Some cried one thing
and some another. Down with him. Get
the money! Let him alonel' You have nc
StS,hL - y nm AlluStCQ HllH OdblS= luipEG-
cations and curses. At this moment twenty
or thirty of the ships crew rushed in, and one
word from the mate brought them to his res
cue, and the gamblers were made to stand at a
distance, Something was said respecting the
money. which led the sailors to suppose thai
the mate had been robbed, and they were about
rushing upon Monsieur Grampin, as the prop
er person to indemnify him for any loss he
might have sustained, but were diverted by
the entrance of seme twenty or thirty of the
city watch, armed with short swords. The
sailors knew the character of this posse, made
up of what is called among them 'qUhdrf raj
F~renchmen,' and were no more daunted BY
their array of force, than they would have beer
by so many trained monkeys. A fracas was
however, prevented between the sailors anC
the watch, by an assurance of the mate, tina
the money was safe, and a request from hin
that they would return to the vessel. He pro
posed to take the corpse on board, but was in
formed by the captain of the watch, that
CoronGr's inquest must be held over it before
it could be removed. He then seated himsel
by the corpse of his captain. to watch over i
during the rest of the night, and the gambler
returned to the common work of darkness
playing cards. and drinking liquor. meanwhil
now and then uttering curses upon the dea,
body Of the captain.