Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-06-16
Gambling at Wiesbaden.


InENEus, Rev. S. |. Prime, in
letter to the ~ Y. Observer, from
Germany, gives sketch of Wies-
baden, the celebrated watering place,
including the following account of
the Kursaal, one of the greatest
gambling establishments on the con-
tlnent
And now, let us drop in at the
Kursaal, long and imposing build
ing Oh one side ofthe square, while
colonades line the other two sides
with all manner of shops for the dis
play of fancy ar,iclee for sale This
Kursaar is the temple OF Wiesba-
den, the greatest gambling house in
Germany; and having something
of a national establishment charac-
ter about it. With that strange but
very common fallacy by which gov
ernmentS, as well as individuals, of
ten deceive themselves into the
belief that what cannot be prevent
ed must be licensed in order to reg
ulate il, the government sells a IL
cense to a company TO set up gamb-
ling tables here, and a handsome rev.
enue is indeed secured to the Grand
Duke by the operation. The COM
pany pay to the government $685.
900 year for the license, and be-
sides this they are obliged to lay out
a large sum in keeping the house
and grounds in order. Will you
walk in?
What, into gambling house Z"
"Why, every body seems TO be
going in, and it is now about time
to dine; this is the great eating
house of the place"
Well, let us go and see what is
going on. In the diniug-rooms, or,
if You prefer to eat under the shade
of the great trees behind, you may
order dinner of dozen different
dishes, which would cost you about
as many pence as you would pay of
shllllngs for such dinner in Lon
don. These two magnificent sa-
looms are twice a week the scene of
gay balls, where princes and mobiles
and commons mingle in the merriest
dances in which Germans ever en-
gage, with sprinkling of French
and English, with titles and with
out. But now these halls are silent,
though hundreds of men and wo-
men are in them. They are all
crowded around a large table, one in
the centre of each room. Not a
word is heard. On the sofas around
the wall, few llstless loungers are
sitting, but the rest are standing at
the tables, while perhaps twenty are
scattered. None may sit down ex-
cept those who play. The game is
rouge-et-noir. The manager at the
table where we are standing, sits by
wheel the players place their mo-
ney, as much as they please, but
not less than dollar, on whatever
color or number they choose the
wheel is whirled, little ball flies
out and falls upon a number: the
manager announces it, and the fate
of each player is instantly decided, |
Some have won, some have lost,
more of the latter than the former
of course, for the bank must win in
the long run, or it could not pay
the great sum demanded for the IL
cense, and make fortunes for the
managers besides. | am intensely
interested i'll studying the game and
the company. Here just in front of
me is "A genteel looking man, with
red moustache and clear white skin,
rather too much dressed to be a gem
tleman; he is playing high. Not
with silver he never lays down
less than Napoleon, and often five,
and sometimes more of them at once.
He wins every time ; and thrusting |
out his little wooden scraper, draws
in his double pile, and adds to it the
heap at his side. lie loses this time: