Litchfield enquirer., 1858-11-11
A WASHINGTON GAMBLING HOUSE.
Correspondence of the Boston Post.

Correspondence of the Boston Post.
 WASHINGTON, Oct 25, 1858.
 One of the most celebrated and successful sportsInen of this or any other country was buried in this city on Sunday week The oc cason of his death affords me an opportunity of giving your readers a sketcn of the man aud description of his gamiDg-house. Let it serve as :. warning, not as an example.
 He had been residento of Washington some fifteen or twenty years, during which period he amassed great wealth by gambling, or, to use the mild and honest language of the ave nue, lie realized an ample fortune out of the successful operations of bis house p His :" house" being the most elegant, and his bank the most weighty and substantial in the coun- try, 1t has been for years the fascinating and fashionable resort of wealthy panters fast Congressmen, aspiring diplomats, and ambi- t!ous sportsmen from every part of the world. iuxnriart style having, like certain other rich man, "been clothed in purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day" In person he was above the medium size, fat and sleek, of pleasing address, and a generous dis position exhibiting in his general department to strangers the characteristics of a we-fed good-natured clergyman rather than those of hcartless, unrelenting gambler.
 l His reputation for generosity was widely es- tab'shed ! If a college was to be endowed a church built, or private charities to be GiSpels- d, his Was sure to be among the munifcent of the donations. His wife, now widow, was of good parentage a woman of rare beauty and accomplishments, possessing social quail ties, which, combined with the dazzling allure lnents of wealth, insured her troops of admir- CTS aud courtezans. Rolling along the avenue ill her magnificent equipage, which far exceeds in richness and style that of the President of the United States, and that of any other gen tIcman in Waslingt she looked very queen-beng quite undisturbed by any thought that her presence sent dagger to scores of hearts whose patrmony, nnlawfuIly obtained, had contributed to her enjoyment, in the same proportion that its loss had added to the woes and wretchedness of the beholder.
 His establishment" was upon Pennsylva- mia avenue, between the National Hotel and i the Capitol. Let us approach and look at it.
 I ou enter by a door of variegated stained glass, which, by gas-Iight, reflects all the colors of the rainbow. Ascending q flight of stairs you reach door, pull the bell, aud instantly d small aperture opens, and you are greeted with pair of red eyes and a double TOW ot ivory set in black, which nomnally belong to 5Sambo, but winch, in fact, are the property of the proprietor. A glance sufficcs. You have filled Sambos eye aud arc deemed passabe The door is at omce opened aud you are usher- ed into the ante-room, the vestibule of hell This room is not large, but elegantly appoint cd-the chief attraction being the side-board, , l;.; d. r breast. Here are arranged ill long and gls- teniug columns, decantcrs of cut glass, spark ling like briIliauts, filled with the choicest nec- tar, and blushng to the very necks with the glowing vintage of the olden time. If you pass this rubicon without tasting its sparkling but dangerous waters, it is not from any d,arth of hospitality on the part of your per suasive host. The spacious Sporting Hail' nes o ESS the T6s Uaf a9os Of is ssss s9SsEsd marvellous beauty. The walls are adorned with superb paintings of the old masters and the new, while pendent from the windows hang curtains of embroidered lace, covered with golden tapestry of Oriental magnifccnce ; with mirrors of mammoth size refectng your form aud features from a score of glealning embrasures. Along the hail. at convenient distances, are ranged circular tables of polish ed rosewood, around which are seated numbers of thoughtful, anxious, dark -visaged men, who heed you not-their eyes having another aud stronger attraction. One would naturally sup pose this to be d theater for jests, drolcry and song, or bachanallan Ievcllngs, or pugstr encounters. Far tiom it. On the contrary, all is hushed, silent, sepuIchral.
 !" No real voice sound,
 | Within thuse cheerIcss walls is found'
 You are oppressed with the fearful stiffness and awful silence which pervades the place. A laugh, joke, or even curse, would be a sensible relief. But you hear nothing of this. An occasional long breath or hall-subdued sigh Is all that tells the ear that these mad de- voices are possessed of lungs and life
 An hours inspection satisfies your curiosity, and you are about taking your departure when soft hand taps you on lhe shoulder, and a low voice Please don't cave, Sir supper will be ready in a few minutes" At precisely l03 o'clock the doors of the dining hall are thrown open, and "supper's ready" pro- claims an immediate armistice between the combatants, and invites to a more healthy and rational duty. The long tables groan beneath their burden of gold and silver plate, and the heaps of dellcacles which surmouut and adorn them Here are yenison from the brown for ests of Maine, turkeys from the broad savall- nahs of the West, canvas-backs from the pla- cid Potomac, trout from Superior, and salmon from the St. Johns :; together with fruits, flow CTS and wines for every taste and from every cline eE
 The repast over, you are permitted, with patronizng invitation to call agaiu," to make your retreat to the open air, there to thank heaven that you are not a worshipper within this magnificent yet cheerless abode.
 Que nights work, a few days previous to the close of the last session, made Sad havoc among the cofftrs of this den It is said that q distinguished Senator won on that night Sl 2Q llQ which hroka tha ha1.L and -