The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1859-05-10
THE FOUR BANK CLERKS A TALE
OF GAMBLING IN BROOKLYN.

in the city Of Brooklyn, and pass the long
winter evenings in playing eachre Their
reunions were CT the most pleasant charac-
ter, no betting being allowed, and evening
otter evening passed rapidly away They
invariably broke up at ten O'Clock, and re
tired TO their respective homes, satisfied with
themselves and their evenings amusement.
The party consisted of Oscar :. Field, late
teller Of the Atlantic Bank, Brooklyn, Il
bookkeeper in another Brooklyn bank,
clerk in a bank in Wall street, and the
writer. The were young men, on whom
no word of reproof had ever fallen from a
fault-fnding world. The meetings at tue
house Of Field were PARTICULAR pleasant,
for their home joys and comforts were MN
gled with the pleaures Of the game, and
each envied Field III the possession Of q
fond and loving wife, III whose happincsz his
whole happiness seemed enwrougLt. oN
times was the quotation applied to them:
.rTwo soula With but a single thought
Two hearts that hast as one
The winter passed away, and spring came
The parties were, on account Of the short
tUtu evenings, DAthN btft 80 q.
summer amusemeuts. The next fall an
effort was made to reorgnizo them, but from
some cause it failed, and November passed
without am meeting. On Christmas eve
of 1855 there was a turkey rattle advertised
to come off at a house in a marble block Oh
Court street This house was the rosldece
of man who had once been a tailor, but
had lately risen from that estate, and a.
the time of which We write he kept an ays-
ter saloon and bar In the portion Il
Brooklin where he was established there
was but few, if any, Of these saloons, and 1t
was therefore the resort Of most Of the
young men Of the city who had no better
place in which to pass their time There
were two rooms on the second story
the bar, and the other was the room IN
which the rattle was to take place. In this
room, on Christmas eve, the euchrc party
of the former winter, together with ot-"r-
from the neighborhoOd, met and the ratli-
inc for chances" commenced. The tar
KEYS we're ratified off by 10 o'clock, and q
+. supper followed at the expense ct the pro
prietor. After this, ore or two OF the par
ty commenced playing dice for quarters
aud soon after the whole party joined II
the game. There were the ionr bans
D. clerks before alluded to there st den
= fist, a doctor Of medicine, dealer in hard
ware, lumber merchant, a Iivery-stab''
keeper, a merchant from New hosk, ans
l. others, around large table. throwing alter
!. nately for the pool, and betting that the.
would throw over certain number tmnc
It. a, one throw with three dice. Vine Howe
in abundance, and daylight on Christina
had long dawned when the party, wit
bloodshot eyes and aching heads, broke u
and wound their way homeward, many
them having received their first lessons
)F gambling. Many losl---Some won - mo
ry OF them we're indebted to each other
Ike Ike sums ranging from 81 to S25, while Il
ga proprietor OF the institution found that |
%. had made a very handsome sum out OF Il
turkey rattle, he having received \ quart
from every fourth pool.
pp lie (the said proprietoT) was not mi
the to allow such golden opportunities TO pa
nk- without improving them 20, ere the tum
from the Christmas-eve debauch had cloi
cd from the brains Of the party. they
ceived invitations to attend another supI
at the same place, where watch, sogett
with ducks, chickens, and turkeys, Wo'
be again rafiled off. On New Years
of 1856 they met again; again they ~
ctly ed. ard again the dice were thrown; az
the night and morning was passed in drul
en- debauchery. The proprietor was pie
!, ed. and treated his guests With that resp
JTs or rather reverence, which gained /
many friends. After that evening. turl
CHAM rafties were almost Of nightly o'cGrreg
4 ,.ns r' The institution soon changed It's chacac
es Of and from the former oyster ani ice ere
''''O' soon. it became sort OF cub-r0om, and
Taxes ter a certain hour In the evening none
rs the members were allowed TO enter
and rooms on the second story. The chaTa
,ttice Of the games changed also, and cards y
introduced euchre, seven-ur, pitch-tcu
and poker. we're the games ordinarily ?
ed. Some few of the party wore exp
at these games, Field being an exec.
VI euchrc player aud daring buffer.
Y, the dentist before alluded to was a -ha
Niaycg at al tue g''ibto ''''s'r '''-''7-'
,,o commenced with very small capital,
was soon in possession Of supcrtiult.
oh funds. His trade paid him better than
= profession. The hardware man was
lucky at dice and one evening he !,
N, himself in possession Of diamond Pm
ring, together with considerable u
sH;"us nia.os which he had not when he entered
rvate rooms
h ma The bank clerks were generally the
lding, ers and !. was astonishing bow large
MS ries they must have received. y hun
on dollars or 30 lost aud won az one sitting
not thought Of by these exemplary y
1spot men; and it was very amusing t. the
Stage of the party to hear the manner IN "
they accounted for the possession Of
nrnevs large amounts One OF them had rec
Chan a legacy from deceased aunt an
'ntrus- drawn a prize in the Delaware lott
& ed TO, while third amused the company
'''' night by informing them as to the iuci
--,oa had had that day "buckiug the tiger
!, will of which stories the party believed,
tice in matter of course, for they were gentle
l64 ono of ,hem and would not play