Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1859-02-02

yer; reduced to his last ten francs, he played !
only at rouletts with forty cent pieces. Other
players, on the contrary, insult fortune and |
even the tatleur; and at the sight of the |
card which makes them lose they break the
rakes. The clerk, who loses at rouge ct -noir
another persons money; tAe spectator who |
seeks at the gambling table to -e-establish |
his fortune, may, after ill-fortune, commit |
suicide; but the professional gambler lives |
long while.
Fortune has very unexpected turns of
favor; its caprices are unlimited, and it often
takes pleasure in making the gamblers last
ecu the source of his largest winnings.
have often had pointed-out to me, fathers
who have voluntarily exiled themselves from
Paris, far from the gambling houses. that
they might 10 longer play, but who every
two or three months returned to Paris, to see
again the roulette and the trente -et-,m They
remained in Paris only few hours, just long
enough to exhaust the contents of their purse
sometimes fortune retained them here by
enormous winnings. The ponies would in-
stance 10 my day, with pride and with joy,
young countryman, who, about being married
in his province, came up to Paris with 800
francs, to purchase bis wedding gifts, and
who returned home only at the end of a week
and who carried back with him his wedding
abduced also a Strasbourg coffee house keep
er, who at the end of a month, returned home
with more than two hundred thousand francs
of winnings, The names of the fortunate
alone were mentioned; The list of the ruined
would have been too long
/ Every gambling house had its celebrated
man. We often met roulette player whom
they called Massina; he played only quar-
ter of an hour, and in these fifteen minutes
he lost two or three thousand francs, or he
won twelve or fifteen thousand francs. 1t is
justice to say that the gambler need fear in
the public 'Hells,' no irregularity, no sur
prise, nor error; the bank alone was exposed
| to pay twice, and it not completely pro-
tected from swindling. Two young nen en-
| tered Frascatis one ev ening; staked on
the rouge fifty louis dor ID double louis; the
other stak"d on the noir the same sum in
similar coin. The rouge won. and fifty louis
! were paid to the rouge; the stakes and the
! money won were imm ediately taken away
! A banker took up the stakes lost on the noir:
/ but he soon perceived that these double louis
were merely forty cent pieces well gilded.-
The player, who had won, had instantly dis
appeared; the other was arrested. He was
at no loss for arguments. | did not say, said
he, that I staked fifteen louis; I have not
given you counterfeit money, nag. lose a
hundred francs 1t was your business TO be
more careful before paying the person oppo-
site to me-. .-e .-.....-se, -.f, ..r..
The affair ended here, and the bank lost
its nine hundred francs; the lesson worth
it. a celebrated general invented trick
which still bears his name. One day, during
the Empire, he staked, at the Circle des Ell
rangers, rouge-et- -noir a small rouleua, sealed
at both ends. xad which looked exactly like
rouReau dor of a thousand francs; if he lost
he took up his roll. and gave the bankers a
thousand franc note; he won and he said tt
the banker, who in turn offered him thou
sand francs; | beg your pardon, | asked moro
than that He opened his roll, and he drew
out of it, in the midst of some gold pieces
fifteen twenty notes of a thousand franc
each. The general was paid; but the, lessor
was not forgotten, and no one was allowed t
plav except with his money open, and wit
limited stakes. During the Hundred Days
trick was played on the bank, and whic
l still bears the name of its inventor. One O
his accomplices allowing piece of money t
I fall on the floor, pretended to hunt for it o
: the floor, and while he was apparently so engs
: ged he placed there an Internal machine
t At a given moment, another accomplce acte
e as this one had just done; aud when he stooE
y ed he fired that powder. In the midst of tb
D general fright and confusion, the authors
o this explosion alone were calm; they scream
y ed s.save the money!" and they off wit
o all the gold and the silver on the table. Aft,
e tins coup di main, the money of the ban
= ceased to be exhibited on the table; it was il
s closed il copper boxes, whose ample inter
tices, however, sufficiently tempted the gan
II blers' eyes. ,i-t- i-'
i "a marriage was recently proposed to
b young man, and in my presence, to we
}, born and elegant young man, who in his Ii
i of gambling had many time astonished Il
N spectators by his audacious game. and
e en- ormous winnings, the lady's fortune, b
lie friends said to him. is two hundred thousaI
|, francs Ah! said he sadly, such marria
le would be possible only if the gambling -ho
l. ses were re-opened In 1S46, while travlir
rs on the Rhine; I visited all the gambling -ho
to ses in Germany; I found there great maj
&c of the persons I had seen here in the gar
TX bling houses in 1S48; the same traateurs, t
| same bouts de tables the same Messieurs de
I cham6re, and especially, the same old pla
ne ers The passion of gambling like avaris
of almost places the human heart beyond t
N other nmiseries oflife; the gambler and
e. miser lives on chimeras; their pleasure is t
s. only one which fears no safety; their unmix
r passion is always lively. Let US remark,
st the honor of justice and morality. the dural
ID joys of the ayaricious cost privations and SC
n rows to none but himself. The very fugit
er pleasures of the gambler may cost the hor
of and ruin of families; may lead by an insen
ho BILE declivity to hcart-oorn honesty, to
ar profoundest calculations of dishonesty and
H. crime, while gambled, was often
xt reighbor of well-bred young man Of g
u,, family and of very agreeable face. He p
ng ed game which was long successful,
zee 1Nontante and the deseenddnte Meeting
ed Gently a lady who had been one of his frie