Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-06-14
PLAYING FOR A LIFE.
Thrilling Episode in a Gamblers Career.
BY JOHN D. WILLIAMS. NJ ID.

ders that during the season in Baden and
other Germat watering places, gambling is
carried on to very great extent. Nearly
all the visitors visit the saloon in the even
ing; indeed it is, par excellence, the place
OF fashionable resort. Extraordinary char
acters are to met there every day, and ex-
traord'nary scenes are offrequent occurrence
The incident | have to relate, and hch oe.
Cured at Baden Baden some few years ago
will go far towards rowing the correctness
OF the adage that truth is stranger than fic,
tion, for in no work Of Imagination could
be found any thing more strange, or more
! dramatic in its details. As l was an eve
witness to portion of the incidents to be
described, and received the account of the
rest from reliable source, can testify to
the trnth Of the revelation.
In l94-the season at Baden Baden was
about half over, when there arrived French
Count. named DeLacrosse, who was con-
,firmed gambler. The sole game at which
he played was roulette, and strange to say,
he was generally successful. He pretended
to have II system of calculating chances,
but whether this was so or not, he rarely
left the table that he did not carry away
considerable amount of the bankers gold.
This extraordinary success soon became
the theme OF conversation, and Count
DeLacrosse was suddenly elevated into a
hero. t~
About a week after the Counts arrival,
another stranger appeared at Baden Baden
whom no one knew personally, but whose
! reputation had preceded him. This reputa-
talon had been acquired in two ways; first
on account Of his. originality, which passed
, all possible b, u-ds, end seemed to verge al
most on madness.
This stranger was a gentlemen Of illus
! lrious birth, a Polander. His title was the
Prince of Palckenberg. The most extra
ordinary stories were told of him. One
only will suffice to give our readers an idea
of his cccentricity.
lie had never married, and for the fol-
lowing reasons: His skill with the use of
the pistol was SO great that at forty PAGES
he could kill tlv on the wall, and the first
condition Of his marriage was that, on the
evening before the ceremony his atfian ed
bride was to allow him 10 fire at n rose
which she was to hold between her lips.
1t would have required an immense
ameunt of love for n young girl to agree to
such condition and as the Prince Of
Falckenberg was not a man to Inspire any
such tender passion, all declined when the
time for their devotion to be tested arrived.
His ExcelIencv was, in fact, more than
forty years of age; he Mas very tall and ex :
,raordinarily Thin. His long and bony
face was almost Iividly pale. and his long
and hooked nose very much resenbled an
eagles beak, while his black eyes were daz,
zIingiy bright. He brought with him to
Baden Baden i long train of servants and
carriages, aud an immense sum of money,
with which it was said he intenhelto break
the bank just for bis own amusement.
The Prince had hired in nadvance whole
house for himself and suite. He took pos
session of it, and for whole week he lived
in, the most profound seclusiop, leaving |,
neither day or night. but passing bis whole
time firing off pistols in the garden, at,ach4s
ed to his dwelling. r.
Every day, at two, o'clock in the morn
ing,an open carriage, drawn by six horses
left the Princes house. and was drawn over
the principal promenades Of the place; bul
this vehicle was empty, to. the great ,disap
pointmebt of the curious who could mol
comprehend how any one could visit i
watering place and then shut himself ul
between four walls. - =. 'sT"'" - f-,,ss:.." a" :
>, At the end Of the week, for the. first tim.
some eueentereds stbsscssisge. It1wa. lL,
Prince. Grea. ,swas- the surprise. of tit
!: crowd, who had imagined that The stran.
! ger would carry his sccentricitxso far d. i
leave e, Bsden, Baden without showing. Tim
$ self sin public. Their sprprise, was very
I nsch increased when sintthe evening tl,ey
!, saw the Prince enter the gambling saloo.
sDs appraach 1the,roulette tabisssai s,iF =.
Alfths player. ibougb tfia. Hat sosnsibipt, ia iii
: estFaerd mary was about 70 happen, 40,
2 with 2 'pnanimous cement. they swi.h,
]. drew, thelt stakes. -sS The nrOnpisrs q n On,