Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-09-13
Newport GOssip-How the People
Kide-Fast HOrses-Giambling.
Correspondence of The Springfield Republican,
NEWPORT, August %, 1864.
MODERN cENTAURs,

MODERN CENTAURs.
The man typical of Newport is rampant
on horse-fesh. He Is half horse and half
cocktail. His existence is devoted equally
to both. Indeed the equine fever seems to
have become an epidemic, for quiet indi-
viduals, who never before were supposed to
know the difference between name and a
tail, talk learnedly about thorough-breds
and discuss "points" as though they actually
knew what they were talking about. In
reality there are as few good judges of
horses as there are of pictures, and the VIC
tins to jockeys can be counted by legions.
Individuals think nothing now of giving
$1,000 and $4,000 for horse, and owning
six or seven of these expensive beasts.
Their presence on the road of course pro-
duces an excitement, and quite crowd as
sembled around blacksmith's shop to see
$4,000 animal shod. He deported him
self very much as a hack horse would have
done and think that the multitude were
disappointed. They expected him to stand
on end, eat up the smithy, and talk horse!
To be the possessor of such valuable
steed is fame enough for one man. The
quadruped makes his masters reputation,
which is supposed to be the interest that
the latter gets on his money.
A FASHIONABLE 'HELL."
The men presiding over the destinies of
these fancy teams are for the most part a
very "hard" looking set. A German lady
sitting beside me the other day exclaimed,
as she gaZed upon the old and young gal
lants, who were lOunging lazily in the car
riages, ''why, those gentlemen resemble the
men used to see perpetually at the faro
tables of Baden Baden" The criticism is
truthful to the extreme. 1t is the unmis-
taxable type which is the same all the world
over. And Newport, be it understood, is
Baden Baden in small, doing privately what
in Europe is done publicly. 1thas its hell"
most elegantly kept. and resorted to by
aristocratic scions in the small hours of the
morning. At eleven o'clock nightly splen-
did supper is served at "Wstson's," where
every gentleman having an entree to the
gambling establishment is welcome gratis;
and there are those that go to the supper
who gamble rarely, but the habitues are
given to ''fghting the Tiger" pertinaciously.
The playing has been mild this season, be-
lieve, owing perhaps to the previous gaming
bout at Saratoga in July, where several
young men ''in society" were tolerably well
"cleaned out" Gambling is far more
prevalent in America than good people are
aware Of; the taste for this Goddess fruit
grows with the feeding, and there are few
hcu ueIe dlhonS Ine NlSlIoIs VIII dIc HoI
seen at Watson's eating the most deliciously
cooked game, drinking the best of wines,
and playing with the tiger of velvet claws.
The increased propensity for gambling may
be attributable to the mania for speculation
which has seized persons Of all ages and
conditions. Dabbling in stocks all day,
men thirst for excitement, and seek it in
these "hells" by night. Here the risks are
greater than in Wall street, but the princi-
pie does not vary much. A speculator by
profession is nothing more than modified
gambler. The day may not be far distant
when we shall have our gaming tables, as
in European Spas, and women as well as
men become their patrons. We are so fast
adopting the vices of the old world that the
introduction of their institutions is more
than likely. New York now is Paris vul-
CARRIED.