The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-08-23

| GlMBLTNG-Of all the vices gambling perhaps,
takes the strongest hold upon its victims There is
other passion that will follow with such blind
infatuaton. Home, family friends all are forgotten
by the individual who allows hmselfto be led into the
vortex of gambling. 1t is only recently that young
Of highly respectable parentage lost fifteen thou
sand doars-money entrusted to him by his father to
start business with-and there thousands of such
cases happening every day that never made public.
youth leaves home to engage in business in enc OF
the great citieS-he allows himself be led astray by
Of the many human vultures that throng our pub
lie thoroughfares-he is feeeed of every cent which
be possesses in gambling hell, and shortly there
after an unrecoguised body is found floating in the
river on which an inquest is held and verdict of
etound drowned" rendered, and the history Of the
wretched suicides fall is known only to his Maker Il
ia strange that young will i1loW this pursuit,
when, apart from its demoralsng tendencies, there is
not the slightest possibility of them winning we
were told by professional gambler once who wrote an
expose of gambling that there was not single game
of chance played in any gambling hell within the limits
of the United States-even of those considered the
most respectabe-jn which advantages" were not
played by the keepers. The per centage in favor Of
the gambling house keeper is very large, when
the game is fairly played, but with the machinery used
it is to the language of the class referred to,
dead open and shut thing" against the player.
1t is astonishing how infatuated people will become
in the pursuit of this unhoy pastme 1t is related of
a Mr.. Porter, gentleman who in the reign of queen
berland that he lost the whole of at hazard in the
space of twelve months. According to the story told
of this madman-for will call him nothing else
when he had just completed the loss of his last acre at
a gambling house in London, and was proceeding
down the stairs to throw himself into q carriage to
convey him home to his house in town. he resolved to
have more throw to try to retrieve his losses and
Immediately returned to the where the play was
going on. Nerved for the worst that might happen,
he insisted that the person he had been playing with
should give him chance of recovery or fight With
him His proposition this: That his carriage and
horses the trinkets and the loose money that he had
in his pockets his town house. plate and furniture-in
Short all he had left in the world should be valued in
lump at certain sum, and be thrown at q single
cast No persuasion could prevail on him to depart
from his purpose. He threw, and lost then conduct
ing the winner to the door, he told the coachman
there his MASTER and marched forth into the dark
and dismal streets, without house or home, or any
creditabe means of support Thus beggared he re-
tired to an obscure lodging in a cheap part of the
town, subsisng partly charity sometimes acting
a marker at billiard table, and occasionally as
helper in livery stable In this miserable condition,
with nakedness and famine staring him in the face,
exposed to the taunts and insults of those whom he
had supported, he recognised by an old
friend who gave him ten gaineas purchase neces-
saries lie expended five III procuring decent apparel
with the remaining five he repaired to a gam
ing house and increased them fty;he then adjourned
to one of the higher order of houses sat down with
former associates, and won $50 COO Returning the
next night he lost it ALL was once more penniess
and after subssting many years in ohec peuury died
ragged beggar in St. Gess Aud such is the certain
Ultimate fate of all who follow games of chance.
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