New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-16

10 begin by reporting the minor essentials, anu
gather up the minor threads afterward at hbolt |
half-past nine o'clock last night two persons en-
tered the door Of the notorious establishment NO.
10 Battle street.
They had both been there on accommodating
expeditions before, and were tolerably familiar
with the features of the place. which is at once the
richest and most tTequented in the city, ana was
the scene OF the first descent ever made ny the
constables. Outlying sentinels are stationed lew
rods on each side OF the entrance, and III the door
stands a stawart guard, charged with the duty of
admitting no corners who wore the faces of good
and reputable men. II is charitable to the advance
party Of the attacking force to presume that the
sentries of the establishment were busy watching
the face of the moon for the coming shadow. At
any "a te they were reused to suspicious and per
mitted our reporter and his friend, the guardian
/. the public peace, to pass by them without
question.
stairs (Which was observed to be stoutly framed
and provided with plenty Of bolts,) the new com
ers found themselves in a bar-room Of an unsuspic
ious appearance, provided with all kinds 0! cheer
ing and highly irebriating fluids. Communicating
with this by an open door was the gambling room
tself-a plain, white washed apartment, perhaps
fifty feet by twelve, traversed by long table. At
the end opposite the door were three windows
opening, doubtless into an alley, the glass painted
over to prevent the surveillance of curious eyes in
adjoining buildings. The table which we have
mentioned extended the long way of the r0om
and was occupied for the playing of that most
mysterious of all games to the unnitiated, known
by the name of props"
Benches along the sides of the table were occu-
pied by the gamblers, eager over their gains and
losses and utterly ignorant of the approaching
danger. At intervals along one side were the
dealers, five and six in number, while opposite and
between them crowded their victims to the num-
Der of seventy or eighty. The hands Of both
classes were filled with round checks OF ivory,
marked in ornate engraving with various hgures,
punches of greenbacks, large and small, constantly
changing hands.
The game itself is even more of riddle than
chess to the lookeron who is not familiar with it.
great deal Of subdued excitement as to whether
they fell on the baize fiat or convex side up a
great deal of apparently confused shouting, lone
he NICK five dollars and many more phrases
a great deal of pushing to and fro the innocent
white checks, which represented hard-earned DOL
lars to one class of those present, and easly-W
| dollars to another-these were all that appeared
on the surface Of The game watched with so much
| interest. nv,
On smaller table in a corner was an idle
roulette board, the dealer whiriing the dLsk ABOUT
and watching the movements of the ball Tor us
own amusement, and lazily awaiting, like spider
in his web, the approach of any wishing to test
the favors of fortune by her shifting wheel In
another corner was marble sink and mirror
completing the furniture Of the room, which was
brilliantly lighted by hanging gas.burners
The interval set by previous arrangement De,
tween the quiet entrance of the professional and
amateur scouts and the sudden dash of the main
body OF the TalQlHE party, was Dit uNo ihiH"'S7
and the circumstances of the situation, every
nerve awake for the comings cOup. were not iaVr
able for minute observation. There was tlme
enough and GOODNESS enough, however, for some
scrutinzine of faces-on the part OF one OF tNe
intru1ers for the requirements of the witness box
on the part Of the other, for the beueht OF tnAst
readers Of the Daily Advertiser who are curious
to know what sort of people are foolish enougf
ard wicked enough to frequent these ueHs Oh III
| iuuity.
The unprofessional gamesters who sat bind,
throwing their money into the hands Of thos
cheats, were mostly young men OF oetWeei
twenty and thirty years, by their dress and NEIL
apparently from the lower class OF mechanics, ah'
in no way distinguished from the common place
They were all apparently Americans, and Their
was not an Irish Or other foreign counlehahce II
the crowd. There were one or Two marked men
} however, easily distinguished as belonging :
other than the common run. One was an Oh
I gentleman of sixty, or thereab0ut, with slIve
; white hair and neatly trimmed WhiskeTs, dfesse
! in complete br0adcloth, and Contemplating I'll
+ vicssitudes of tue game through g0ld poWe
spectacles. He was of that Appearance Whc
e suggest eminent and unbounded respectahlilty an
: independent fortunes, sedate without being sane
tmonious, and seeking no ASSOCIATION Win IN
0 around him.
d Another ives young fellow of twenty-five c
It so, whom the casual observer would set down
+ the well bred son of a wealthy family, or as III
II prosperous upper clerk Of some wholesale stoi
u with elegant but not ostentatlous dress SOFT VIM
d hands, delicate complexion, dainty black mou
o tache and curling side whlskers, unmlstakao
r honest eyes AID polished refinement OF demeaho
C Besides these two there were none IN the roo
| whom one should be surprised to see there, and
lie is especially notable that there were no boys u
N der twenty in the whole assemblage.
Q, What has taken so long to describe had to
al noted in five short minutes just as the game W
at its height, the excitement hot and fevers
10 came the hurried, passionate shout from the e
III trance:
y Look out!"
~ No need for further explanation. Every m;
IL in the room knew what was imminent. Gamble
are proyerbially cool but more excited CROW
H. than those entrapped fellows it has never been t
~ lot of our reporter on duty among them, to Sc
he Pale startled faces frantic throwing up OF hand
u hurried rushes back and forward shouts OF II
or way" "Out of the windows" "Its all right
en- " Sit still, u" Is there no way outE saiuted I
hg interested observer on every hand Ihere "
eir plenty of time to study and note the scene Tor
ass frantic shout OF the sentinel was followed by
triumphant rush, and the sound of heavy, thund
sss ing crashing blows from the entrance told II
&c the door had been barred and siege commence
he After the first instant of breathless alarm tn'
IS was a general instructive rush toward the thl
les windows, which-only one story from the grount
'ry seemed to offer possible means OF escape. /
, there was an obstacle in the way: The com
me Mon of our reporter was gifted with power
'ea voice, and, what was equally to the purpose,
armed with ready revolver. His stalwart lo
blocked the way to the wndow-his sturdy lu
MS warned all to stand back at the peril OF tt
ow lyes-his ungentle arms sent more than one st
ign rernr back into the crowd-his cleaning veal
op- commanded all the windows at once, and til
,ws was that in his eye that few dared to brave I
8 a devoted gambler grasped the precious roule
her table, the only movable thing in the ROOM
rushed to the window to save it from capture
and the risk of breakage by throwing it ont, but
be hand and pistol OF the single constable were
quickly interposed and he was glad to retire V
t to the loss of his whirling and profitable top.
-ay All this took perhaps half minute. 1t seer
full ten to those inside listening to the stroke
ave the axe as it came dashing through the panels
like forced an entrange for the eager twenty consta
ere outside As soon as they were in the deVc
can guard at the window was reinforced, another
placed at the door to prevent all egress, and
ICON rest of the work was done decently and in or
the The captured gamblers, silent as statues III
so their discontinue, robed themselves sullenl.
was their overcoats, which had been hung in cl
eide in an ante-room. The elated cOnstables mo
day nayy about the rooms, inspecting the capt.
get implements and the morose countenances OF
,r so prisoners. The keepers Of the den affected
and chalant gayety. and assured the doWncast tn
lent. was nothiue-that bail and fine would be prom
arranged, and no evil consequences follow.
ire - constable who had entered in advance ident
ce at each whom he had noted as taking part in
Ter pame, and the rest handcufed them, the I
wrist of one prisoner to the left wrist of anot
2 Mr. so that they could be marched oil in couples.
aIlu- We have two acquaintances in the throng bt
thew known to writer and reader than the rest.
inter-. elegant Young man, evidently deeply movee
the catastrophe which had befallen him, so
Brin- out friend among the descending force ant
u A tanned the trivial favor of being marched II