The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-04-11
Prevalence Of Gambling.

III HI- bll VI ldSt flhE HhCtt W - 49, "HN
sub.idizing every thing To fashionable excitement,
gambling, like intemperance and lIcentiOusnsss III
every form, is widely and feirfully prevalent. es-
pecially in the larger cities and towns, from which
a wise parent will seek TO Keep tire nninitiated
youth of both sexes far removed OF gambling IN
New York, a. the largest city, inu which are
marvellously crowded the extremes of every thing
good and every thing vile, an intelligent observer
writes for a religious paper in Boston what, by
much Iainstaking, he mas discovered
New York, he says, literally swaTms with gam
blers. Their haunts of wiekedness are hid from
the common eve. Ii is only by deliberate and
persistent purpose that the veil which shrouds
them can be lifted by an observer. Hence one
might live in the city for years, and, unless by a
rare chance, he would see nothing of the gambling
houses. Until recently knew of them only by
Eearsay now L am appalled, at the facts brought
to my knowledge respecting them.
Among the thousands of gaming-hOuses over
which the night spreads its pail, the most elegant
and aristocratic are those in rwenty-fourth street,
near Broadway, within sight of that most fashion
able of New York hotels, the 80 Fiith-avenue. "
They are extremely eXclusiye-for excellent rea-
sOns-and no one can enter their doors without
being 4. introduced as formally ne if these houses
were the residences OF our most a. aristOcratic'
families.
The writer proceeds to describe these most fash
Ionable gambling-places-all fair without, suInp-
tuous and beautiful as you enter parlOrs most
luxuriOusly furnished, with : contempt Of ex-
| lSuec+ lien ulnlN8-EOOins luTnIcItu WIN CuOiccel
yiauds and every luxury that wealth can buy
all cost free and hard by is tine gaIning-salOoD,
and at last YOU are :. in the gImbling-hel, with
ga crowd of the eager teInpters OF fortune. y
What strikes you most forcibly is the subdued
intensity of the thing IL you scan the faces OF
tine players carefully, you Will sec strange CLEANS
shoot from their eyes, strange twitchings OF the
muscles about the mouth, strange trcinblings of
tine hands that reach forth here and there To de-
POsit checks upon special cards. The dealer slips
/ .Ye ., nn-I - .IL.-a nd - III, n.raI a pIs
at sight of it. a fash of wild joy iliuininates
some face in that eager circle of gamblers, only to
fade away and be succeeded by a cloud of disinay,
perhaps, rs another card is displayed in the gilt
tering box"
10 see the PASSIONS of these men at their
height" my companion remarked, you should
come ut a late hour, long past midnight, when
wine and the excitement oi the game have together
wrought their balcful work. Ii is not long ago
that 1 saw n man rise from the iaro-tabIe stripped
of every cent he had in the world, who sat down
To it a wealthier man than either you or L will
probably ever be. lie gave II hollow laugh rs he
pushed back his chair, and said, &. well gentlemen,
I'm played out" Then he wiped his lips with n
trembling hand, looked about on the company
wildly, drew out a pistol, shot himself through
the head, and fell dead To the floor. But the
game that was under way at the time was not
stopped. Ii was only interrupted a few minutes,
and then went on as before
Passing down the splendid Fifth-ayenue, ''this,"
slys our guide. d. Is tho most fashionable cilb-hOuSe
in New York. Its members are all gentlemen of
wealth and leisure" But n clubhouse is not a
gambling-house, L said. IF you could penetrate
the walls of that housc-which YOU cannot, for it
is n strictly private house, ard admits none but
it's own meinbers-you would find gambling of the
most desperate character going on. The most of
the Lighthouses of New York are little better than
gentecl gaming-houses. They do not play faro or
any such games-nothing but tine card games that
are SO common i'll our parlors, such Us whist and
tine like"
Walking down Broadway, our guide points out
to US place after place where gambling lis going on.
IL seems there are scores OF them in that street.
! was then guided into II ken0-saloon. Proceeding
through Il long stairway and dark passages, L ell
tered Il ROOM 1t was so packed with men and
bows that the air was laden with impurity, while
Il cloud of tobacco-smoke o~verhung the scene.
There were several long tables, each with its
crowd of players, all playing the game of Keno.
No quiet here.
Now If we cross over into the Bowcry by way
OF Houston street, we can follow n stcadily-dc-
sccnding scale of inlamy III gambling-houscs till
we come To the yilest-bccause the flthiest-class,
in the Five Points Aaarter of the town. From
highest to lowest, the stranger in town who fol-
lows this route would sec no indications of the
presence of any of them. But If he should pause
upon any given corner, especially "a cOrner having
n - gin-nill' on IL hong enough To- be accosted
quietly and pleasantly by n good looking young
man also lOunging ON tine corner, he would find
that the good booking young man was the roper
in" of the gambling-house. Whether gentccl OF
rowdyish in his dcmcanOr, he Is always Il very
suaye aud pleasant fellow, is the /. roper-in,'i and
will chat most agrecably. By-an1-by he will in
vite the stranger to step into the gin-mill and
=. take something with him. Ii Is ut this point
that n ~tctUtaller ut once balks the artiul rascal.
If the invitation to drinking is declined, lie in.ers
that his designs are suspected, and leaves his in
tended victim. If the stranger drinks, the two
are now acquainted and on familiar terms in Il
very little time he has scduccd his victim into the
gambling-hell, and Will not let him go till he is
=. skinned, :" n he terms it that is, till he is rob
bed of all he has. fthe IMAM rebels, he will be
lucky If lac escapes with nothing worse than Il
black eye.