The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-06-09
A WASHINGTON GAMBLING
HOUSE.
Singular Discoyery-The Machinery
For Carrying on a Success
full Business.

The building Ala Pennsylvania av-
enue occupied for some time as the
Congress Clothing Store" is now be-
ing pulled down to make room for eX-
tensive Improvements contemplated by
the present proprietor, DIR. Daniel B
Clarke. In taking down some of the
partitions to remove gas pipe, daylight
vas let in upon some secret wires,
which, being traced, were found to
extend through the rooms of the
whole upper portion of the building,
and with other apparatus forming one
of the most remarkable pieces of ma
chinery for gambling swindling ever
exposed to view.
This building is one of the Oldest
upon the avenue, and vas many years
ago known as the R~ockendorff House,
having been occupied for a long time
by Mr.. Rockendorf as a confectionery
store. Afterwards it fell into the
hands of the gambling fraternity, and
it would seem that they brought the
devils own invention towork to trans
form it into a suitable den for their
operations of ~v1llainy. This machinery,
as nowlaid bare, shows that immens g
care and labor were bestowed upon is
invention and preparation. The
gambling rooms were in the second
story front. Over them were two gar
ret room with dormer windows. In
the flooring of these upper rooms a
trap door had been cut about six feet
in length and three in width. The
trap being taken up shows an aperture
between the floor and the ceiling of
the room below of a seize to accom-
modate thegambler's confederate and
a series of small p~erforations in the
ceiling afforded him a full view of the
cards held by the players at the room
beneath. By his side was the end of
a thin wire, which passing along I'M
der the flooring of the attic to the
walls a down to the flooring Of the
room below (playing upon nicely adj
justed pulleys at the angles, and SO
until it reached q point directly
under the card table. Here a very
ingenious pedal arrangement came in
to play by which, with springs ofspir-
al wire, a triangular piece of iron was
made to work up through a minute
aperture in the floor under the foot of
the swindling gambler1Thc victim
in this operation, it will he seen, had
no show whatever. Green the Gre
formed gambler" has shown the sys-
tenn of cheating with mark cards; but
that was alumsy and inefficient mode
of a~scertaining what the opposite play
er has in his hand, compared TO this
of telegraphy, which, by the
way, can claim priority in time over
Morse's invention. This system would
not be of much service to the faro
sharper, but must have been fatally
effective in the gambling games of
twenty and thirty years ago. In fol-
the purse of the wires it is no
ticed that a packing of soft wool had
been placed at every point where the
working of the apparatus would possib-
ly make a roise calculated to warn the
victim. The operator of the maceln-
cry was as silent as death, and not
an Indication appeared anywhere to
give him q suspicion of the network
of villainy in which he was entrapped.
The punctures in the ceiling, which
gave a view of the cards to confederate
overhead, were screeued from view by
ornamental oval of green figured
papering, and the aperture in the floor
under the card table, through which
spring played, was concealed by
the carpet.
Some years ago, it WILDE remember
ed, somewhat conpicious character,
named Donovan, was implicated in
some gambling ~rascality that led to
his serving a term in the penitentiary.
This building was the scene of his
gambling operations, but though the
establishment had a bad name, it was
not suspected that the villainy there
had any such diabolical backing as was
afforded by this machinery.
For the last halfdozen years the
house has been occupied as a clothing
store. The present owner proposes to
erect here a building suitable to the
Importance of the locality, and the
old gambling den, with its mysterious
machinery will be among the tradi-
tions.