Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-05-03

The Machinery Of Q Gambiin. Den.
SINGULAR DIscovERY-How PHB GREEN ONES
ARE PL.ECKD
The building. 40 Pennsylvana avenue oc.
cupisd for some time as the .'Congress Clothing
Store is now being pulled down to maze
yQom for extensive improvements contsm-
rla,s:.a By The present proprietor, DIR. Daniel b.
Clarke.
In taking down some Of tn uartiLious % t..
move gas pipe, daylight was let III upon soma
secret wires, which being traced, were Iouui
to extend through the rooms OF the Who'll. AZ,
PEI portion OF the building; and with sther
apr arstns forming one Of the NOS renarklols
pieces of machinery for gambling sUindiIng
ever exposed 70 view.
Tnis building is one Of the oid.s. upon tn.
Aysnue. and was many years ago known a.
the RockendorT house, having Desa occupied
for long time by Mrs. Rock-ndorE - a m
fe riiouery store. Afterwards IL fell iu'D the
bands of the gambling fraternity, and il would
seem that they brought the devils own in,a-
nuiy to work TO transform IL into a suitable
den for their operations OF viilaipy.
This machinery, as now laid bare, shows
that immense care and labor were o-st) vel
upon Its invention and preparation. tn,
gambling rooms were In the second Story front.
over ioem Were two garret rooms with DIR
mer windows. In the flooring If eacn OF these
uPper rooms a trap-door had De.r cut about
SIX re in length and three IN WIDTH.
Ihe uap icing taken up shows an aperture D.
tWeh the moor ana the ceii,ng ~ M room
e'n .derate; ard = seri Of smtll pet "a us
In the ceiling afford, a him fGli view u zoe
cIrus held by the players at the table n IN
t.. m tensatb. BY his s'de was he end Of atnih
N.Y.. which passing along under JI- u OTIng
OF e artIc TO the walls ran down totne , rinE
OF thu room below, (piaying upon nicely I'll
iU,t-d Vuileys al the anClss.) aud 50 on uuui
T. che point directly under IN "a d-t;ibs.
aer. very ingenious ped ii arrang mrut came
1T pa, ~ which with sp=ing> oi JIrtl ,ytI-
a tIitI ular piece Of iron was made - work
n ~ e. al m IN ma 81 "
under the foot o. the swniling gambler.
Inc victim 10 tins operation II VII he
seen h,h no show what-v-r. Green,
the reformed gambler" has shown ~
So en- uf CueitIng Dy markCi cir1s, Dut ma.
was clumsy aud inefficient mpi- o. Iscet-
tI'nins y hat tie oppo> re player nf' IA his
hand conpIred TO t1Is sys em OF tel-yraphy
which. by the way, cru claim priority III
time ever MOgses invention. Tn, y stem
would not be of much ser,ie To the
fITO mar ,.rT, but must have b an IA Illy rlI'-c.
tive IN thu gambling games of twenty aud rnIr-
~ year, ago. n following the course Of ths
wIrs> ~ IL nOtic, that a packing of soft wOpl
hal ben placed a. every point wher- the W y k
ing 81 the apparatus would possibly make
n"ise calculated to warn tue victim the ops-
raior of the machinery was as silent as oea b ;
and not an indication appeared any where to
give him suspicion of the net work OF viIlainy
IN which a. waSentrapped. The punetur-s IN
the ceiling. which gave a view of the cards To
tue conf. d-rate overhead. Were screened from
VIEW oy an ornamental oval OF green figured
papering, and the aperture In the floor under
the card-table, through which the spring
played, was concealed by the carpet.
Some years Ego, II will be rememb ersd. n
somewhat conspIcous character, by the IN
OF Donovan, was implicated in some gambling
rascality that Lad 10 his serving term in the
penitentiary. This building was the scene OF his
gambling operations, but though the establish
ment had n bad name. it was not suspected
that he villainy there had any such daoolIcal
baC king as was afforded by this machinery.
For the last half dozen ye lrs the house has
been occupied as a clothing store. The pres
ent owner propo-eS TO erect here a building
liable TO The importance Of the cllity; and
the old gam blIDg den, with its my sterious ma.
chin cry, will be among the traditions of the
pasS-