The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-08-12
on TIE BEACH AT LONG BRAxCH.
A visat 70 Chamberlaine's aamlng
Aease.-Roya1 sumPtasusness Hnd
MaeniAeencc.


A Visit to Chamberlaine's Gamlns
Aease-Ieoya1 sumptususness nnd
MasniAcencc.
Long Branch Correspondence Chicago Tri-
bune.
Sitting one night on the wide, cheer
full verandah of the West End, look
ing at Fisk's six-in-hand go by, I saw
that worthy address square set, black
haired, black-eyed man riding by In .
trOtting wagon.
"That's Johnny Chamberlaine, - said
a gentleman to me; "the fleshy one.
Do you see how he holds his buttoned
coat collar close up TO his throat with
his hand? He's got . mighty bod
cough, has Johnny, and II he don't
watch sharp they'A plant him next
spring where he won't grow no more"
That Is the great gambler, Is 1t He
Is young-looking and not ill-l0Oking."
"Oh he's rs good fellow as ever
you see. He's full Of enterprise. Nor
rissey's pd,renu to Johnny Cham
berlaine. He has put nearly ninety
thousand dollars into that club house,
and he got up, all of his own idea, the
notion Of n racing park here, and that
man had nut $l50, 900 of his own mon-
ey into that park before he asked any
body to help him q cents worth. Then
he raised s1O0, ZOO, just by asking one
or two of us. He's a young man. He's
got a wonderful memory. He has
never been married, but he Is a busi-
ness man right through. It's just up
and up with Johnny Chamberlaine,
square and square. He never asks mo-
body to play cards nor buy chip. He
never looks it. He'd scorn to do it."
Itseemed rather strange that man
can have all the business virtues when
his occupation is to stimulate the pro-
pensity of men to play, and ruin them
in night out of q years labor"
Just at this time the man referred to
in the talk appeared upon the piazza
and stood for some time leaning against
the jamb of the main door, quietly
peering down the porch amongst the
men. The proprietors and several
other people went up to him as If glad
of the chance to speak to him. He
had short cough now and then,
which caused inquiries into his health
and cOupious advice. He seemed to be
q petted man among the average OF
manhood congregated there in the deep
ening evepipes.ef-tife-s seaside.
1t was beautiful night upon the sky
and ocean, and the stars were out and
the f:r-off sails were clearly seen rid
ing under the moon. All the senses of
men were acute and their cigars smok-
ed like the blessings of Providence, iul.
ling such sharpened intellects. We an
talked of the lives Of gamblers, and 1t
was easy, in that atmosphere, to see
reasons for wickedness and trace COM
mercial laws out of the ebb and flow Of
ineradicable sins. This gambler grew
to be a merchant who supplied want
implanted i'm man. His success and
the use he put it to, dignifled the in
vestment. The mind rambled illogi-
cally. around the superfices Of history,
and discovered without effort that he
was no worse than this politician, or
that soldier, or yOnder Spectator. We
grew upon wonderfully apOlogetic
terms toward everybody in that enliy-
ening atnlesphere, and every cOnvic-
ton slipped away as II 1t were an un-
founded prejudice now for the first time
exposed and discarded. Such are the
heights, such the atmosphere when we
forswear our vows and take merit up
on ourselves, at the moment, for doing
so.
"Come over to the clubhouse, and
I'll introduce you," said my friend, the
editor, ~ know him right WELL"
The clubhouse was now all full Of
light, half emitted from its carefully
closed window sashes, but streaming
.ll:l., ,,,.l ,,,<l<,ov,,lnn from, tho r,r,6sp,
door. Two gaudy lamIs on the gate
posts blazed red and white.
~ never played faro, nor bet a dollar
i'm my life."
"If he sees you betting anything
there, he'll put you out. He never al
lows as to play. There will he no
hints of any kind"
"Come on! It's part of expert
ence."
Suppose 1 had been man with a
pocket full of money, what might that
experience have cost me?
"These gate-lamps," said my con:
ductor, were presents from Bill
Tweed, of New York. Tweed is the
Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall.
The cottage of itself cost sixty thou
sand, and Chamberlaine claims that
the whole affair cost him ninety thou
sand dollars"
We had now passed through a wide-
open gate, always closed by day, into a
very large, level lawn, enclosing, per-
haps, fifteen acres, the only buildings
| whereOn were the clubhouse, an ice
house just beneath it, and q stable two
rods further away; both ice-house and
stable rooted with variegated slate, and
handsomely capped with golden vanes
and rods.
The club house itself was of pale
yellow color, frame, and three stories
high, the upper story in hipped Man.
sard roof of beautifully inlaid states,
and the whole was tipped with q gilded
balustrade of peculiar iron works; "A
piazza surrounded the first story OF the
house, of light and beautiful con-
struction-green trellis work below,
the columns painted red, with gilt
COrinthian capitals, and the balustrade
above was also yellow and gilt. There
was but one entrance, and that grand
one, with drive meandering up to it
The whole edificc was a gem Of car
pentery, standing high and gracefully
i and guessed its proportions TO he eigh'
i ty feet square. 1t is the nOblest cottage
at Long Branch, and but one or two
pretend to cope with it.
As the sound of our feet rang OH TIN
steps, three or four persons appeared
well dressed, and / thought that one o
. them, q negro, wore white gloves
. There were plausible invitations al
round of "GOod evening, gentlemen
Walk in, gentlemenW
We passed into an elegant house
rather extravagantly betlecked uitl
mirrors, and yet upholstered in place
with as much taste as cost. COpiou
, supplies of gas filled the many softly
enamelled globes Of the chandeliers
and these lights were reproduced In tn
: mirrors, while yet the rich carpets wer
| of subdued patterns and the wall pape
would have done credit to an educate
lady's eye. The furniture was as un
:: iaue and solid as the workmanship q
| tie day can afford. The time has gOn
by when we can describe a maste
gambler by his gaudy surrounding
The art which used to work for tn
I church and for kings, finds no bette
|, patrons in our time than suc0& Y
: blacklegs. The tenderest, neatestY =
r ces they build and bedecked are o
= Hamburg, Saratoga, Baden Bader
: and Long Branch. Splits and trump
? are sovereigns.
Q 1 am going to tell exactly what
5 thought about this place at the me-
Y ment, and not draw morals in advanc'
{; Being in the mans own house, and b
: ing welcomed, l could do no wors
than he polite, and / looked about m,
5 with something, perhaps, of Aladdin
II / ,,-l.c,, H., s>,k ca n In ~,