The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-12-06
GAMBLING IN WASHINGTON

T Washington for many years had
/ been q hot-bed for gamblers of high
! and low degree. There were q duz-
= on faro.banks ON the Avenue with.
! in a stones throw of G4dsby's on
the corner of Sixth street. Many
of these establishments had club
| rooms attached, where members oi
Con0ress and others amused Them
selves with bray, vignt-et un, and
whist. Draw-pOksr Game into
vogue at q later. day. Gambling,
, and :Or large sums, was comm0H,
particularly among Southern aud
Western members. Scores OF them
from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tell
nessee aud abe Cult States squSn
dered their modest per diem, then
eight dollars only. at the gaming
table. and some impairtd their pri-
. vste fortunes by the same indul-
geucc. S. S. PIenIiss is reported TO
have lost $4,000 the first winter he
WAS i'll Congress.
The most notorious and dashing
gambler of the day was Edward
PendIeton. He came FROM Virgins,
where he was well connected, his
family being of the best blood III
the State, and he married . most
respectable and accomplished lady,
whose father held responsible Of
fee under the government. ZEN
dIeton gave sumptuous entertain
| ments at his clubhouse, which were
| we'll attended by some OF the most
eminent pubic men in the district.
| Mr.. Mangum, then President OF the
! Senate, John j. Crittenden, John
81. Bolts, john u. Thompson, OF
Kentucky, aud Linn Boyd, after |
ward Speaker of the House, aud |
others or Lesser note, were frequent
ly his guests. Congress had ensct-
ed stringent penal laws to prevent
gambling, but they were dead let
Ter, unless some poor devil COM
piained of tout play. or Sumo aeec-
ed 5lackleg sought vengeance
through the aid OF the grand jury;
aud Tie matter was usually COM
pounded by the pay ment OF money.
Whist WAS a foVOrite game with
the foreign ministers aud the elder
statesmen. Mr.. Clay, Gen. Scott,
Mr.. Bodlsco, and MI. Fox-nepheW
OF Charles james Eox-WhO repre-
SeuIed William the Fourth and
Queen Victoria, often played to-
geLhpr, u hundred dollars being the
usual Stake. They generally play
ed well, dc Hoy Ie taught The game
but many OF the members of the
fashionable ciuhs OF New York
play with muIe skill Ihau Was
dreamed vi 1UrII years ago. Gov.
Marcy was great lover of whist,
buL would never bet nouev Ola the
game. Tnrre were aiwa!s lnveter-
dIe minister's III the Senate. A story
Was cui rent at one slime OF u pro-
Iracied sitting at the card-tabIes at
which Governor Stokes. o. North I
and Montjoy Bailey, SCR I
arms OF the Senate, were
Two OF the players. 1t ran in this !
Wise: The Senate adjourned from
Thursday oyer to Monday. The
party sat down to cards after dinner {
Thursday evening. They played all
night aud all the next day, only
stopping occasionally tor refresh
ments. Tho game was continued .
Friday night and Saturday, 7
Saturday night and ali day
aud Sunday night, the play =
ers resting for a snatch OF sleep aS
nature became exhausted. Monday I
the game was in full blast I
but at ten O'clock B tiley moved AL
adjournment, alleging that his OIL
cial duties required him in the Sru-
ais chamber. Stokes reinOnstTated,
out the sergeaut-at-arnis persisted,
aud rose from the 'able. The Gov ::
eruor grumbIed aud scoldt d, bu'
finally gave it up, swearing that II d
he had suspected B,ilS would break '
up the game thus prematureiy, he
would nave seen him-anywhere 1
before he would have invited him
20 jUiu the party.
Mr.. Webster played whist, bur
only. The Virginians
were addicted to that stupid game
known as shoe maker loo. Presi- {
dent Tyler was fond of loo, and on |
4 rainy day, when there was no |
great pressure of public business,
he Las ben known to make up /.
game at tho White House and play
all LAY, having dinner in his cham
Der. HIS companions usually were s
William Seldcn, Treasurer of the
Uniled States, Cary SeIden, his {
store keeper at the navy
yard, and sometimes Governor Gilt
mer, OF Virginia, with now aud
ILCu uuOLuCl luNO1AlCs
played TOR was always small, bat {
Ir. Tyl Ter was as much delighted at
taking pool "a ii he had won hun {
dreds.
Public opinion was not so averse !;
10 gami e in Washington as in most !
of the Northern cities. Probably :
the tone OF public morals is no more
elevated now than il was then, but J
there was then less pretense and os-
tentatiOn of purity. at q large I
party given by the wife of cabi- +
net minister, Mrs. Clay, chaPeron :
ing Young lady from the North, !,
passed through u room where gen.
Ilemen were playing cards, Mr..
Clay among the number.
''Is this common practice ?" in 9
quired the young lady. q
Yes" said Mrs. Clay, "they al g
wa. play when they get together" {
'Dou'L it distress you to have Mr..
Clay gaInble!"
No, my dear" said the good ole
lady, composedly, "he most always I
wins" c
la the winter of 1871 Gen. Scott,
SIR. Clay. Mr. FIX and Mr.. BodiscO, {
play ed whist once q week for come I
tlIDes tue stskc, rs usual1 OclHS Onc 4
hundred dJllars. Tney played a .
match game, Scott and BodiscO
against Clay and Fox. They were
well matched, and for long lime
the game was pretty even. At
length fortune favored Messrs.
Clay and Fox and they were ten or
twelve games ahead. "GentIemen,"
said the Russian minister, rising
from the table, ''lhe game has clos
ed for the season; the apprOpria-
ton is exhausted" And sure
enough not another game would ne ;
play, much to the di-gust and vexa-
ton OF General Scott, who, OF
course, was a considerable loser
From "RecollectiOns of On Old
Stager," in Harper's Magazine for
December.
4