The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-11-14
GAMBLING AT GERMAN SPAS.

BYN.s. DODGE IN THE GOLDEN AGE.
AT Badcn-Baden, Wiesbaden, and an
other equally fashionable place on the
banks OF the river Lahu, the government
farms ont, or did SO four years ago, and
had done so for many years, the gam
bling table to three brothers. 1t is tor
the interest of these three brothers to
keep these legalized gambling opera
lions respectable. Russian mobiles and
Polish counts, French No6tesse, and
English dukes, German jurlsts, and
Spanish cavaliers, may thus frequent
the rouge ct nor apartments amid con-
stantly shifting company OF spectators
without damage to their rank. The
lights burn brightly overhead. The ut
most decorum and punctlllous ceremony
obtain. The venerable crOupler who,
with impassive face. shutties the cards,
politely saying, as he prepares to show
their black or red faces, Fdltes lege1a
Messieurs, speaks In the tones of a we'll
bred man. There are other rooms
where the company IS less select, and
where common rOaes aspG sharpers stake
silver on the chances. Here nothing IS
current but gold. A pile of Napoleons
lies by the side of each player. Old
women in full dress with small gloved
hands and rounded arms, men Of mark,
known throughout Europe as statesmen
or soldiers, army officers on leave, noble
men travelling the usual Swiss round,
and aspiring sons of American million
aires, seat themselves with ceremonious
etiquette around the table. There is
nothing to offend good taste. Losses or
gaius are alike Indifferent. French only
is spoken. Persons withdraw or enter
without remark One might suppose
the whole affair to be a tea-table gather
ing of neighbors.
But to the close observer there is ap
parent great deal below this superficial
calmness. A newcomer enters; by de-
grees his careless air becomes fixed, the
gaze darkens, the eye sharpens, the
whole Attention becomes engrossed.-
There is the hesitating deposite, the
satisfactory return, the Drawer second
risk, the greater success, and then, step
BY step. now great gain, now trivial
loss, until, borne on the conquest or
ruin by the torrent of excitement, the
victim plunges head life and soul into
the play. 1t may be a man, who takes
his seat once. 1t may be lady, timid,
standing behind the players, and hidden
j. handing her sovereign to a friend at
the table, until, fixed by the alterations
of loss and gain, she pushes to the front
and takes her seat with the rest. Once
yielded to this overmastering passion for
chance-will the psychologists please to
tell why ?-sweeps down all barriers of
morality.
1t is not of this phenomenon, SO often
described, so haltingly explained, that |
began to write. The thing as it exists.
Analyze it who may? 1t is rather of a
phase In the history of the German Spa
gambling that occurred four years ago
that | have word to say.
There came there, when the chief of
the three brothers was in Paris, and the
reins of the government was in the
hands Of his younger brother, a compa-
ny of adventurers from Belgium, with
capital of 500, 900 francs, and an infali
BILE system for playing rouge ct non, who
boldly challenged the bank of Lenoir
and sat down before his croupiers and
defied them. They called themselves lii
their pride the coRtre6dnque de Nor
burg. They had their crOupicrs and
pointers, even as Lenoir had his they
had their rouleGus Of Napoleons; they
had their contrebanquist seal, and they
began to play.
OF course the great contestants over
Swallowed all smaller players. Rumors
OF the Belgian money and skill that were
to break down the great house of Lee
noir, drew crowds of the curious to the
spacious apartment. All minor pointers
and gamblers ceased their peddling play,
and looked on in silence. The contre-
banquists seated themselves opposite
the LenoiIists. 1t was to be the great
battle Of chance and money on one side,
and money and chance on the other side.
Rouleaus of gold were heaped upon the
tables; packages of bank notes were
piled by themselves; the gentlemen on
both sides passed polite salutations
across the green cloth, and the game
commenced, war for war, till one or the
other should be utterly vanquished
1t happened, as we have said, that
the senior Lenoir was then In Paris
The younger brother, though he showed
no signs of quailiug, and met the foe
manfully, became nevertheless uneasy.
He had not been used to such high play.
Luck was against him. The stakes were
continually increased by the Contre-
banque, and he telegraphed his brother
for instructions,
What the head of the great gambling
house replied, we, on lockers, of course,
did not know. But there was no end of
talk about kegs of bullion and portfolios
of bank notes which the Senior was daily
sending from Paris to Spa as re-onforce-
mems for his brother TO continue the
campaign without showing the white
feather. But the losses of the bank
were fearful The tactics of the ContTe-
banQuists were irrepressible. They
marched on terrible as a Maeedorion
phalanx.S Thursday the bank lost 2S,00o
fiorinS, "Wednesday SO, GOO, and Thurs
day Al 900 There were of course, tenn
purary recoyeries. Young Lenoir would
sometimes win so many times that grave
old men would shake their heads and
say that the luck mad turned. But
the close Of each day told another story
The balance of losses and gains was un-
interruptingly increasing in amount
against the bank Dispatches in cipher
we're continually arriving from Paris.
Kegs of specie, bearing on their heads
the enigmatical seal of the hank of
France, kept on arriving. Well known
packages, half covered with red sealing
wax, were frequently delivered by ex-
press messengers at the door.
At last came Friday Black Friday
young Lenoir called it-whcn the bank
lost sixty-eight thousand forms The
onlookers said it was Waterloo defeat
for the old house. As rouleau after
rouieau were swept off the table by the
Belgians, however the senior brother
suddenly arrived. 1t was like Napoleon
| Joining the grand army. Not that it
changed the luck The daily combats
continued on Saturday, and on the after.
noon and evening, as Is customary, OF
Sunday, but still. though the Emperor
was with the eagles, he did not bring
success. The Contrebanquists still went