The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-17
GAMBLING AT BADEN.

UAMbLINU AL DAUEN.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS IN TIE
FAMOUS CONTERSATIONHAUS.
A Graphic Sketch by an American
Editor.
Mr.. Fulton, the editor of the Baltimore
American, is travelling In Europe for his
health. He gives US the following very gra.
phIc description OF the gambling life led at
Baden:
The Conyersationhaus or gambllng.house OF
| Baden ia undoubtedly the great attraction OF
| This place. Without It,, and the law Iur Its
/ adjustment will go into force at the close OF
the present season, Baden Tiii no longer at
tract visitors from all parts OF the world.
TbereLis nothing In its waters TO attract, and
nothing Ia its mountain scenery that is not
| far excelled at InLerlaken and other places In
| Switzerland, But 1t Is not alone the gambling
| that attracts, but the ~adjnncts OF The esta'
blishment. =.
lis extensive reading-room, kept with all
| the papers OF Europe, It's 1De music, and spa
| cIous and elegantly furnished halls for cenver-
| sation and social intercourse, its shady walks,
i l5 ChIl 70 SOuSOkb itpi INV VOL 4NS"s wv VI
which are part and parcel OF this great gam
| bling establishment, out of the profits of which
| these attractions arc furnished, and are free
| to the visitors of Baden. This bankiDg-house
is the property OF one mau, aud all the ele-
gantly attired operators at the tables are his
| employed clerks. For the exclusive privilege
of keeping q gambllng-house 10 Baden he con-
establishment, and he has faithfully adhered
to his contract. The baud performs three
| times a day, from seven to eight o'clock In the
morning, from three to tour In the afternoon,
| and d regular concert mt night, commencing
| at eight o'clock, aud closing at hali-past ten.
The performers are all solo artists, and mary
| of them are Of high salary. The players aHd
cashiers Of the tables num5er over nifty, there
being Two sets for each table, and the Inverted
| attendants are OF least fifty more. 1t is their
| duty to furnish seats and cards for the play
| ers' take charge of their coats, shaWls and
| parasols, aud TO preserve ORDER ana oecoruln
In and around the building and grounds. over
the Corlnlhlan columns IN front Oh the man
! entrance ia the word "Conversatlon" carved
In stone, but 1t should be ''lhe hall of silence"
| with more than q hundred persons sitting and
| standing around each of The four tables In the
| four largest rooms, everything IL go profoundly
| ouiet that were 1t not for the l0wly uttered an-
nouncement of the game q person bllndfolded
| might suppose the rooms to be empty. GEN.
tlemen are not allowed to wear their hats, no
| smoking Is permitted on the balcony OF the
| buildine, and order and quiet relgns supreme.
| All conversation Is conducted In the lowest
| wbisper. and the players never exchange
words with each other. The playing COM
mences at Two o'clock In the afternoon, and
| closes promptly at eleven o'clock at night, the
| rame going on without the slightest Interrupt
lion for nine hours.
GAMBLING SCENES.
T snent several hours yesterday In the vici-
| nity of the gambling tables, and watched the
game and the players very closely. NY con-
| cclusIons were that the profits of each OF these
four tables were not less taan nve thousaaa
| dollars for the day, or twenty thousand dollars
for the whole. The constant change that Is
| going on among the players indicate that The
! losses of each are comparatively light, and
| that the number OF players at each table
during the day is probably several hundred.
Every moment some one draws OH aud leaves,
with his money all gone, endeaVoring TO con-
ceaI the chagrin which Ia too apparent 10 one
who closely watches their coun!enanccS HIS
place is Immediately taken by another, who
In his turn Is cleaned ont and departs.
Some of the players bring large 1alnonnis
of gold with them aud play heavy, betting
from fifty TO a hundred dollars on each DEAL Oh
the cards or turn oil the wheel. THESE l
closely watched, and saw the last gold coin
depart. Some, as their stock became low,
would send for more, but most OF them with
drew. assuming q careless and nonchalant
air. AS I passed around among the tables 1t
frequently happened that scarcely one VINO
was playing q half hour previous remained,
but their places were llled oy new aspirants
for fortunes faVore.
At some of the tables mothers and their
daughters were playing side BY Side, at others
husband and wife and lover and betrothed. II
was curious to watch their rising and falling
fortunes, In numerous instances / witnessed
wives endeavorlng to draw their husbands
away from the tables, but the etiquette OF tine
gambling saloon required that It should be
done by signs rather than by words. In one
case the wife stood by with trembling lips and
saw her infatuated husband lose a handful of
gold coin, until the last one had slipped
through his fingers. He then rose and they
walked quietly away arm In arm. In about
fen minutes they returned, and the husband
took his seat al the table With about thirty
gold coin In his hand. He played wildly, lay
Ing DOVE from three to five coin at each bel,
and when ie would win ne would leave the
whole amount on the number.
Finally they were all gone but three, and
both now seemed In distress. The vile leaned
over his shoulder, whispered something In her
husbands ear, when he handed her Inc three
coin and lett, she taking his seat. She played
cautiously and gradually won, having, Wnen
laSC Saw NcI, duOut ioiSJ
hund. The sign OF sorrow on her countenance
had departed, and she was looking around for
tine return of her husband. Whether she
withdrew before her luck changed do not
O but an hour after, when l returned to
the liable, neither husband or wife was there.
The young man whom I left at The table on
the previous night with his pockets full OF
gold that he had won was not to be seen about
The saloons to-day. Whether ne continued to
play and lost, or whether he retired with his
winnings l do not know, but as 1t was near
the closing hour the latter was most likely.
The woman who retrieved her fortune by fol-
lowing and Initiating his bets was, however,
early on hand yesterday morning, and was
very fiu.h. i passed the table several times
during the afternoon and she was still playing.
but on returning after tea che was sitting ON
one of the sofas, her countenance too plainly
indicating the result Of her days venture.
Several times she held up her fan before her
lace 10 conceal the act Of wiping away her
tears, and this was but one OF several In
stances tina passed under my observation.
Several old men, bent and decrepid With
age, maintained their seats nearly all day.
They never bet more than one dollar, and
their losses were consequently light, but I
saw them frequently hand In notes to be
changed. Independent of those who would
sit down regularly to play, there was a con-
tan throng OF men and women standing two
or three deep, who would occasionally ven-