The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-05-01
A NIGHT WITH GAMBLERS.


A NIGHT WITH GAMBLERS.
In the year 1859 | was sojourning tenn
pOrarily in the City of Mexico, and having
nearly a month of leisure, after satisfacto-
rily winding up the business matters that
drove me thither. devoted portion OF il
to exploring the darker portion of the me
tropolis, meeting with some curious adj
ventures. making few strange acquant-
anoes. One of the last was a middle-aged
man. with whom first spoke, one after
noon, at bull-tight in Necatilan Square.
A strong feeling of friendship speedily
sprang up between us. and with Don
Jaime Mercado-as he introduced himself
las guide. had little difficulty in finding
means OF passing away the time. And
with him ~ companion, one night found
myself cautiously treadng the Callejon del
Arco. or "blind alley of the Arcade"
long notorious Is one of the most danger
Gus places in the Mexican capital. The
dense mass of houses. of which the Mer-
chants Arcade forms part. known rs the
lmpedradillo. does not form one compact
street. On the southwestern side OF the
Cathedral. narrow lane runs into the Inn
pe,lradillo; this i called the Caleion del
Arco. Ii j. like one of those caverns which
of a cliff.
Even in the day time. while the suns
rays pouring down upon the square are
almost binding, this alley i dark. gloomy,
forbidding. Advance within it, though
only "A few PAGES. and you seem precipi-
tated into the shades of night; an involun-
tary chill crceps over you, by no means
lessened a. YOU catch glimpse of some
shadowy figure lurking in an archway,
closely shrouded in cloak and sOmbrero,
the black evil eyes watching your every
motion. Then there is an unhealthy
dampncss around you; water j. constantly
oozing out of the walls; under foot il is
wet and slimy-almost uncOnsciously
comes the terrible fancy that one is tread
ing ia the gore Of the countless victims
whose lives have ended here.
Yet through this alley Don Jaime Mer-
cado guided me-he with drawn sword.
with cooked revolver. Several times we
closely Rugged the mildewed walls, our
weapons pointing outward, to await the
passing by of some suspicious character.
Either these gentlemen were wronged by
our suspicious. or else they did not like
cold steel or hot lead. since they quietly
passed us by. though edging close TO the
further wall.
AT length Don Jaime paused before
heavily-ironed door, striking three loud
blows upon IL with the pommel of his
sword. Almost Immediately this opened,
and a porter, bearing a lantern. held the
light up to our faces. Evidently salts
fled, he raped signal upon the door
behind him. which also promptly opened.
This revealed long, steep flight of
stairs, up which we tramped. Here serge
curtain. surmounted by transparency
l.aar fba Lon . IaI In
ica," swung noiselessly aside. and we were
in one Of the most fashionable gambling
halls in the City of Mexico. For minute
the brilliant light dazzled me. and could
distinguish little else than low. indistinct
hum. mingled with the click of the roulette
balls, and the more musical jingle of gold
EN- coin.
The hall was OF extraordinary dimen-
sions. lighted by hundreds of wax tapers.
Two dozen long green baize-covered tables
were surrounded by the eager devotees of
Fortune; this much | saw. then was intro
duced to the proprietor of the hall. a dap
per little Frenchman whose name have
forgotten.
He was extremely polite and attentive,
leading US to the elegantly fitted-up side
board, pressing us to partake of the spark
ling wines and luscious fruit. He soon left
uos HoNfNtfs w Eittt SUM- Oliltf
and then we Joined the crowd around one
of the tables.
II was devoted to rouge-et-noir. with it,
circles Of devotees, who came night after
night To tempt fortune. one moment ting
ling with a wild. delicious JOY a. the tickle
dame deigns TO smile upon them, the next
plunged into the depths of despair as
the croupier's rake transfers the gilt
tering Offering 10 the wrong side of the
table
see" whispered Don Jaime into my
ear, " observe that lady in black. she with
the lace mask. who places her little pile on
the red double zero with such a queenly
air. That l. sonora de los D.. Ten
months since she was the idol of her hus-
band. who possessed almost princely
wealth, but the mania seized her. She
visited the tables nightly. losing enor-
mously, giving orders upon her husband
for the amounts, which were gladly taken,
for Don D, everybody knew, would
sacrifice his last thaco rather than dishonor
his name BY refusing payment. Her hus-
band soon discovered the truth, and paid
her debts, but there was a stormy scene