Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-09-16
$4,000 LOST IN A NIGHT.
Clever Operations Of T,co German So
Called Noblennen.

Called Noblemen.
New York Mercury
Some two years ago was founded club in
the vicinity of Astor Place bearing very
respectable name, the originators being
few young and wealthy North German mer-
chants, bankers and ship-owners. 1t num-
bers now some sixty members, has first
class reading room and well-supolied bar.
The initiation fee is $500. and the annual
dues are over $3.50. New candidates are adj
united only upon the recommendation
of five members. The two upper stories
of the building are used tor games of
chance. Access to them is guarded by far
more strictly than the haunts of professional
game-keepers. In fact only the initiated
ones know how to reach the gaming tables
Three of the latter are devoted to roulette.
and the other three to trente ct qstaraute
(rouge ct noir) From an early hour in the
evening until daybreak these tables are sur
rounded by the gambling members, and fire.
quently $1,000 greenhacks and certified
checks to even larger amounts are piled up
on the roulette figures, or on the mysterious
figures of the rouge ct noir tables. Every
member may
HOLD THE BANK,
But for no longer period than week S
time. Strangers may be introduced by mem
bers, but there is a committee who examine
the strangers as to their financial standing
before they are admitted to the gaming
rooms. Most of the members are married
men, and it has been noticed that, while they
have sent their families to fashionable water
ing places at the beginning of the warm sea
son, they themselves have all along remained
III the city. Square dealing was depended
npon by every member of the club and I'M
til the strange episode which occurred quite
recently i'll it's history took place no one ut
tered any complaint.
TWO ARIsToCRATIC GENTLEMEN.
About month ago there arrived from
Hamburg two aristocratic gentlemen, who
had registered on the steamer as Count War
tensleben and Baron Werthern. Both gen
tlemen had passports apparently issued by
the Berlin ministry of foreign affairs, az i,
letters of introduction TO rich North German
bankers and merchants, some of whom be-
longed to the above mentioned club. The,
stated that they were engaged on voyage
round the world, and would spend two or
sblCO lllOAlllS III 1ScW IOIk. SDullG W ar
teusleben stated that he was the grand
son of the famous Prussan General
York Won Wartenslebcn. His history was
not unknown in this city. He was known
to have very large fortune, and to spend il
in the most eccentric way. In fact Count
Wartensleben exhibited here a letter of cred
it for
TWENTY THOUSAND POUNDS.
Baron Werthern also showed plenty oil
money. 10 cut matters short. tho two
strangers were taken to the club, when bot
of them played roulette and trente ct MIR
| losing for several days. Baron WertherI
| then suggested to the managers OF
the club that Il sharper NIGH
easily dupe them, the roulette being
one long discarded by the gambler,
of Europe: and he also advised the use OF
peculiar kind of cards which would proven
cheating on the part of the banker at th,
r0uge et noir table, The suggestions wer,
unsuspectingly acted upon, and on the fol
lowing evening new roulettes and new card
were used. Count Wartensleben and hi
companion played heavily, and lost, perhaps
1000. Next evening the count proposed It
take the bank, and he was permitted to d.
| oo' Adeio "eiS d Sledb LldLy lHeIuDef
there, and high stakes were played for. To
a time the banker lost. This embodied tn
gamblers, all of whom gathered round tn
roulette-table over which he presided. Tn
stakes against him were
TwENTY-oNE THOUSAND DOLLARS,
and he won. He won in the Course of tn
evening SIS, 900 more. Then he propose.
to give them satisfaction at the r0uqe ct ~ Il
They accepted his offer, and he won an ad
ditional $4,000. He left the place, promis
ing to take the bank on the following even
ing. When that time arrived, neither b
nor his friend made their appearance. The
waited for him nearly until midnight, whel
| they left, shaking their heads. Next day
was ascertained that the two stranger
had left the city. 1t was discovers
that the 20ulette at which the Coun
had presided had been constructed most in
| geniously in such a manner that the bank
er could easily send the ball into the upper o
lower figure compartments. The cards which
he had set at the rouge ct n05y table wer
found to be
FRAUDULENT,
there being more than oneh half black cards
Worse than this, the certified checks whc
he and his friends had staked returned t
the hapless gamblers who mad won them, au
prominent stock broker, vino had advance
the count $4,000, gives them up as dea
loss. Cable dispatches to Berlin elected th
fact that the real Count Wartensleben hat
never left that city.