Connecticut western news., 1878-08-08
GAMBLING IN SARATOGA.
AN HOUR IN THE NOTORIOUS CLUB HOUSE OF JOHN MoRRIssEY-THE GAMES AND THE PLAYERS,

OF JOHN MORRISSEY-THE GAMES AMI
 THE PLAYERS
 = A Saratoga letter says :-The successo, 7 of John Morrissey is well-knit. muscu
 lar man, about five feet ten, of strongl, marked, swarthy features, quiet de meanor, warm hospitality, and ready tc ) take the chances without finching
 The walls of the club room are oi pure white, the room is very spacious
 and high, beneath two lofty domes large
 and elegant chandeliers are suspended.
 rich lace and heavy curtains confne the
 light inside the high windows, and a
 beautiful velvet carpet covers the floor.
 Heavy black walnut and gold doors.
 mountlngs, and mirror frames make a
 pleasing contrast to the immaculate
 wh1teness of the Alpine walls. There
 are no paintings in the room, the living
 pictures affording study enough for the
 observing visitor.
 Ranged around the room, about three
 feet from the wall, are three roulette
 tables, faro layout, an American banco
 game, and an elaborate dice table, with
 painted figures and dice on the polished
 surface, showing how much each throw
 will pay on dollar investment. Three
 dlce are used, so that at each throw from
 three to eighteen spots make the total
 count. It person places a dollar on
 the Is and three sizes are thrown, he re-
 celves $180; if a dollar is placed on IT, $6O is paid if IT is thrown, and so on
 down to the average throw, when five or
 six for one is paid. The low combina-
 tlons, three or four, pay the same as
 seventeen and eighteen. Money placed
 on any single number, from 1 to 6, pays
 only dollar for dollar if it comes on one
 dice, double if it comes on two, and
 treble if it comes .on three; but if a
 person bets that any three will come, he receives $180 for $1 when he hits it. The presiding genius of this table has the white hairs and cheerful demeanor of a savings bank President, while the direc-
 tor of the faro bank closely resembles the Hon. John M. Francis of Troy. He IS the embodiment of judicial dignity. and would not look out of place as pre- siding Justice of the Supreme Court. The roulette tables are presided over by an olive-complexioned young man, with black moustacbe, who would figure well in fashionable hop.
 The point of attraction tonight is the lower roulette table on the far side of the room. A half dozen players sit in the chairs close to the table fringed by a border of larger lookers-on two and three deep. In the large, beautifully pol lshed inlaid wood basin in the center of the table the complicated part of the rou- lette mechanism is revolving slowly. There are thirty-eight little partitions in this revolving machinery, numbered from one up to thirty y-six, with two others marked single and double co. The compartments are alternately black and red. On the table, at each side of the basin, are plainly painted large figures in red ana black, with the single and double co. A large red diamond is painted on one side of each set of fig urea, and black diamond on the other. The colors pay dollar for dollar. If a person places dollar on single figure. and that figure wins, he receives $36 for $l. Bets are also made on sections of ngures marked out on the board, which are paid according to the chances of win- nng, the banker, of course, always hay ing percentage in his favor. For in- stance, there are thirty eight winning or losing sections. The winner only gets thirty-six. If the bali stops on the sin gle 0 or double 0, all on the table is raked in by the game keeper, unless some one has bet on the single or double l 0. when they receive thirty-six for one, as on the other figures. The game | keeper takes marble between his | thumb and forefngers, and giving it a | dexterous twirl the marble flies around | under an upper rim of the large basin. In an opposite direction from the way in which the inside wheel with the num- bered sections is moving. The marble spins rapidly, with sharp occasional c ok against the hard wood for several seconds before it stops. Meanwhile gamblers are placing their money or ivory chips representing money, on the numbers. The ball finally loses it's inn petus, drops down the side of the basin 10 the openings of the little portions and after an ominous rat-tat or two betting ceases, the ball and wheel ston and the keeper cries out in a monotone. '' Thirty-six, red," or Thirty-fiye. black, or whatever the number may be,
 Play IS becoming little dull when q ruddy-cheeked horseman, whose stable costs him about $2OO, per annum ;akes seat at the table and losses $1O0 1 'o the game keeper, with the remark { ' White chips" A hundred ivory chips sbout the size of silver dollars are : pushed over the smooth table toward f lim, and he begins by placing fifty on ( he red. the black color having won in ' he previous whirl. The ball flies around. t he omlnous clicks are heard, and the I game keeper calls " twenty-four red" i The horseman continues to bet freely. wilmington an average two out of three I i 'ets, until his pile has grown to $2, ,OOO. a hen cashing in his checks, he walks h yer to the lair of the tiger, and after i ot fight of an hour leaves the $2. 900 in a he tigers rapacious maw, the judicial b ealer taking it as cool1y as though it a ere legal fee. a The horseman's seat at the roulette & able was taken by quiet, keen, black il 'hiskered man, who resembled Jay I Fould. He rapidly piled up a large G uantity of chips, but his luck soon