Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-03-13

The Greatest Gambling Contest on Record.

The Greatest Gambling Contest on Record
One of the most famous gambling
contests on record was the attempt, by
a rival organization. to break the Le-
noir bank at Baden-Baden. A most
graphic and vivid account of the affair
has been written by Michael Angelo
Titmarsh, who speaks of the three
brothers under the name of Lenoir. II
is as follows: "There came, at time
when the chief Lenoir was at Paris, and
the reins of government were in the
hands of his younger brother. A COM
pany of adventures from Belgium,
with capital of 300, 900 francs, and an
infallible system for playing rouge-et-
noire, and they boldly challenged the
bank of Lenoir, and sat down before
his croupiers, and defied them. They
called themselves i'm their pride, the
Contrebanque de Noirburg. They had
their eroupiers and punters, even as Le-
noir had his; they had their rouleoue OF
Napoleons; they had their contreban-
quist seal, and they began to play.
As when two mighty giants step out
of host and engage the armies stand
still in expectation, and the puny pri-
Yates and commonality remain quiet
to witness the combat; so, it is said,
that when the contrebanque arrived
and ranged itself before the officers of
Lenoir-rouleau to rouleau, banknote
TO banknote, war for war, controlment
for controlment-al the minor punters
and gamblers ceased their peddling
play, and looked on in silence round the
verdent plain, where the great combat
was to be decided.
"Not used to the vast operations of
war, like his elder brother, Lenoir, Jr.,
the Lieutenant telegraphed to his absent
child, the news OF the mighty enemy
who had come down on him, asked for
instructions and in the meanwhile met
the foeman like a man. The Contre-
banque of Norburg gallantly opened its
campaign.
1.-The Lenoir bank was defeated, day
after day, in numerous savage encoun-
tiers. The tactics of the contrebanquist
generals were irresistible, and they
marched onwards, terrible as the Mace
donian phalanx. Tuesday, a loss of
Is, 900 forms; Thursday, loss of 49,
900 florins; night after night the young
Lenoir had to chronicle these disasters
in melancholy dispatches TO his chief.
What was to be done? How was it to
end?
"Far away in Paris, the elder Lenoir
answered these appeals of his brother,
by sending re-enforcements of money.
Chests of gold arrived for the bank.
The Prince of Noirburg babe his be-
leagured Lieutenant not to lose heart ;
he, himself, never for a moment blench-
ed in the trying hour of danger.
The contrebanquists still went on
victorious. Rouleau after rouleau fell
fell into their possession. AT last the
news came. The Emperor had joined
the grand army. Lenoir himself had
arrived from Paris, and was once more
among his people. The daily combat
continued; and still. the abOminable
contribanquists fought and conquered.
Like Polyphemus, who only took one of
his prisoners out of the cave at a time,
and so ate them Off at leisure, they con-
tented themselves with winning so
much before dinner and so much before
supper, say 5000 florins tor each meal.
At last there came one day when the
contribanquists had won their allotted
sum and were about to leave the tables
which they had swept so often. But
pride and lust of gold had seized upon
the heart of one of these vainglorious
chieftains, and he said, DO not let us
go yet; let us win | 200 florins more.
So they stayed, and bet the bank 1000
fiorins. The Noirburgers looked on and
trembled for their prince.
Some three hours after, a mighty
cheer was heard around the windows of
the palace: people rushed into each
others arms; men. women and chill
dren cried and kissed each other.
Croupiers, who never feel, who never
tremble, who never care whether black
wins or red loses, took snuff for joy !;
and Lenoir, the dauntless, the inyinci-
BILE Lenoir, wiped the drops of perspi-
ration from his calm forehead, at he
threw the enemy's last rouleau into his
till. He had conquered"