The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-17
A GILDED GAMBLING PALACE.

| "A UlADLD UAMDL1NU L AAACGs
Scenes in tho Famous Salons OF Monte
Carlo-Description OF tho Play-Pnes
OF Gold and hank Notes." The Green
Table is a Great Leveler."
To come to Nice without visiting
Monaco, writes a correspondent, is to 60
to London and not see the Tower.
Carnivalistic festivities being at an end, /
made a trip to Monte Carlo at Monaco, the
most famous gambling place the world
knows-and the only one in Europe now
existing openly under State patronage;
for that of Nalais-Saxon, Switzerland,
was shut short time ago, the federal
government commission solemly reading
at midnight the law announcing the
closing Of the last gambling place but
one in the cd world. Our :35 P. NJ.
train leaving Nice was packed with
English, Germans, Russians, with here
and there an American, some Of whom
had come from Cannes. Our common
destination was Monaco, half hours
ride through the finest scenery on Gods
earth.
descended from the train at Monaco.
while. my fellow travellers remained
couple of minutes longer, riding to the
door of Monte Carlo; for your convent
ence is 80 studied that you are kindly
left at the very gate of destruction.
Preferring to see the town itself first, I
! climbed the steep rock, perhaps 300 feet
high, on which Monaco is perched.
The broad, white silk banner of the
smallest country in Europe futtered
gaily on the breeze. and the little town
lay bathed in sunshine and literally
covered with bright flowers. palm
trees, cactuses and aloes. / have
travelled far and wide, but never have
seen rs lovely view ofmountains, water
and sky as on the threshold Of Italy.
After visiting the remarkable castle and
still more remarkable court, and gazing
down from the lovely palace garden
into the sea, which lies far below, l
started off for Monte Carlo, twenty
minutes walk from the castle, on road
planted with palm trees and innumera-
bic cactuses. This road by the sea
wound around the tiny town and
afforded unrevealed views stretching
around a semi-circle of blue mountains
to Italy, and closed by the dim outlines
of the city of Bordighiera. It would
take ME hours to describe one of the
finest gardens of Europe, so I'll only
say that the garden of Monte Carlo
commands the loveliest view and has
the finest plants and flowers of the
tropics. The promenaders have not the
beautiful, peaceful look the landscape
has; the ladies, many of them splendidly
attired, laugh and talk nervously; the
men are wrapt up in their own thoughts,
paying little attention to their fair COM
panions. The women care but little for
this want of politeness, for this gambling
passion is the strongest of all, swallow
gin up all others, natural and artificial.
At the gambling table there is no sex; a
man gazes as stolidly at the most beauti-
full women of Europe as ut the walls.
There are some tormalities to be gone
through before entering the play rooms.
A man is not permitted to ruin himself
without complying with them. Every
journal in the department publishes
each day the following notice:
I'm accordance with the rules of the
Strangers Circle of Monte Carlo, en-
trance to the playing rooms is allowed
only to persons with tickets. The en-
trance is forbidden to inhabitants of the
2rincipality, and to those of the depart
inent, with the exception Of club men,
bcrs. Entrance tickets given at the
Casino bureau"
A Russian acquaintance Of mine. who
goes often merely to look on and play q
napoleon or so. was refused admittance
lately by the secretary, who saw by his
card that he had moved from his hotel
to private lodgings. and thereby lost his
migratory character and became an in
habitant of the department. "Oh, very
WE'LL" returned the subject of the car,
nonchalently, then Ishall save thou
sand franc bill" He was Immediately
allowed to enter; circumstances alter
cases. The fact is. he had only twenty
francs in his pocket, with which he won
800; but he spent it in day or two,
money gained in that way notoriously
burning ones pocket. The wisdom of
the above measure is obvious. If the
inhabitants of the neighborhood were
allowed to play, the ruin and desolation
would cause the immediate closing of
the Casino; whereas when q stranger
loses, the next train takes him away,
and if he chooses to blow out his brains,
IL ID ~ pCloOlal chAahs
The Casino is a fine large palace con-
tanning large, elegant ballroom,
theater with fine orchestra and
splendid reading-room, well supplied
with journals in all languages. After
entering our name in a visitors hook,
we receive an entrance ticket and are
permitted to pass into the magnificent
gaming-rooms. AS we enter ats P. NJ,
the rooms are softly lighted to harmonize
with the richly decorated walls. There
are two tables in the first room and
three in the second, at which are played
the two games, roulette and rouge ct
noir. Several hundred players and
pectators are present. Silver stakes
are predominant on the tables devoted
to the first game, but only gold and
bank notes on the rouge ct noir tables.
which are given up to the aristocracy of
gamblers, Of whom women are in the
majority. Not seat at the tables is
unoccupied. Behind the seated game
sters stands nm eager crowd of players,
as well rs spectators, who prick with q
pin the progress Of the game, prepara-
tory to risking later their money. Well
bred servants, in fine liveries, stand
here and there or glide noiselessly
around. Four men, cool and uncon-
cerned. at each table, seated on elevated
chairs, represent the bank, with piles of
gold and bank notes before them. What
beautiful women one sees here, and
what toilettes. But no one cares to re-
gard either. Here beautiful blue Eng
lish eyes seem sinister and CLASSY; little
cherry mouths look hard, and pearly
teeth are firmly set; little white hands
are convulsively clenched; bright faces
are ruined by an expression of cupidity;
cheeks are flushed, and attitudes denote
suppressed excitement. Some of these
fair women would evidently feel re-
lieved ny shrek, but grim etiquette
prevents. Passing a roulette table, I
heard an English woman, who was
holding up both hands tull of gold pieces,
excitcdly exclaim: "See! all that for
one napoleon!" Her nervous laugh
caused many a frown from those less
ortunate.
The green table, or tapis uert, is a great
leveler. Side by side sit an English "my
lady" and a fair fallen one from Vienna
or Berlin; here a Russian prince and
there a Partisan adventures; here
stands a bright American girl, of twenty
or so, in toilet worth at least $400;
she throws down a single gold piece and
loses it. She pouts prettily, twisting
her glove, and follow her to another
table, where she risks another coin with
the same result. Fortunately she did
not play high. Here is an Englishman
however, who does he is the center of
all attraction, and little crowd collect
behind him; he is winning heavy stakes!