The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-04-13
WHO INTRODUCED FARO?
WAS LAFATETTE THE FIRST TO BRING
THE GAME 10 IMERICA9
New York Gamblers Say No. and Net Forth
their Reasons for Saying No-InterestInE
MI I'M

hletOrtcni
"Did Lafayette introduce faro into Amor
icap'
"Lafayette2 I'm sorry can't say. Ho may
and no may not have introduced the game. but
am sure that II he did no went home poorer
man than when he came here. Faro was diff
ferent game then from what 1t IL now. Thon II
was a game Of chanco-now it's a game Of
science"
The veteran Peter De Lncy. who gave express
sion to the foregoing opinions. has dealt faro
for many years. and knows the history OF the
game thoroughly. He says that faro had its
origin In Egypt and was first called Pharaoh.
1t seems according to De Lacy) that the
kings OF Egypt were addicted to gambling. and
that after they had mastered all the games then
known. 1t was ordered that new game be in
vented. Tho inventors name Is not handed
down I'm history Modern history places the
introduction OF playing cards in the thirteenth
century or thereabout; but De. Lacy. who
has made a study OF the subject says that the
Phornohs used to play at the game nightly and
lose tho income Of province or two with tn .
! utmost nOnrhalNnce. In later days tstlll quot
| ing Peter DE Lacy faro entered into Italy and
| France. In Italy II obtained n strong hold ana
! II IL from he Italian language that we derive the
/ term parlce. n corruption of "paroli." which
| means, let the bet lie there and double no. To
make pnruli the player bent his card ut one
| corner. II he desired TO make double par
! lee he bout the opposite corner. ana SO on Tor
| the third aud fourth turns Of his card. II wHs
| his option TO withdraw his bet az any time after
! the first winning. but prior to that time he had
| no right TO move IT, There was no " LAYOUT
| then. but every player had his own pack. and
! made his bets on cards of his own turning up.
! When he won lie showed las card to the dealer
There IRE two or three accounts ~ the origin
! OF faro" Mr. De Lucy continued. bur favor
| the Egyptian. Faro under the American rule,
| has been reduced 20 a science Both dealers and
players know all the points. ana the main DIM,
course. the split but that barely pays gns bills.
| Ono hundred Years a-o faro was dealt out
! of hand that is, without a box. II Lafayette
! over banked "a game which greatly doubt. ho
! had To take big odds. The box II great pro-
| But Lafayette was not that Kind Of q man. By
| the WAY. whore did YOU get the notion that he
| introduced faro into American
| Pcrley' OF the Boston Journal says So"
| " Perey IL n fool The game WAS played In
virginia years before the revolution. and tho
! people there stick TO II yet as AN oldtime insti
| luton The game was played In England long
/ bei9re this country was settled by Europeans.
! oni-ts brought It over with them. There was
| no Puritanism among the southern colonisis.
| you know. The game was better for the OUT
| slders then than II Il now. and the man that
| backed 1t took blk risks
" Please explain in what way"
| well. he had no box. The players chose
| their cards from their own decks. and might
manipulate them 90 they had the skim To- suit
themselves, and, finally. he had no benefit from
rplit that u.s. when two cards IT IKE de-
nomination are drawn together. AMI the bank
] tukeS man the Del. On ilt 0tlNf mana. now
ever, there was no cue box To chock him, and.
while the PLAYERS manipulated their cards. he
WIS ~ position to handle his to much better
dropping Lafayette. want to ask you
whether there have not been great changes IN
the game rs played in this country in recent
II should say so. Why. thirty years ago II
you put a bet down on card YOU were bound TO
ict tlie there until that card lost or won. Now
you can change between the turns ~ often ~
you please. Then there was only one way to
NN
wRys-that IL, put copper on one bet tmean-
ing that you bot tho card To loscl and pay the
Other open, or u win. Thus a man can whip
"or the bank can whipsaw the man"
Just NJ you please. IL happens both ways.
But speaking OF changes IN the game reminds
me ofthr differences IN the play East and West
Here n you put down a bet NJ the corner OF the
King healing t. the deuce. II takes IN those two
cards only. In Chicago bet placed In that way
| would take 10 The king, queen. and ace. friend
| OF mine uuintrntionally Won 500 last month IA
| Chicago by placing his money in New York
| style. He wanted 10 play th" KING and deuce.
and placed ms money accordingly. On the first
| turn the queen won. and his bet WAS paid. The
next turn brought the ace TO the front. and his
over his surprise at such unrx pc ,ted good for
tune. II he had wanted TO play the king queen,
and ace in New York. he would have spread
his money on the corner Of the king
Thomas Walsh is the heavy weight OF all the
fraternity Of the green cloth. and holds forth
in the Bowery. TO him the reporter propound-
ed the stereoyped question.
Lo2 Know 9e me 36S 9PT 20 Tysn sa
you ever know ne Ia know anything. or 10 tell
anything | knew2 Ipever give any nforma-
ton about anything. Every mention OF n gam
| bler in a news paper hurts the business
Ira January OF Park place is gigantic IN
stature. genial and urhane in manner. and.
! wthal. a well. read man. Many years ago he
| had run OF what IL professionally called
hard luck Inc cards turned against MN
perslstently ana soon he was dead broke"
| One day he stood al II table. watching an inter-
e-ting game. ana slowly chewing one o. two
| hma l9lenges thht friend hhd handed MIN;
Put the other one on the ace" the friend
suggested. W sooner said thnn done The
nee won. and the dealer. mistak in.s the l12"nse
| for a Split" paid II with "A check. January.
| who has always been fast player-thut Is,
! one who keeps all Ms checks on tie table. and
| never takes them down until he reaches the
| llmt-payed the nce through the drnl. then
! shifted ms money 10 another card. and when
/ the - last turn came. WIS IN position 10 call
/ il for u considerable sum. Al the end ~ a few
| hours no arose from tn table the winner Of
Who told you" said he TO the reporter. that
Lafayette introduced lar1 into this countryW
| Prrley oi the Boston Journal says he did"
Vel ferley Is wrong. 1 can prove IT. but
believe thm Capt John Smith was the man
%Y S s ANN sn5 9'if y was S Te s
played extensively IN France ami Italy"
| John Day who Ills tue chatr formerly oceu-
/ pied 10y Mat. Dancer, said:
Ny lilo mas been too busy to admit Of much
study into historical questions. People outside
have a notion that the life of u gambler IL one OF
pleasure and idleness. They couldn't be worse
mistaken. Gambling in New YORK to-day 10
| Just IA much business the settling OF dry
goods ana II Is carried on on strict business
| principles"
" But about Lafayette"
We'll, | cant tell you anything about him II
| you want To get the iuil history Of iurO | guess
| you have 10 go outside of the business to find
it, The fact is that dealing bank usually TAX 20
away most Of n mans desire tor literary cult
walton. III read the daily newspapers ! con-
slider that | Am doing Us well Us can b3 CA
| pected'
The Prince" whose game ia in Ann street.
rather inclined to the Lafayette theory But
| then, you see lie continued 80 IHt Egyptian
name gets over me. Pharaoh means destroyer
a point that the evil disposed may take advantage
| Of If they SEQ ft-and II shows that the game is
Of very ancient origin. Now Is IL fair 90 supp SO
| that a game well established in Europe whence
| II came IN all probability from Egypt or pos
| sibly from some Eastern country, should have
| been unknown in colony ike America Tor
| over one hundred years. think not. The fat
| is IL came over with some OF the earliest of the
| cavaliers and tuON strong root in virginia.
| which may be called liz American home,'
| Harvey Young the oldest gambler IN TINS city,
| says that faro WAS first played publicly in New
| York in 1877, and became dang nrously popular
| in 1881 Just before the great fire. In those
| days few checks or chips were used tho
| gamcsters putting down their cash IN either
| gold or silver. The distress following the fire
| nearly wiped the game out. as few mad money
| To gamble with. but AZ business revived faro re-
| vycd with IL. and has ever since nourshed
| Mr.. Young IL certain that Lafayette did not in
| trOduce tho game into this country, rs he re-