The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-12-18

was situated on a corner. The next day
we enquired into the matter, but the police
had not heard OF the occurrence and the
stranger was nowhere to be found. Be.
lieving that probably there was no truth in
the story we paid no further attention to it..
but few days ago learned that the watch
had been lost in a building ole block dis
tant from the rooms of French Axley
where, it is said, gambling is continuously
carried on.
simultaneously with the arrival OF the
laborers who are employed on the new
elevator, several uptown saloons have been
turned into gambling houses. Here, after
their days toll, the laborers gather by the
dozen and drink and smoke and curse and
gamble until early in the morning, when
they sullenly return to their work.
But we have space for only a few words
more. We might mention the names OF
hotels in which this vice is privately
practiced by guests of the houses; we
might mention the names of men who,
although occupying places in gentcel
society, burn the midnight oil over the
card-table in their private apartments and
allure their friends to ruin. They are men
of easy and agreeable manners, seen on our
streets every day. Withal, they are suf-
ficiently circumspect and secretiye of their
course, to maintain a place in gentecl
society; for that is luxury. They are not
guttons, but choice eaters. They are not
gross drinkers, only gentlemanly consumers
of very curious compound Of liquor. They
have Travelled; they can tell you which, IN
every city, is the best bar, the best restau.
rant, the best table. They know every
theatre, each actor; particularly are they
well versed in the select morsels of the,
scandulous indulgence peculiar to
each other. They know every
race course, every nag the
history of all the famous matches, and the
pedigree of every distinguished horse.
They can tell you, who CANDLES, when, for
what sums, and with what fate; who Is i'm
pure, who was, who Is suspected, who is
not suspected-but who ought to be. The
jingle Of their coin may be heard from
the second story window as upon q quiet
evening you pass along the walk, and their
cry Of "keno," often interrupts our police
officers while telling stories and laziy
tcatcring themselves on chairs in front
Of the police headquarters. But what can
the officers do to remedy the evill Very
little. They can hear the jingle Of the
chips and the exultant cry Of the winners
but can SEE nothing. They are probably
willing but weak, and can do but little
towards breaking up gambling den un-
less one ofthc players "squeals" as did the
boy in Judge Olmstcd's court few days
ago, who had lost two weeks wages in the
course Of few hours and whose father,
hearing OF his sons loss, forced him to an
admission Of the facts in the court.
Unfortunately almost all the gambling
now done In the city is done by home-men
principally young mcn--young men who
are just old enough to be ashamed of their
parents, and old enough not to know
what they think they know
If their older comrades in crime tempt them
into sinks Of intamy where league of
sharpers indirectly rob them Of their pos
sessions and the money Of their employers,
the still.born laws against vice are not
outraged The story spreads, the sharpcrs
moye abroad unframed, no one stirs. 1t is
the days conversation; and like sound 1t
rolls to the distance, and dies in an echo. |
But let aperishing, hungry wretch rob them
of their purse with but single dollar
and the whole town awakcs; the officers |
are alert and bring the trembling culprit
to stow HIM in the jail. But worse thief
may meet them, decoy their steps, aud by a
greater dishonesty, flch ten thousand dol
lors--and what then5 Nothing.