The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-06-29
Gambling at the Capital.

Ramsdell," in Washington letter
to the Philadelphia Press, says: have
been in Washington nearly twenty
years, off and on, and have an idea |
know pretty nearly everything that is
going on here. That army and navy
officers gamble is an undeniable fact.
They do it in every country in the
world but that does not make it right,
of course. But there is not the pro-
miscuous gambling here that the out
side papers would make you believe.
There is not a gambling-house in WASH
ington to-day-except it may be some
little place where colored men and
newsboys play policy" All the big
gambling.houses are closed, and have
been for the past year. The law Of
Congress is very strict, and the author
tiles are enforcing it. There are no
clubs in Washington where gambling
is carried on to any great extent. In
deed, there is not city of its size in
the country which has so few clubs
There is only one organization in the
whole town that deserves the name OF
club, and l am very sure there is very
little gambling within its walls. There
are, it is true, several little social clubs,
in which the alluring poker is played,
and 1 happen to know several high
army officers who get together every
day or two, particularly rainy days.
and indulge their passion for "draw."
But the betting is limited to 81, and
so the risks are not great.
Time was, however, Gin the golden
days of the empire" when the old
Washington ring was in its glory,
that gambling here flourished most
prosperously. Gambling-houses by the
dozens were open and above board.
Every hotel and restaurant had its
poker-rooms. The clubs were little
else than polite gambling-houses, and
there were poker parties in many of
the handsomest private houses. AS I
look back on those days it appears to
me that every one played poker. /
know cabinet officers, bureau officers,
army and navy officers, senator's and
members of Congress played, and I
think they all played. AT the time l
speak of the famous gambler John
Chamberlain, now retired from the
cloth, occupied the residence of Sir
Edward Thornton. the British min
lister. Sir Edward moved out of his
beautiful house one day. and Chamber
lain moved in the next, with all his
gambling outfit. He gave glorious
suppers. and some of the best people
of Washington visited his pla"e and
enjoyed his hospitality. But they
never were permitted to join in the
play, and never saw what was going
on in other parts of the house. Ihave
seen senators. foreign ministers, and
society gentlemen in the highest ranks
in these same parlors, where the Brit
ish minister entertained his company.
A newspaper man may go anywhere
you know.
very well remember poker party
whose members sat for twenty-five
hours on a certain occasion. OF the
party there were three United States
senators, and enc of them left the
table $4,000 winner. 1 do not know
that he ever got the money. One of
the members of the party is now a
senator Cat the time l speak of he was
State treasurer of Western State),
and was elected within the past year
The senators 1 speak of are all now
out of Congress and are rich.