Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-02-23
CHINESE GAMBLING.
How the Bcvjtching Games are Played
in Hong Kong.
Or Wherever the Mooneyed, Pig
tailed Monaghan Resides.
lcincInna,i Enquirer.

Yesterday afternoon an Enquirer
man by good luck, devoid of malice
aforethougb ran across Mr.. Charles
Ridley, who has spent ten years i'm
China, served on board man-of-war,
been captured by pirates or the Isle OF
Formosa, and who knows the Chinese
character not from hcarsay. but by act
ual contact knowledge Of their hab-
its, customs aud lnnguage--and i'm the
onrersation that ensued spoke OF their
love OF gambling. "Why, | believe
they are the greatest gamblers In the
world, and their game Is d fair one, .
said he.
"DO you understand it?''
Perfectly
give us an idea Of IL them
1.-THE game Is played by any nam
Der, and there is no limit 10 the bet
ing. The table Is sort of box COW
cred with Chinese mats, and Is four
feet high and five feet square on the
top. The dealer sets ON a stool at one
end OF the table, and on his right are IA
pair OF Chinese scales, ia all their
money goes by weight; ON his left are
large pile of chips
Like our chips?n
"Oh, no. They are small Chinese
coins with holeiu the center, which
they use for money aud chips, and are
worth dollar thousand ~ currency.
In the center OF the table Is square
piece OF tin, perhaps ten inches square;
each side Is numbered, one being oppo-
site four and two opposite three. The
dealer then grabs up with both hands
y large amount of chips and covers
them in front Of him with tin cover
which fits down close. This is the
operation OF u second. The game
then begins, and any amount
can he staked on any of the numbers
The dealer now removes the tin
top and counts of the chips called
their cash four att time, and what
ever number IL left wins not only the
money staked, but twice that, less Is
per cent, which goes to the house.
All the money staked on the other
three numbers, of course. the house
wins. The chances are three 10 one
in favor of the house,
Certainly, then tue chances are
less, but the amount won never so
great, because only one number can
win. Say you put up 81 on No 3,
which wins, you have won So, less
forty-five cents
"'rhe house Is pretty safe 2"
VIZ ftS, u lH-titll ubn u fHIt WHO
loses It's win for the house every
time
But is the game commonly al.
lowed ?'
''Not now. The authorities SUPPRESS
1t with great vigor. I was there at tho
time that the question of suppression
was agitated, and with difficulty got
In, and think few Europeans could
but the game Is easy and perfectly sim
pie"
PIRATES.
You got In nest of pir,,tcs?p
zone of the toughest experiences OF
my life. 1t fairly makes my blood
run cold to think of it. There were
eleven of ny wrecked on the coast Of
the Isle of Fornossa, about fifty miles
north of 'Ty-fau-hoo, which is ship
ping port. The pirates of the village,
for II was n mere collection OF huts,
stole our clothing, and kept W. for
eight days In II hole under ground,
damp and darlo, and fed liz on raw
sweet potatoes and rice. They then
took us out and bambooed and rocked
us out. We escaped In our drawers,
and reaching II missionary he rugged
us out In Chinese clothes and shipped
us over TO the main coast. There we
laid our complaints before an English
manroi-war, and they settled them
very quick.n
Howl
Went over and shelled the hole
until there wasn'ta hut left. But |
had one funny experience one night
in 1Iong-kong, and | think ! was the
worst scared man that ever breathed.
The natives were celebrating their
great New Year. They have small
New Year annually, but the great
every five. Then they spend great
deal of money aud have n high old
time. They have immense Joss
houses erected for the occasion, which
are temporary structures covered with
bamboo, of course, II light material. |
had seen them firing OF rockets, and
supposed that IL was all right, so shot
of one, and II lighed on top OF the bam-
hoo roof and set the thing ON fire. II
burned like powder-mill. and, as
there were some 5000 people In the
concern ut the time of course n panic
ensued.n
"What did you do?n
"Skipped that night, and have never
been back there since, and
Don't intend to? ?"
Not immediately
Good evening"