Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-09
NEW GAME or CHANCE.
A Recent French Importation-The
Rage for Baccarat at Long
Branch, and
Other Watering Young
Mans Big Winning The
Tough Club.

Long Branch Cor. San Francisco Chronicle.
A few years ago baccarat was an
almost unknown game in New York.
With the exception of few Ameri-
cans who bad learned to play it in
Paris aud few foreigners who hap
pened to sojourn in New York, no one
ever thought of playing it. True, at
Morrisseys house, on Twenty third
street, there was sometimes a game.
but as rule sporting New Yorkefs
reserved all their attention and spare
cash for faro and poker. But few
years ago the Union League Club,
which used to occupy the handsome
house at the corner OF Madison
Square, opposite Madison Square
Gardens, moved to new quarters in
Fifth avenue. The house 10 Madison
Square is the property Of Leonard
jerome, and as it is too large for a
private dwelling house, Mr.. jerome
aud his friends put their heads to-
gether and started a club, which was
to represent the interests OF the turf,
and hire Mr.. Jerome's house at high
rent. Unfortunately at this epoch
the managers, in their efforts to Sc
cure large list of members, adj
mitted all the rag tag aud bob, tail OF
New York. Men who could not OBJ
tain admission into any other club or
who having once been elected had
subsequently been expelled, we're
allowed to join, and the legitimate in
terests OF the turf we're altogether
forgotten.
1t was called the Turf,o 10 common
parlance the Tough Club; but the ma
jority of the members did not know
the difference between a race horse
and cart horse. At first the
club did not succeed, and il was not
until some enterprising members
thought of introducing baccarat that
they began to make their expenses.
The game took like wild FIRE. The
baccart room was crowded every night
and large sums we're constantly chang
ing hands. Then came sinister stories
OF young men who had lost money and
were unable to pay,and by degrees the
club got into such bad odor that the
baccarat had to be given up and the
Turf Club was changed into the pres
ent Madison Club. But il the bac-
carat Nas stopped at the Turf Club
the taste for the game did not disap
pear. On the contrary, it received a
stimulus by the stories that came from
Paris about a young man named
Deutsch, who had won enormous sums
at different clubs in that city. Deutsch
was a cousin OF Grau, the opera bouffe
manager, and had formerly been Billy
Florence's agent. In some way OF
other he drifted to Paris and by some
streak of good luck won as much as
500, 200 at baccarat.
Last year he returned to New York
and fired the minds of the young
would be bloods about town by his
loud blatant talk and his Munchausen.
like stories. For a while bacarraI
again became popular, and although
Deutsch has, of course, long since lost
all his i'll gotten gains, many young
men see a royal road to fortune in the
green cloth. When the season begar
at Long Branch about the 4th of July
several Frenohmen. who either reside
permanently in New York or are so.
journing here for time, hired a cot.
tage at Long Branch, a good cook and
laid in large stock Of cards There
is, as there always has been, clut
house at the New Jersey watering
place, where games, such as faro anc
roulette, are played every evening. Al
one time it was kept by John Cham.
berlain, now of Washington, and fol
the last few years it has been run by q
Philadelphian named Daily.
1t is, however, at the French estab,
lishment that the highest play takes
place 1t is much frequented by the
racing men from Monmouth Park, by
the noble army Of dudes, and by the
Hebrew jeunesse doree, who make
their summer quarters at Long
Branch. The son Of a well known
banker in Berlin recently lost $4,000
at one sitting, and a gentleman whose
name is on the Zip of every racing
mans tongue was punished to the ex-
tent Of some $4,000 to $1,000 at bacoa
rat. All sorts Of queer stories are
abroad concerning these transactions,
and some interesting developments
are expected.