Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-14

winning card. Rsnts paid for these
and other business plac IS were enor-
nous. A two story frame building,
known as the Parker House, paid It's
proprietors $3.50, 900 per annum; Of
this sum the gamblers who occupied
the second story paid one-hslf.
The lei Dorado Q moderate sized
canvas tent, brought for gambling
purposes at the rate Of $40, 600 per
annum. At one corner of the plaza
was q firm of brokers who paid $780,
OOO for asmall building, and the gov
eminent paid SO, 900 per month for a
one-story frame for a custom house.
These prices, extravsgant as they ap-
pear, we're not disproportionate to
those obtained for everything else
purchased. No coin wal In ciroula.
ton of less value than 20 cents.
Taking such necessaries as tickets to q
show, those to the pit were So, while
o reserved seat commanded $55. De-
cent board was 90 per day, or about
10 cents per mouthful. Washing was
from $12 to 500 per dozen, large and
small. Common laborers received 81
per hour, while skilled mechanics de-
manded from $12 to 800 per day
POKER WAS THE rAvoR1rE GAM
among gamblers, when after having
wear!ed of bleeding the lambs the
wolves would turn to and rend each
other. They seemed to need the
sharpening resulting from contact with
cool heads and steady nerves. Some.
times they would have q set. to lasting
two or three days, scarcely wasting
timo for meals or sleep. At the con
clusion Of such contests the floor of
the room would be probably six inches
deep In cards, as but . single hand
was played with q deck, which was
then thrown away aud q new one
substituted, and more than likely
the great plies Of golden 'alugs'
would gradually nov to the corner
of the table and the vanquished
ones be In . condition to borrow a
stake of the winner and start again
the following day at bleeding the red
shifted lambs of their bags of dust al
they came down from the mines. %.
casionally q gambler would come out
| winner to the extent of several hun.
dred thousand dollars, and turning
over his treasure to tho express com,
pany for nhlpment to the American
coast, except o few thousands fol
amusement during his homeward voy.
age, he would take passage for the
east. remember one case where the
party had raked In a large fortune.
He went to Washington and resolved
that he would marry and lead q mora
life. BE became enamored Of tn,
daughter of oma wht
kept q boarding house, ant
after satisfying them of his wealth h
was accepted az the husband of tn,
charmer. The old lady and he
daughter Immediately gave up tn
boarding business, and turned thei
attention to the more congenial occu
patton of spending the Californian
money. His cooperation was not a
} all necessary to the successful con
summation of the scheme indeed
they made the poor fellows life s
supremacy miserable that he close
| the engagement by throwing himself |
front of a locomotive In New York
When the ne n came back to tn
, CO ast, and was read to q crowd Of hi
! old associates, ono of them remarke
that 1t demonstrated the evil eifec,
of q mans flying too high for hi
r rco,t, and the sur 'ot was dropped.
The enormous ilhlx Of stranger
after the gold discoveries brought to
: gether the extremes from the fou
: corners Of the earth. San Fran DISC
/ had the ablest bar and the best phys
clans, and at the Same time the great
Q eat number of the most daring on
= reoklesu thieveF and cut.throats of on
8 city on tho continent. Crimlua'
from all parts of tho world focked
the coast, but their ranks were chile
8 recruited from the E ,glish penal co
q onies of Van D.eman's Land and Ne
South Wales. Ticket. of-leave me
and old conviots who had served the
, term we're given good residence by IL
l colonial authorities, and their pre-
= ence was soon felt In the rapid II
r crease OF crime. All manner Of afro
lilies were psrpetrated, murder, the
, and robbsrles, but that whic
reused the psople most vi
the frequent recurrence of deva
8 tating fires. Several times tho ci,
, had been destroyed by inosndiary col
a fagations. Lynch law was tried on,
, or twice and o criminal hanged, b.
, the eff .ot was but temporary. TT
delays of the law, the banding t,
T gether Of thieves and assassins f
3 mutual protection, the facility wi
which an alibi could be proven I
comrades of the accused, at length e
8 ~asperated the better portion of Il
community to s,lch an extent that
? 1921 the celebrated vigilance oommi
tee was formed, composed OF 400
, 500 Of the best oltizsns of San Fra
cisao. In q most deliberate, open al
orderly manner the association vi
b formed aud without haste or tumu
o their DEGREES were executed. TIL,
firmly resolved to rid their city of ii
= class which had inAugurated an unpa
allelsd reign of osime. 1t was not {
0 the purpose of revenge upon any Ind
. vidual, but to wage war OF extermin
. tiop upon desperadoes. 1t was agre'
|. that at o signal from on engine hou
8 bell the members should assemble
q their rooms and proceed to
TRY ANY CRIMINAL
. who might DO brought before thel
They were at all times to be on Il
alert, ready to pursue and capture a
person caught committing a GRIN
i and tho punishment agreed upon W
death. If the thief was apprehend
- " - -l-Lk Shn ta-s 80 4