Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-07-26
Vantage which the game affords the

advantage which the game affords the
banks.
The handsomest apartment in all Long
Branch is very spacious, consisting of
two octagonal ends with a cOrridOr-like
connection. The roof is high. trussed.
and over the two OctagOns it extends into
lofty dOmes. This INTELLECTUALLY varied
roofing is made further ornate with eIabo-
rate painting in oil colors. know of
no finer decoration of the kind anywhere.
The floor is covered with Wilton CARPET
Of the most delicate hues. The furniture
is of the heaviest mahogany. in pieces
and shapes to gorgeously fit out a gam
bling hell.
The house, much enlarged for this sea-
son, was built by two members of two
great political rings-Peter B. Sweenv.
Tweed's first lieutenant, and Mackey,
once State Treasurer of Pennsylvania
OF course these men were not at the time
known as the owners, and the concern
went in the name of their trusted partner
and agent, Phil DAILY, a PHILADELPHIA
gambler, and then of John Chamberlain.
the widely known sporting man and hus-
band of Emily Thorne, the actress.
Chamberlain ruined himself in the pro-
prietorship of the Long Branch race
course and retired. Plunger Walton at
tempted TO get possession by acquiring
Mackey's interest after the death of that
financial politician, but was beaten by
DAILY, who formed the combination now
owning and managing the property, which
consists of about the finest building and
grounds along the shore. But for flag,
floating the name pennsylvania Club
this would be mistaken for the summer
residence of a millionaire.
'Our expenses are $500 a day. said the
gambler, ''tO say nothing of the capital
invested. This room and what's in it
cost $4,000" And then he affably added:
"1Ou are not playing tO-nightY'
No. L replied, ''yOur expenses and in
vestment are too heavy" But there
were one hundred men or so present who
had no such scruples against remunerat-
ing the gamblers. Two games of faro
were going on, and a white, black and
rouge ct nOir table was in active use, but
interest centered at one of the four large
roulette apparatuses, where uncommonly
heavy play was in progress. Stacks
of ivory disks, ''chips" in gambling par
lance, ranging in value from white ones
at 81 to blue ones at $40 and red at $25,
were in front of the players, in one in
stance to the extent of more than S1O,-
600. This particular operator was a w all
street broker, and all but $500 Of the pile
represented winnings since he had taken
his seat. AS to his previous luck accounts
differed. The gambler told me that the
bank had lost $4,000 to him in a week.
Somebody else said that he had put half
of that sum into the bank. As every
winning chip multiplied itself by
%, and the turn of the wheel oc-
cupied less than two minutes, it will
be seen that man might make a big for
tune if he only had enough good luck, but
as the chances are 81 to 1 against him in
every wager, it can easily be figured
out that his luck must average nearly 10
per cent. better than that of the bank to
put him on an equal footing.
One player was filling sheet of fools
cap cOmpactly with figures, apparently
keeping a record of the winning numbers
and conducting his play in accordance
with some elaborate system. A very
small portion of the ciphering, directed
by common sense, should have convinced
him of the folly of attempting to get the
best Of professional gamblers.