, 1884-09-07
CELESTIAL GAMBLERS
A Reporter BehoIds a Game of
Tam Tam.
The Amusement Almost UninteIllgl.
Bile to a Foreigner.
Monaghan Signs of Good Luck
! Some M%oralizlng.

0hAhAtoN alG udluIAl RdluC5lcIb.
No other race possesses such a passion for
play All through the coast from Ari-
iona to Pugets Sound. John bucks the
tiger with as much zeal, and with far
greater success than his Caucasian brother.
But in Cheyenne it is different, no China
men are seen counting the green cloth.
No n can give a satisfactory reason for
this, unless John remembers the cool re-
ception given to his race in the pioneer
days of the city. But in almost every
wash house and during all hours of the
day and night, John woos the smiles of
fortune with a persistency that would
shame a tin horn gambler.
Knowing this, a reporter determined to
see John in the enjoyment of his favorite
amusement. He sought every reiner of
solled linen in the city and endeavored to
obtain admittanee into the charmed circle.
But it was useless. With a persistency
worthier of a better cause, John denied
the existence of a game of chance among
his brethren. With a sublimity which
rivaled the veracity of Eli Perkins, he as
serted that his countrymen never gambled.
At length, the scribe remembering the
aphorisms of Sir Isaac Walpole, deter
mined to try the effect of coin of the
realm, and in this he was successful. In
consideration off bright buzzard dollar,
.Tobn prop,;ool 20 rlooo tbo aor,ho - H.
midst of a Chinese game oftam tam. Last
Sunday night was the time appointed for
the excursion and a certain wash house,
somewhere in the city limits, the place.
Early in the evening the reporter met
John and set out for the scene. John
struck a six-day-go-as-You-plea s gait and
the scribe followed at a respectable distance.
After walking about five minutes John
slackened his pace and turned off into an
alley. He now allowed the reporter to
overtake him and proceeding to the back
door of the premises raped. Like all
dens of iniquity the red curtain shrouded
the glass in the door. On it were en-
graved Il few of the characters usually
found OIL a package of fire crackers. The
door was cautiously opened and the re-
porter followed John inside.
The room was long, narrow, low. smoky
and dimly lighted. Il was almost desti-
tute of furniture, having only two or
three stools, a long table and a few more
articles. Around this table were gathered
about a score of Celestials, all eager and
excited. When they beheld the intruder
business was suspended. In an instant
an uproar began. The guide was Piled
with questions and his answers appeared
to be far from satisfactory. All the re-
porter could do was to keep silent and APP
pear as unconcerned as possible. At
length it was decided. that he could re-
main. and order being restored, the game
again commenced.
At one end of the table was u pile of
brass checks, upon which were engraved
some of the tea chest trade marks. Sep
arating these from the players was a
stick laid across the table. Seated ut his
right was his assistant and huddled
around the lower end of the table were
the players. Time was called and the
game began. On their side of the table
the players deposited, indiscriminately,
similar brass checks or money. When
each had made his bet the dealer took a
small brass cup and plunged it into the
pile of checks before him and when it
was withdrawn a single check adhered to
it. His assistant exhibited it to the
players and then each made a grab at the
pile. There appeared to be no division
of the spoils, each one helped himself,
and the assistant pushed over a quantity
of the cheeks to the players. Then there
was an animated conversation, time was
again called and the game resumed. This
time the bank won and the assistant
swept all the bets on the table on the
dealers side of the stick.
For over an hour the reporter watched
the game and the players, and it is hard
to say which were the more interesting.
Thee aucasian puts his check on tie cloth
and strives to appear as unconcerned as
possible. No 50 the Celestial. He is all
excitement. Not a movement of the
dealer nor an act of the assistant escapes
him. He makes no attempt 20 conceal
his disappointment when he loses nor his
citation when he wins. His
and ~passiveness is a street dress only, and
he casts it aside the moment he begins to
gamble.
The game is one of odd and even. The
players bet against the bank and all win
or all lose. All play together and play
entirely by system. Such is tam tam, the
Chinese faro.
The game is like the Chinese calculating
machine, extremely difficult for a foreigner
to understand. The guide attempted to
explain its mysteries, but was" unsuccessful
in his endevor. He stated that the win
nings were sometimes quite large and
that sometimes n won a much larger
percentage than the others, but could not
tell how it happened. One night
a friend of his had won 500 at n deal,
but as a general thing they lost. Like all
games of chance the percentage was in
favor of the bank. He played himself
quite frequently, but was unlucky and
would not try it again until he saw the
new moon over his right shoulder or a
strange cat came TO take up her residence
with him & Tboea wara s,ra .ool