Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-28
DECAY OF THE GREEN CLOTH
An Old Professional Laments the De-
cline of Gambling.

professional gamblers of high and low
degree never were in as tight lines as
they are now, and unless the tide soon
turns in their favor they Will be forced to
abandon the green cloth and seek other
vocatiOns to secure even the necessaries
of life"
The speaker was veteran gambler, an
intelligent Englishman, known as Cred
dy," with probably as many aliases as a
cat is expected to have lives. For the
past twenty years he has lived by his
wits, making and squandering thousands
annually. He can play an honest game
If circumstances compel him, but his aim
ever is to have the odds immeasurablY in
his favor. He is an adept in dealing a
brace game OF faro, or in swiudling at
short cards, but the height of his ambition
is to transfer an innocent mans money
into his own pocket by means of some
confidence game. In the last named roll
he may be Classed as an expert.
Il have just returned to the bay" con-
tinued the discOnsolate sport, LATTER a
two years professional tour, playing brief
engagements at all the leading sporting
centres in the country. l had hoped to
find things booming in San Francisco;
but the hope was sadly blasted, for l find
more broken gamblers here than | found
in any other city. High rollers who only
few years ago squandered their hun
dreds weekly are now glad to capture
enough money to lodge in a Twenty-Five
cent room and subsist on beer lunch.
Where one gambler is in funds, fully
ninety-nine are in distress"
elbow did you find the situation at other
points?' asked the reporter.
''W 18th very few exceptions, Just as bad
for the fraternity. About two months ago /
made tour on the Northern Pacific Road,
From st. Paul to Helena did not find a
q, II rnHr a.
make any money. At Helena and Butte
there is considerable sport, but controlled
by few men. Then / went into the
Ceur d'Alene mining region in company
with several other sports, and found that
country dead fraud; there were actual
~ more gamblers there than there were
dollars, and our party had tough
time to get out of the Internal
country. l visited all the leading
points in Oregon and Washington Ter
ritOry only to find business dull every
where. At Portland there are several
lively faro games, played wide open, but
the limit is so small that an outsider
can't make a winning of any size. Then
| took a steamer for Frisco, expecting to
make some money on the passage. Again
| was disappointed. The only gambling
on board was at whist-a quarter a
corner for the rubber. The degeneracy
of the times actually made me sick, and /
took to my berth and remained there
until the boat reached the dOck.o
Show fare the sports east Of the Rocky
Mountains 20
SAT Denver the game is lively and the
doors are wide open, but the bets are
small, and the same is true as to Salt
Lake. The glory of the gambling camps
in New Mexico and Arizona has departed,
and even a slick gambler couldn't make
enough down there now to feed a crow.
At st. Louis and Kansas City, for years
the leading sporting centres of the West,
not a single gambling house is open: in
fact, the laws of Missouri make it a felony
for any one to run gambling game within
the limits of the State. The same severe
law is in force in Tennessee, and the
chances are that just such law will be
enacted in most of the States inside of the
next few years. And when this change
comes about there will be an end to
professional gambling, for even the
bravest gamester will throw up his hands
if he sees that The doors Of the peniten-
tiary are yawning for him. On the Mis-
sissippi river, once noticed for its heavy
games, there is very little play, and on
most of the boats gambling is positively
prohibited. In Chicago, where the heavi-
| est games of faro have been PLAYED of late.
the Mayor has announced his firm de-
termination to shut up every gambling
house, and OF course he can accomplish
the task if he means business. In New
York city gambling is under the ban, al
though faro games are constantly run on
the sly. In Philadelphia there has been
very little gambling for years,
and at Washington only few
faro games, and skin ones at that.
are under Roadway. Boston and Proyi-
dence are the only two points in New
England patronized by professional game
sters, and at both the betting is very
tame. Throughout the Southern States
there is very little betting at faro, and at
the fayOrite game (poker) the stakes are
| light. In New Orleans gambling is Ii
censed, and in the winter months the bet
ting is very lively, but not $40 piece is
wagered on the green cloth now where
thousand was ten years ago. The fact is
that gambling in public houses is rapidly
on the decline throughout the whole
country, and the signs Of the times indi-
cate death to the green cloth at no far dis
tant day."