The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-04-02
ArLANrTn anAnrn
How Gambling l. Carried On on Board
Some OF the Big Linarn

How Gambling L. Carried On on Board
Some OF the Big Liners.
Aslim, weil-dressed man sat talking 20
reporter the other day in the rotunda
of the Palmer house. He had mild blue
eyes and HAIR slightly tInged with white,
and he was clean sbaven, save for an iron
gray mustache, which gave him rather
/ distinguished appearance. To look
at him one would suppose that he was
prosperous lawyer, who yet retained
some OF the military bearing acquired
during the war. Re had aiso Q sort of
underlined yet perceptible ''churchy"
air about him which added to his
4solid" appearance. But the reporters
companion was far from being either s
lawyer or church deacon, for he Wa
no other than colonel, major, or captain,
whichever title he WIS known by tor the
nonce, George Phipps, the WeIl-known
New York gambler, and one Of the most
noted of atlantic sharks" Otherwise.
men who make it q business to cross and
recToss the Atlantic IN the fast liners,
bent, not on catching whales, but on
catching gudgeons.
EYES," said the colonel, who was not
the least bit ashamed of his vocation. Al
have crossed the Atlantic pretty nigh
going on q hundred times, and I'm not
tired of it yet. Tue tact Is, I'm q regu-
lar old salt now, and ! can eat better,
sleep better, and altogether feel better
on board ship than do on shore. When
1 was young man, in the days before
this European trip was fashionable as 1t
is now, and Tom Crabbe, who died the
other day, used to work the Mississippi
boats for ell they were worth, but, bless
you, they were nothing compared to the
big Atlantic liners in the season. On
the river boats, don't you see, there were
too many of Us at ii, and it was q
case most Of the time OF Greek meeting
Greek. But on the Atlantic, when few
of Us get on board, We work together and
pretty near run the ship. LORD how
I've laughed sometimes" and the colonel
chuckled at the "Reminiscences, "to see
some of the poor devils who were gong
over to do Europe with 81 800 or 81, 600,
get done themselves on the voyage and
go ashore clean broke"
"What do you gamble at chiefly ?"
queried the reporter.
''Oh, we go in for everything-poker,
euchre, monte (not three-card), Napole-
on and loo; but the most common, as
we'll as the tavorIte Is poker. Then we
bet and have pools on the run of the
ship and If you know anything about 1t,
and stand in with the proper officers,
| YOU kSuCEdllf C1u Win OuC OE bWO VI
them There's an inside track in the
run of the Just the same as in the run
ming OF q horse. Then we rope in the
suckers, too, with catch bets, such as
guessing nearest the height of a table
that you have previously measured, Of
how many times round the rim of wa
ter-bottle makes 1t hight, or marking
the height of plug hat on the door
You can always make your wine bill
and a little over of these BETS"
"SpeLkiDg of catch BETS" continued
,, the colonel, 81 remember one of tn
smartest of our crowd being neatly don
by q young fellow on board White Sta
steamer. This young fellow wouldn'
touch q card or make q bet, and he look
ed as meek and mild as a member of tn
Y. HI. @. A. Harry Wilson, my pal
y name, was q great man for these 'catcl
bets, and was always trying to rope thi
young fellow in, but he wouldn't bit
3 At last one day we three were sitting
= the smoking room when Harry sale
Look here, I'll tell you what I'll d.
{ MIR. A. I'll bet you $50
Z guess nearer tine number of tags
the end of this sash than you do" At ii
same time holding up a window sSS
d with a number of leather tags at the &c
d of II, which you may be sure Harry hs
| COuAtCu" O0S tA4C IOo66 ~
Is low would not be tempted, and present
u we both went OF for q walk on deck. v
lie returned in about an hour, and HarI
u began to badger the young fellow agsi
n "Well, Will tell you what I'll dc
e said he to Harry, "if you promise not
Dr. bother me any further I'll have one b
os with you"
h Agreed" replied Harry. "What sh'
~ 1t be?'
n "Well, suppose We have the number
tags on that tsssel you were talkil
about"
chow much torP'
10 "Well. say $50, as tits TO be my on
d, bet." Somehow or other never cou
en- exactly tell how they began raising ca
in other and soon the bet stood at $3.50
the guess They tossed up for first que
which Harry won. Holding the sal
up he pretended to examine the stag
critically. "WeIl," said he, after pau
In It guess there are Just thirty-two."
al "Sorry, sir,p said the young man, wi
~. a smile that was childlike and blan
a. "but since you counted them they ha
been reduced to thirty. Here are Z
other two IN my pocket" and he hand
over the two tags for HRrrY's inspectio
- "The Y. n. G. A. was the smartest
ss the crowd. He was sure Harry b
= counted them. SO when we had gone o
he had quietly counted them himself al
TO then cut two OFF,
De- Do the captains never try and put
ne stop to gambling9
GNeyer that I have seen. Why,
wouldn't pay them to do 1t. It is We
o seldom that anyone 'kicks." There
20 something in the sea air that ia CO
~ ducive TO gambling. Men that on she
on never touch q card or make bet are
to- keen at It as "old gains"
he GLOW many men are playing
ar game, do you thipk?"
ce, well, not as many as you would 81
pose; guess q hundred would see u
"What line is patronized the mostF"
"Oh. they are pretty evenly distribu
TIC over the Cunard, White Star, Gui
1g. and Inman. We leave the Rcotch DO
or. and National line alone; man would
q get enough off either of these lines
" pay his WINE bill. But you take
advice, young man. and when you
a. scross don't touch a card or make
unless Sou know something, and Il
play it for all II Is worth.