Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-15
A SQUARE" GAMBLER.
WHAT HE SAYS IN VINDICATiON OF
HIS PROFESSION.
A Man Of Strictly Temperate Principles
Gamblers Who Are Downright
Thieves - Comparison with
Stock Brokers.


[San Francisco Call Interviewl
This professional gambler was man whose
magnificent physique, pleasant expression
and healthy complexion would attract at
tention where average men would pass un-
noticed. After the usual idiotic remarks
upon the weather, etc, the reporter ex.
planned his mission, and asked the card
champion whether he would smoke or drink,
or do both.
NO, thank you," was the unexpected re-
ply. Il have not smoked for years. and
have never taken an alcoholic drink in my
life. My weakness is milk, and will join
you in glass of that if you don't object to
such mild tipple."
"Ah, that explains what have been puz-
zlins over; your clear eyes and healthy skin.
1 mean. One scarcely expects to find such
features in a man who lives in the excite
ment and keeps the late hours that y ou must
do. By the way, what are the gambling
hours in San Franciscos"
"From ~ a IN. till 9. a. m., and these six
teen hours are divided into watches, as on
shipboard That is to say, there are two
regular dealers in each house, who are each
on deck eight hours q day, in four-hour
watches"
"lf the question strikes you as being ruAs,
l will apologize and pass it, but l would
really like to know whether you regard your
business as one to be proud of, or other
wise.'
A slight flush passed across the forehead
of the gambler, and he hesitated a moment
before saying: at isn't exactly profession
that one feels like boasting about, and still
it is by no means as bad as the religious
people seem TO think. These last are always
confusing professional gamblers with pro-
fessional thieves, which proves that the re-
ligious people are unchristian and ignorant.
There are certain card men and buDko
men, and men that work other sure things,
who call themselves and are called by the
public gamblers, but who are absolutely
nothing but thieves, and who can not asso-
ciate with the real gamblers, and are not
allowed TO enter square gambling house.
We regulars only apply the name Of gam
bier to a man who sticks strictly to the
legitimate chances Of the game, and ex.
perience proves that such person is, If any
thing, more honest in all his business
affairs than the average man who
moves in the highest social circles. A
game that starts with a decent capital
and that is honestly dealt is sure to win in
the long rum and therefore it doesn't pay to
cheat, for you'll only spoil your market II
game Is once suspected, that is the end OF
its business, and square dealers have this
fact SO rubbed into them from the start that
they never lose sight Of 1t. II you find that
merchant gives you short weight you'll not
patronize his establishment any more, and
Just so with those of the public who are fond
of gaming An individual having run OF
luck, will win from ths bank, but as the
stakes are limited, and as the dealer is al
most always backed by much larger capi
tai than that held by any one of the players
and as the latter have to do the guessing
the odds in the game arc in favor of the
bank, and when it loses to one it will win
from several others.
people will gamble, in some shape OF
other, for the desire to get money without
actually working for it, and a blind trust in
luck, are an invariable inheritance of the
human race. Circumstances made me
professional gambler in my early youth, and
would find it almost impossible to do any
thing or to get anything to do in any othel
business, and so stick to the trade that ha.
given me and mine livelihood for SO many
years. l never deal brace nor cheat a man
at short cards, and cannot only say that
am honest, but can defy any man to dis
cover even a rumor Of my being dishonest.
Your stock brokers deal in larger sums, and
are therefore courted by society, but there
are very few among us regular gamblers
whose honesty will not stand in favorable
contrast with that Of Gould, Keene, or a
Willard"
MAY l ask" said the journalist, show il
happens that you are SO much better edu-
Gated than the majority of your craft"
n am not better educated than good
many of them, and am wofully ignorant on
great many topics, but am what is called
the black sheep of a respectable family, had
the luck Of good schooling in my youth, and
have been more or less fond OF reading ever
since.
n was on the Comstock for a good many
years. and was there during the booming
times after Crown Point and Belcher began
to pour out wealth from their lower levels.
Every human being in that region took to
gambling in one or more forms; the women
and even the children going in Tor stocks,
while the men used to fill in all their spare
time with faro and poker. The same spirit
exists there yet, but the capital is gone, and
only small risks can be taken instead Of
heavy ones In the flush days on the Com.
stock money was so plenty that people could
not believe dull time would ever come, and
if they lost everything to-day were CON-
forted by the thought that they would have
plenty of chances to make a raise tomorrow
Card gambling was the humor of the hour,
and every man indulged in it, from the
Judge and the banker to the man who drove
drill i'll the mines. The most plentiful COM
modify seemed to be coin, and a $50 piece
then was thought to be scarcely more worth
keeping than a two-bit piece nowadays.
"For years the pay-rolls Of the mines along
that lode ran from 500, 900 to S9O0,O00 q
month, and faro banks ran twenty-five hours
out of the twenty -four. As protection to
the banks the bets We're usually limited to
SIS. but when a man planked down capital
enough We would sometimes take the bride
off, and have turned the cards for as high
limit as 800. A crooked game couldn't
last there week. and the result was that
the gamblers all played dead on the square;
while the hogging men might catch fiat
now and then, but shortly after such a per-
formance would find it beneficial to skip the
place"
The Strides of Journals m.