Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-25
AN OLD SPORT ON GAMBLING.
EHe Denies That the Police Divided
with the Dealer.
From the Ne,o YORK. Star.

.
New York, for there is plenty OF it. But
j will back my statement with cash.
Neither yourself nor any other man can
walk into public gambling house, and
put your money on the ace, or play
against the roulette wheel. Supt. Murray
has shut them all up"
A very quiet gentleman who has dealt
faro, spun the wheel and run gambling
houses in New Orleans, Chicago. San
Francisco and New York made the above
statement last night to young man from
the Star. Toe quiet gentleman's lace is
as familiar about Twenty-eighth street
and Broadw as is the face Of the Gllsey
House clock. He Is a "square man." his
! fellow gamblers say; he is devoted to his
wife, true to his friends, and he 1s-a
gambler.
The young man from the Star wanted to
know more, wanted to know from some
one qualified to speak on the subject
whence the clamOr arose about the police
protecting gambling in this city.
This talk about police protection"
said the gambler, as he leaned comfort
ably against the front OF the Coleman
House, lis all nonsense. The police OF
New York are the gamblers worst enc
mics. Whenever they learn that house
is y gambling house they raid it. Go
down to police headquarters and look at
that pretty collection Of lay-Outs, wheels,
boxes and chips. Gambling fiourishes in
the dark, not in the glow of police protec-
ton; and so vigilant are the police lust
now that gambling is dead in New York.
People don't appreciate the difficulty that
the police have in procuring evidence.
Suppose some man, who wants his finger
in every pie, seeing me enter and leave
my dwelling, goes to the police and says
10 them, Such and such place Is
gambling house,
"'H0w do you know it?
"'Because it Is trequented by gamblers
'Are the police to raid my dwellingf
Not much, or they would quickly find
themselves defendants in a suit for dam
ages. Yet such is usually the dangerous
information that the police have to guide
them. Suppose, again, that you asked a
party OF your friends to dine with YOU and
after dinner in your library you sit down
TO game of euchre at quarter corner.
After awhile some one cries: ooh, this is
too Slow and, instead, you start game
of poker, for poker is very fashionable just
now and even the swell ladies play il. Or
suppose that one of you deals a snap game
OF faro, are the police to raid your house?
III that was excuse enough for a raid there
would be woe In Fifth avenue and desola-
ton on Murray Hills the big clubs would
cease TO exist and men driven to despera-
ton would seek ruin in Wall street"
The gambler stopped long enough to
ignt a cigar and coax it into action.
Then he went on:
THE police have further difficulty In
obtaining evidence against gambling
Iouses because gamblers stick by each
Dther. Walk up the stairs OF reputed
gambling house and ring the bell. man
peeps out at you through a little wicket
the front door and you can't get 10. No
me can enter unless he is known or uu-
less he is with habtue of the house who
will vOuch for him. Besides. have thepo-
ice nothing else to do than TO nut down
gambling which, after all, is the least OBJ
trusive vice in New York; Take this
precinct the Twenty-ninth) on winters
night, for example. There is perhaps
flash ball at the Metropolitan ODera
House, there must be police there; there
is show OF some sort at the Madison
Square Garden, there must be police
there; there must be police at the half
dozen theatres in the precincts, they must
be on guard on the crowded streets. and
at beer gardens and concert ga loons,o
Another pause while the cigar smoke
wreathed in the summer air. Then the
gambler said, with great deal of quiet
satisfaction:
''There is nothing fairer on the face of
the earth than an up and up game OF faro.
You put your money on the last queen
or the last ten 10 the box. and YOU must
elther win or lose. Where else can Won
10 tbatp Take thousand dollars into
Wall street and start turning it over.
You buy stocss, and your broker nips
ais commission OF your thousand dollars.
You sell and he pips another commission.
You buy aud sell again, and If you keen
IN the street long enough your broker
pockets your thousand and invites YOU
into Delmonicu's or to lunch at his club,
to console you over a bottle of wine for
your loss and TO urge better luck next
time"
There are several men who once ran
gambling houses In Wall street, and right
good brokers' do they make, for they have
had training IN the lower walks of their
profession. They know that stock brok-
Ing is n much stronger game than faro.
But they never can be satisfied with their
commissions; they must deal i'll stocks
themselves, and then they 20 to smash.
They are guileless when they are stacked
up against a shrewd stock manirulator
Let me prove that to you by little story
When old Commodore Vanderbilt carried
the stock market IN the palm OF his hand
John MOrrissey bad HE club house Mt
Saratoga. Morrissey owned fast horse
and the old Commodore fell in love with
it. He wanted TO buy. Morrissey would
mol sell. The Commodore offered Twice
the horses value. Morrissey refused il.
Finally Morrissey. with an eve to what
might follow, gave The horse tn the Com
mOdOre. The Commodore was immense
ly gratited to think that he had been pre-
scented with what money could not buy.
He reciprocated by giving Morrissev
points on the market. aud Morrissey
made money fast in stocks. Dan Nc
Laughlin, then one of the bests known
horse men in the country and Morrissey,s
intimate, and some half dozen other of his
friends made money too.
"But Morrissey, growing rich. began 10
take liberties with the old Commodore.
Morrissey would hail him as he drove
along and whisper to HIM, and make a
show OF their friendship. That rIled the
CommodorA. He sent for Dan McLaugh.
lin one day and said 10 him oonfdentiailv:
"'Dan, II you want TO make a not OF
money 20 into such and such n stock.
It's bound to go UP. But, Dan, above all
men In the world, don't tell John Norris
sey.'
1.-THE Commodore knew perfectly well
that he might as well ask McLaughlin To
cut his bead off as TO keep anything from
Morrissey. so Mclaughlin and Morris.
sey, and four or five others who were let
in, put all they owned into the stock. In
a month 1t Tell out OF sight and they were
cleaned out, Morrissey for $3.50, COO. some
Of the others for $50, 900 piece"
hsa M m h nrH eba