The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-05-25
CARLO.
Tragedies at the Notorious
Gambling Resort.
The Number of Suicides Among the Play
ers Averages One a Day,

Ivy IMPRESSIONS OF MOntc CarlO?'
said Pro. Joseph Bauer. 81 have but
onc-it is a dream. On entering, one is
delighted, surprised, amazed, astounded.
and stunned seriutuim. Flowers and
music, coin and notes, despair and sue
cess beauty, fashion, wcalth-all COM
bine to impress the bcholdcr, and it is
some time before he can begin to study
Systematically his surroundings. 1t is
only when he energies again into the cool
air that one can appreciate his w idcnt-
ty.
'Do not credit the recent denials Of
suicides ut Monte Carlo" continued the
Professor. "Thcy are inspired. 1 have
visited the gambling hall there fifteen
times professionally, in addition to a
number OF trips made for my own pleas
ure. l was born in French Switzerland,
200 miles from Monte Carlo and am fa-
mlllar with its ghastly history during the
past twelve years. You may take nv
word for it that the number of suicides
caused directly by the Monte Carlo gam
ing tables averages at least one for every
DAY In the year. The real total probably
exceeds this estimate"
frof. Bauer IS onc Of the youngest,
handsomcst, and most popular guides in
central Europe. AS SO much has been
written and SO little accurately told con-
corning Monte Carlo, nc was requested to
describe the worlds most famous gam
bling hell. He said:
II have spent many months there al
together, and it was q rare day when no
ruined and dcspairing man killed himself.
On some days VIC had as high rs three or
tour such casualties. If u stranger kills
himself, his body is dragged away the
blood clcansed from the floor, and the
game goes on. I have heard players
muttcr curses at a corpse for having in
terrupted their Series or confused their
System If the victim be a STRANGER
nobody knows what becomes of the body.
except SOM of tho special police, whose
duty it is to conduct such funerals in
their own mysterious way. If the ruined
player goes into the grounds before
shooting or stabbing himself, or browns
himself in one Of the beautiful fountains.
even the players who sat beside him a
moment before never learns of his death.
These things are know to the habitucs Of
the tables, but they never speak of them
outside. The newspapers of Monaco and
Nice arc heavily subsidized, and those of
Paris, Lyons, and Marseilles pay no at
eention to such trifcs. Letters to the
editors on this forbidden subject arc
quickly thrown into the great interna-
waste basket. With a large and
well-trained police force constantly at
hand, with an indifferent set of patrons.
and a willfully blind press, these little chi
sodes are nue. more easily screened than
you would imagine. If the suicide be n
powerful noble or a celebrity in any way.
the affair is mentioned briefly in the
French and English newspapers, and the
announcement cablcd to this country.
Everybody knows why the man made
away with himself, and the only question
Is: "Who will be ncXt?"
ut is almost impossible to prevent
these self-murders. as the act is usually
committed under sudden powerful i'm
pulse. Everybody's mind and eyes are.
OF course, intent on the game, and so
many haggard men get up from the
tables that the sight is too common to
engage the attention of the e~vcr-present
detectives. 1t is but just, however, to
say that the managers do everything in
their power to prevent suicides, except
their doors. Mechanics and ar
tisans are not permitted to live either in
or Monte Carlo.
IF an unfortunate player gets up from
a table and acts wildcly-'crazy,' they
call 1t, for all suicides are by courtesy es-
teemed crazy at Monte Carlo-he is hust-
led off by a couple of stalwart policemen
and put on a train for Nice. A guard is
constantly with him, his board bill at
Nice is paid by the company, and,-if he
finally talks reasonably, he is given
enough money to take him home in first
class style. The management also en-
deavor to discourage dying on the prem
ises by aiding destitute gamblers. If one
lost heavily and frankly states his
of temporary poverty, his case
will be promptly investigated. Should
it be found as narrated, he will be given
two or three hundred dollars to take him
or an or1or for %,r> . |