The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-06-13
MONTE CARLO.
MOST NOTORIOUS GAMBLING
RESORT IN THE WORLD.
The Motley Crowd That Tempts
Fortune Around the Roulette
Wheel-An Institution OPP
Grated by Prince.

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thrifty looking cities just out upon two
little promontories along the Riviera-dii
vided by small and handsome bay.
Lofty mountains behind them keep back
the cold winter air. They are full Of
gardens, of palaces, of well-kept hotels,
of private wealth.stocked villas. One Of
these little cities is Monaco, and contains
the palace of the Prince; the other is
Monte Carlo, and contains his gambling
hall.
The "Casino" has great many attrac-
tive things that bear no reference TO-
gambling. It has a reading room, in
which are many of the principal news
papers of the different countries of the
world; an opera house, where two COM
certs are given daily, and eighty skillful
musicians frequently occupy the stage.
Everything is full of splendor; a mill
ionth part of the wealth expended here
would carry plenty and happiness to our
little town up yonder on the mountain.
After you have read the papers and
listened awhile to the music, suppose you
pass through spacious hall into the
gambling room. Your name, your ma
tionality, your hotel, are all recorded be-
fore you are given ticket of admission. !.
You walk into spacious rooms, fitted up.
with much splendor, gigantic parlors
in fact; and here you see one OF the most
intensely interesting sights Of the nine
teeth century. .s.. ~.
The room is full of eople-hundreds
of them-well dressed, intelligent look
ing and quiet. No reception OF half the
number of guests was ever half so still; 9
loud voice would be noticeable. Two
things are conspicuous by their absence
laughter and children. People are too
anxious to laugh; too wise to bring their
little ones-eYen if it were allowed. 4.
You come to something which looks
like an overgrown billiard table with
smooth edges; score of people sit
around it, interspersed with six employees
of the establishment. Many others stand
behind them: the majority of them are,
gambling. The most common coin used
Is the silver fivo-franc piece-equal in
size and value to an American dollar.
This is the least stake accepted; the
greatest is 5000 francs, or $1,000. t
In the center of the tablets small
horizontal wheel; it is now aud then
turned zzsssidly: An ivory BAH about as
large as toy marble is within it; and
this is spun in the other direction.
When the wheel stops this bali drops
into one of thirty-seven little nichest and
the particular one into which it will fall
is the thing which all these people have !
been betting about.
If you think it will fall into one Of the
red compartments, you put your silver or
gold on little red diamond at one corner
of the table; if you think it will fall In
an even number you lay it on place so
marked; or you can bet on any number
or set of numbers up to thirty-seyen. Ii
you lose, one of the attendants quietly
draws your money in with small rake
which lies on the table before him and:
places it with numerous other coins; 1T
you win he throws you whatever you are
s'entitled" to.
From II. 30 in the morning to 11.30 at
night this game goes on. The six roulette
stands are generally crowded, as well as
two card tables, where the lowest stakes
are 20 francs or 81. Sometimes the green
cloth is so jeweled with gold and silver
coin that you can hardly see its texture.
The face of the gamblers are unique,
study. Many of these people are not
Professional gamesters at all, they are
good citizens, taking this little oppor-
tunity of breaking their country's laws,
outside their country. Others are poor,
invalids, who strive to get from this
intense amusement some alleviation of Z
their pain. Some are rich people, who
can afford to lose'a few hundred francs
per day and are perfectly willing to win,
if it happens so. Still Others are ssstool
pigecus,h both male and female, who are
doing their best to draw the. general
public into the nets. But every ones
face has serious, studious lock, as if he
or she was performing the most lsborious
task of life. Seldom do you see smile
among this doleful congregation, gatheredN
for the worship of Manmon.
They all keep little records Of the num-
bers that win; hoping no doubt to make
from them 'systems," from which they
can succeed in the future. All are toll
ing-toiling-in the hot, sitting, un-
ventilated atmosphere.
Prince Charles the Third, who rules
over this little country of FIVE and half
square miles, lives near Paris, is sick,
and they say not very far from death.
He leases the diabolical privileges OF
these gambling tables to company. in
which he himself owns considerable
stock. After paying him his rent. pay
ing all the expenses of the establishment,
paying bands to play, flowers to grow,
confederates to plot, newspapers to keep
quite and thousand and one incidental
costs of this expensive place, the COM
pany has remaining So, 500, 900 peryear.
all won from the public.
Hundreds of people come here each
day from Nice, from Mentone, from San
Reno, from other resorts of the Riviera
stay and play all day and go back by
the s'gambler's train" in the evening.
During the winter, there is said to be
no week in which some poor ruined soul
does not depart from these mockingiy
beautiful hills by the swift but terrible
route of suicide. They are found poi
soned in their rooms, self-shot in the,
groves, hanging by ropes to the trees.
Many are discovered in the gray OF the
morning by sharp.eyed spies of the
smanagement," and spirited away With
out the general public knowing it.