Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-28
GAMBLING ON THE RAIL.
Large Snms of Money Lost and Won
in Pullman Coaches.

Passengers on the Pullman cars re-
port that unusually big gambling games
have been going ON recently in the west
bound trains. 1t appears that as the
moral New Workers and Bostonians APP
proach the Wild West their ideas OF
what is right and proper take a back
seat, aud the freedom of the Rockies and
the Sierras gets into their hearts and re-
lakes their hold on their Sunday School
habits. But on the Southern Pacific
and Santa Fe this spread of gambling
on the rail is noticeable, and has been
commented on quite severely by the pas
sengeis-those, of course, who do not
gamble.
81 was more than surprised by what l
saw in the way of gambling on these
cars, !" said gentleman recently. "You
may say that gambling goes on without
stint in the Pullman coaches, and
large sums of money are lost and won
daily"
"But don't the Pullman people en-
force their rules I" was asked.
ooh, yes: the rules are just rs strict
as ever, and just as rigidly enforced, SO
far as the Pullman Car Company has
any Official knowledge. / don't b,ame
the company any, although it might
look little closer to its employees. As
/ understand it the book of instructions
presented to each Pullman conductor
and porter is very exact on this subject.
When a porter sees any gambling going
on he is supposed to put stop to it, re-
ferring TO the rules of the company Just
the same as he would if man were to
pull out pipe in the middle of a sleep
ing car and begin blowing big clouds OF
tobacco smoke. But he doesn't always
do it, and few dollars in the way OF
fee to let the gamblers alone in the en-
'oyment of their little fun acts with
magic effect sometimes, as you may be
aware.
sis tiere any professional gambling
going onf"
"Yes, am satisfied there is. Ayoung
blood from New York, OF the Berry Wall
stripe, told me last sunday that on the
trip out from the East he had lost IS. 600,
and he was satisfied that he had
run against professional poker player.
The fellow, who is q big man with a
smooth face, cleaned him out of all the
spare cash he had. and it was lucky for
him that he couldn't get hold of any
more ready money until lie reached San
Francis SEQ. He told me of two Others
who had lost Sl3, 500 between them
while playing with the same man. l
am told that big fellow has been work
ing the Northern Pacific. He is up to
all kinds of tricks, and can put up the
cards so as to take oil the cash on the
train il he can get il on tho table.
"Why, do they play with money on
the table h" was asked.
"lhat was only figure of speech. l
should have told you that most of the
playing was done with chips. Still,
with good sized limit good deal of
money can pass from pocket to pocket
during the night.
"For heavens sake, don't mention
my name," said railroad agent; "but
what you have learned about this thing
is all true. / will venture TO say there
is more gambling going on in the Pull
man coaches to-day than there ever was
before. Why, some of the passengers
get into the smoking apartments and
gamble all night-gambe until their
feet get cold under the table and their
fingers get blue, and they get black in
the face from the smoke they have in
hailed. Some of these rich old dodgers
ont for n good time on a long trip al
ways carry poker chips, and they play
big games-nothing small about their
limits. Pullman can't help it. There
can be no objection to playing cards and
keeping count with poker chips, and
that is al that it passes for in the con-
science OF the weil-feed porter. - omaha
Republican.