The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-11-01
THE EXPERIENCE OF A GAMBLER.

said a gentleman to a reporter OF the Add
the other day, Golden Gate Park, " engage
that gray-haired man in conversation and
get him to tell you his history. 1t will re-
pay you for your time;' and he indicated
a prematurely aged man with a sad face in
the sun OIL one of the benches of the park.
The reporter needed no second invitation.
and was soon seated by the man with the
strange history.
81 am told,V said the seeker after facts,
s'that you have a life story, strange in the
extreme, and that you are not averse to re-
lating it."
The eyes Of the man were turned on the
speakera moment and folding his white
hands in his lap, he said:
eyes, it is astrange story | am a murder
er and a reformed gambler; but you need not
shrink SO from me, for the murder was not
intentional. Ten years ago l owned the
largest and most popular gambling parlors
in the city of Chicago, and on Saturday
nights dealt out my faro game, in which
business, Of course, | made great deal of
money. Many unpleasant things grew out
of my business, but I always excused it on
the ground that men did not have to play
games any more than they were obliged to
drink poison. | finally got to noticing and
expecting one man in particular, who al
ways came when it was my night to deal.
At first he played boldly, and as a conse-
quense, lost heavily; but as he grew more
familiar with the game he played carefully
and acted as though life depended ON his
winning, which in fact, was the case, as af-
terward proved. got acquainted with
him, addressing him as Brown, but know
ing that was not his true name. think
he followed the game for months. winning
a little sometimes, but generally losing
heavily. At last he came one night, and
saw by his flushed face that he had been
drinking, although he looked apparently
cool. He sat down to the table, drew out
a small roll of money, and laying it down
before him said:
There is in that little pile my fortune,
my honor and my life. | either win all or
lose all this night. Begin your game; l ana
ready
'Others joined in at first and played for
a while, but finally withdrew from the
game and watched the strange young man
at my right. He played to win, but fate
was against him, for he lost, won, and lost
again, and finally, after two hours of play
ing, evidently in the most fearful suspense,
he lost his last dollar. Leaning back in
his chair with compressed lips, and face
blanched to a deathly whiteness. he looked
me in the eye for a moment, and rising said
'"My money, honor and happiness have
gone over that table never to return. I
said my life would go with them, and it
shall. Tell my wife had gone too far to
return Before we could prevent it he put
a derringer to his breast and shot himself
through the heart, falling upon the table
that had been his ruin and death.
Ellis wife came, awful in the majesty of
her grief, and after satisfying herself that
her husband was dead, she asked: Where is
the keeper of this dreadful place. | vas
pointed out, and striding up to me SO that
her finger almost touched my pallid face,
she exclaimed in tones that are ringing in
my ears yet: oh you soulless wretch, with
heart of stone. You have lured my hus-
band from me, send him to perdition, wild
owed me, and orphaned my children. You
are his murderer, and may Gods curse rest
upon you eternally. And with a wild
scream: 'Oh my husband. my children,
she fell fainting on the ~lifeless body of her
husband.
Il fingered for weeks in brain fever.
that curse seeming always to be the burden
of my mind. On my recovery burned the
fixtures of my den, and closed the place,
and have devoted the most of my time to
travel, with the hope of escaping that wo-
mans just curse, but l can't. l believe it
is on me forever, and feel that / am that
mans murderer. | I'M rich, and my first
attempt was to get the dead mans wife to
accept an annuity from me, but she refused
all aid, and tried to support herself by her
own labor. | relieved my mind to some
extent, however, by settling a certain sum
her and her children which passes
through her fathers hands, and ostensibly
comes directly from hims Her children
are receiving a fine education by this means.
and my will, safely locked in her fathers
office, bequeaths TO her and her children my
entire wealth. some S100, 900. My life, y
he continued, sis devoted largely TO visit
ing gambling-dens, where | meet young
men who are on the highway to he'll, and
warn them of their danger. Thanks be to
God, | have succeeded in many eases in
saving them; and now, Young man, re-
member this story and let it always stand
up as a white spectre between yon and the
gambling table. See to it that the poison
does not enter your v%eius;' and he pulled
his hat over his moistened eyes and strobe
silently away.-SaR Francisco .Alta-