Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-05-04
THE WHEELING TIGER.
Some of the Places Where the Beast
Turks.
POKER PLAYED EVERYWHERE,
While the Lottery Goose Is a Bird Often
Met With.
THE EVIL STEADILY GROWING.

The IDEA mas prOOaOlE STRUCK the OD-
servant citizen that there is good deal
of gambling going on in Wheeling at
this time, and those who note this
activity in branch of business which
does not add materially to the pros
perity of a city, although ii may be a
sign of prosperity, would probably an
Swer. if asked the direct question, that
gambling has been gradually but surely
increasing for a number of years past.
until it has reached and sur
passed the halcyon days of 1S72-4.
when big money went back and
forward over the green cloth,
and one man alone was credited with
dropping a sum expressed by a figure
3 and four cypherS, in few years,
while the dress parade of the ''gamS, -
on a Saturday afternoon, was one of the
sights of the city, and half the cyprianS
in town wore diamonds rs a result Of
lucky winnings by friends" The boys
nOw-a-dayS are not wearing as good
clothes as the fraternity did some seven
teen years ago, but they are attending
TO business with an energy and persist
ency which gives promise OF ultimately
yielding large returns, if they are
allowed to 90 on as they are at present,
for few years more.
The amount of money handled by
the gamblers of Wheeling is very large,
tens of thousands of dollars passing
through the hands of the professionals
in Il surprisingly short interval, and L
large number of men live in good style
off the profits of the games, while in a
number OF cases men owning rooms and
having good clicntage are saving
money: this. of course being a decided
exception 10 the general rule with people
in that line, but still not few men
support their families out of their
profits. and others, not married, have
enough left over at the end of each
days or weeks work TO live in good
style and dress well.
Gambling here in Wheeling is chiefly
confined tO.three principal.fOrms. Poker
comes first. there being more money won
and lost at that than any other way.
Then comes faro, at least three lay-OutS
being in full swing, and last, and prob
ably the most perniciouS of all, is poll
cy. This last is Il comparatively new
thing here, having been running in a
way worthy of note for but about four
or five years past. and not all Of that
time. Six months ago il was engaged
in without scarcely any attempt at con-
cealment. and as high rs Scventy-iivc
men and boys would gather in the
back rooms of certain saloons to
witness the drawings. \ raid by
Chief Dclbruggc broke the thing up
for time. and for several weeks there
was little or no policy played. but the
men running the thing gradually
plucked up courage. and the last grand
Jury found there was considerable
material TO work on. Since then opera
tons have been somewhat interfered
with, but the cessation is but temporary.
This form of gambling is particularly
obnoxious. as nearly all classes OF peO-
pie. from small boys toclerkS and cham
bcgmaidS and domeSticS in private fami-
lies, including all ages and conditions of
colored people, take a hand in buying
tickets.
But poker is the big game i'm Wheel
ing. and the one which pays the largest
returns To the careful and discreet
owner OF Il room OF the slick profess
Sional. There are all sorts of games in
progress. from that asserted TO be
dead square" to the "bracc game,
run for the especial benefit of yerdant
gentlemen who may be Steered against
il by energetic capperS. Almost with
out exception these games are run in
with saloons. the prOprietorS
of which are in active sympathy with
the proprietorS Of the games, and in
deed, sometimes have an interest in the
venture on the quiet. This is true at
present. in two or three instances, but
il seems to excite no especial remark.
One of the toniest places in the city is
run as club house for the especial
benefit of business men and young men
about town. who do not care TO invade
the regular lair of the tiger and buck
against professionals who are dead sure
winners whenever they want the cards
to run that way. Most or all the pa
irons of this place have latch-keys, and
can thus secure admittanee at all times.
while the common herd, and especially
the professional, is barred out. Many
rafting games of draw take place here,
and the proprietor is credited with hav-
ing a .'rake-off" of $1,000 during the
mast year. From this circumstance the
amount of money changing hands can
be imagined. The house Is on very
prominent street. in the centre Of town.
Not far away, at least not over Sab
i0urney-arc two saloons,
where poker and faro are run daily and
nightly run. Sundays included. There
i heavy play in these places, and there
is no effort made to disguise the charac-
ter of the place.
In another saloon. closed up but two
or three days ago. the poker tables were
run with such freedom that the talk of
The gamblers and the blinking of money
would be heard by people passing along
the street i'm the evening. Policy was
RIM in this establishment a well as
poker. and the place has been twice
raided bv the police. but to no purpose.
\ square from this place IS poker
room. run for the especial beneht oil col
ored men. which has been in operation
almost without interruption for ten
wears past. Before that the place was
cockpit. Ills place has been raided
number of times, at long intervals but
no practical good was thereby accom-
pliShed.
one room on Market street has been
used asa gambling house for twenty
wears past, and many thousands of dol
lars have changed hands there, while
fights. and various other racketS have
happened without number Recently
the cams have been turned out OF doors,
but they found a resting place in Sa-
loon not over square away, and bust
ness has been resumed. Not far from
this new location there is another saloon,
where various forms Of gambling, and
all sorts of confidence games besides,
have been manipulated for years, and
another square away poker has been an
n amusement for some years past.
But probably the most Objectionable
places in the city are to be