The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-16
GAMBLING IN PARIS.
Thousands Ruined Every Year BY Baccarai
and Poker.

and Poker.
Gambling has always been high in
Paris-higher, perhaps, than in any
other capital of Europe. In the days OF
the Second Empire it was at its highest,
but most of the members of that genera
ton have either passed away or been
ruined or are now too old to play The
Cercle Imperial, at the corner of the
Place de la Concorde and the Champs
Elysees, has now been united to the
"Mirlitons," and is known as the ssEpa-
tants," and here gambling is still car
RED on to large extent, especially
since the fusion of the two clubs BAG
carat and poker are chiefly in vogue.
Play begins in the afternoon and goes
on again after dinner until the small
hours of the morning.
Among gambling tragedies, Prince
Mellssano's death stands out as a warn
Ing to those who make too free with
ia Dame de Pique." Here was a man
popular in all classes of society, we'll
born, and possessing a considerable fort
une, but the day came when ''quinze"
and baccarat left him high and dry, and
he was unable to pay his debts of honor.
Then his name was posted in the look
Ing glass of the salon of the Rue Royale.
When the Prince caught sight of
1t he smashed the looking glass to atoms
with one blow from his cane, and then
there was scandal. Prince Melissano,
who occupied room at the club, sent
few days later for his coifeur, and, hav-
ing been carefully shaved and-in Amer
lean parlance-''fxed," he dressed him
self IN evening clothes and then put
bullet through his heart Thus was an
other life-and the life of deservedly
popular sacrificed to the demands
of Dame Fortune
To descend to lower scale of club in
Paris than those already mentioned, we
may refer to certain magnificent estab-
hshments far easier of access than the
Rue Royale and the Jockey Club, where
gambling - especially baccarat - is
played for very high stakes. Of these
the principal ones are the Presse, the
Washington and the Amertcain-the last
generally called the Colonel, from the
sufficiently well-known fact that ali
Americans are Colonels. The Presse is
frequented by the better class of Jour
nallsts-men who make large sums of
money by their pens, and who spend the
greater part of these sums in gambling
Then there are rich stockholders, finan-
cial dabblers, lie tout 60uleuard-that
unknown quantity which certainly
exists, but which it is so diff
cult to define. All these men
are prepared to risk a thousand
louis in the bank, and at the
Washington and the Colonel the play is
even higher. Here Americans, and,
indeed, all strangers, are admitted
with less formality than in other
clubs, and it was at the Colonel that Mr..
Benson-in sporting parlance- skinned
the lamb" to the extent of some ei2, 900
during his stay in Paris two years ago.
These clubs are openly spoken of as
tripots or "hells" by those who frequent
them. Their very existence depends
upon the members gambling, and in
deed they were founded for no other
purpose.
Baccarat is one of those games which,
in the long run mean certain ruin. The
banker pays five per cent. for the adj
vantage he has in dearing-namely,
that when his adversaries ask for cards,
the cards he gives them are turned up,
and he can therefore gather very clear
ly what points they have, and can make
very shrewd calculation as to whether
or not he ought to take card himself
This five per cent goes to the benefit of
the club, which thus makes enormous
profits during the evening whether any
of the players have won or not If a
given number of players were to sit
down and play baccarat, each with
stated sum of money, it would only be
question of time for the united amount
to have passed into the cagnotte or pool,
and for no one to be any richer save the
proprietors of the club.-Saturday Re-
uiouu