Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-18

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 it's highest, but most of the mem- bers of that generation have either passed away or been ruined, or are now too old to play. The Cercle Imperial, at the corner of the Place de Ia Concorde and the Champs Elysees, has now been united to the "Mirli- tons," and is known as the "Epatants," and here gambling is still carried on to large extsnt, especially since the fusion of the two clubs. Baccarat 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 Melis- sano's death stands out as a warning to those who make too free with ''1a Dame de Pique." Here was a man popular in all classes of so- cisty, we'll born and possessing 8 considera- ble fortune, but the day came when "quinze" and baccarst left him high and dry, and he was unable to pay his debts of honor. Then his name was posted in the looking glass of the salon of the Rue Royale. When the prince caught sight of it he smashed the looking glass to atoms with one blow from his cane, and then there was a scandal. Prince Melissano, who occupied room at the club, sent few days later for his cof- feur, and, having been carefully shaved and fin American parlance-':fxed," :" he dressed himself in evening clothes and then put a bullet through his heart. Thus WAS another life-and the life of deservedly popular man-sacrifced 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 establishments far easier of access than the Rue Royale and the Jockey club, where gambling especially baccarat-is played for very high stakes. Al.a, ,f. the Washington and the American-the last generally called the Colonel, from the suf6- ciently well known fact that all Americans are colonels. The Presse is freqnented by the better class of journalists-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 stock brokers, financial dabblers, ls tout boulevard--that unknown quantity which l certainly exists, but which it is so diff. 1 cult to define. All these men are prepared | to risk 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 formali- | ty than in other clubs, and it was at the l Colonel that MT. Benzon-in sporting par lance-'skinned the lamb" to the extent oi some twelve thousand pounds during hil 1 stay in Paris two years ago. These clubs art
 
 those who frequent them. Their very exis tence depends upon the members gambling and indeed they were founded for no othel purpose.
 Baccarat is one of those games which, ir l the long run, mean certain ruin. The bank CT pays five per cent. for the advantage tha
 he has in dealirg-namely. that when hi
 adversaries ask for cards, the cards he give
 them are turned up, and he can therefor' 1 gather very clearly what points they have
 and can make very ehrewd calculation al to whether or not he ought to take care
 himself. This five per cent. goes to the
 benefit of ths club, which thus makes enor
 nous profits during the evening whether any | of the players have won or not. If giver
 number of players were to sit down and plal
 baccarat, each with stated sum of money
 it would only be question of time for th'
 united amount to have passed into the cag
 notte OF pool, and for no one to be any rieh'
 CT save the proprietors of the club.