Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-04
OUR MONTE CARLO.
Hot Springs Architecture Devised With a
View to Poker - Everybody CANDLES
There-Some Visiting New Workers Not
Unknown to Fame-Tourist Notes.

1
rFRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
| Hot SPRINGS, ARK, April L-Almost any
man here would rather hold four aces than be
| President. Some men come here for their
health, to get cured of rheumatism. to rest and
change the subject; others come here to get
| away from snow storms and climatic kicks, or
| from red liquor and the nicotine fiend, and
| others for no reason discoverable except their
| ability to pay their hotel bills; but there is
| hardly a man who does not play poker when he
| gets here. Some play it for their health. Some
| don't. Here and there some dear old fogies
settle down in a corner for a game of whist
and in the evening the ladies, heaven bless
them! make whist an excuse for conversation.
The quiet and harmless joys of crib
bage 1 own to have tasted, and
euchre, progressive and straight, is played in
solemn state once a week and oftener in the
big hotel parlors But when man takes
deck of cards in sober earnest here POKER is the
result. In the Arkansas Club the principal
gambling house here, faro, perhaps, is first
favorite; but understand that more money is
lost and won even there at poker and the rou-
lette wheel cannot whirl fast enough to keep
pace with the "ante" of the national game.
Architecture With an Eye to Poker.
Nearly all the buildings in the town are two
stories high. The ground floor is a saloon or
store and the second floor gambling shop of
some sort. The architects have planned with
an eye to poker. In nearly every second floor
room in the business part of the city, often in
daytime and always at night, men are constantly
shuffiing and dealing cards. In all the hotels
card playing is incessant Poker is the game,
and the stakes vary with the place and the
player. You can find negro walters who are
content with two-cent ante, and from there
mount gradually to the game without limit,
at which only wealthy man can afford to lose.
There are all sorts and sizes of gamblers
here. The aristocrat who frequents Phil
Daly's when he is in the East, and can tell you
curious tales of Monte Carlo or of Carlsbad in
its palmy days, a dignifed old man, with gray
hair and a piercing eye and a grip like vice,
not a gambler in looks. but professional
gamester all the same survives here still. He
snot so often met here as he used to be, II the
stories of the veterans be true.
The other night an elderly storekeeper from
ST. Louis, on his first visit here who had been
warned that Hot Springs contained a few peo-
pie of loose morals of whom he had better be-
ware, came to his friend and adviser, a member
of the Arkansas Legislature, and said in blood
curdling tones: Joe, l had an awful expert
ence last night. 1 met man in the lobby of
the hotel, man as old as myself, and better
dressed. 1 haven't seen better face than his
in years. He talked most interestingly.
Seemed to have been everywhere; travelled in
Europe-knew Paris better than l did st.
Louis, and described the life at Carlsbad, COM
pairing it with what we see here in the most
graphic way. He fascinated me and when we
parted, 1 sincerely meant what said, that we
should meet again. And now the hotel clerk
tells me that that man is a gambler, sir-a pro-
fessional gambler! What an I to do? talked
to him the whole evening-yes, sir-to a profess
sional gamblerp'
The good old gentleman from st. Louis did
not get much consolation from his friend, the
Arkansas legislator. Yes, 1 know the man."
said the latter, '.and better poker player
never opened jackpot-you were in luck to
get Jim to talk OF his life-it would I'LL book
and wouldn't need pictures"
Heavy-Weights From New York.
Not apropos of poker. of course, but merely
by the way. it is singular that so few New
Workers should be at the Springs. For brief
period not long ago, the banner of the Empire
State hoated fair and wide, so to speak, upon
the outer walls; but now but straggler
or two from the rear guard remain. The
halcyon and vociferous epoch to which allude
was when half dozen New Workers, all known
to fame. descended upon the town in body.
1t takes something strong to stir the sluggish
blood of this community; millionalres are too
PieH'I -eto - .il-s ~. ',I' - ~ 10 -
VI ien " $3.50 outiOsi'y, DuT tio' SpiinSs
uoneu 10 naL "noI II tlo 'i@iH unioauou
the Murray Hill and Plaza hotels-the latter
Oho, whooio. os ,,o NJ W. So" e
oha.,xo. pohort n prou,r fa,iI;ar,, - =,
G,rs. D.. - II pn"nIi. - 49, 11;l.a. -
IIo,so j., NJ. VI o,a tIa ch;oarn a,di,o'
-, Er.nl, Auon Of .ha A.+or uorsa -
NIa-ronoli+.n uotoI. NJ W. son,voord of ,ho
I,nooin No,ioroI Ronk and last hrt NOT hv g, nv,
,,,o,ns 1.,s. Pohor+ DrnI,, ,,hosa I,,.s ~
nor made the man mora famous tbon the
49,, bas bis hot. Srob an .nrroo,+,o,, -
hrains hoodTa ard baantv bad r@t baa, &c.,
bara IN !, coor,s o,s ond tbononrI,t;or not;vo
and ,mnortad freslv admit the foct
They were seeking bealtn and Isst IL sboold
escane them thew went tbronpb Hot Snr1ngs
witb fine-tootb comb DIR. GaTnett nrescribed
for them and thew sncnt their entire ti,ne
with him or in drinlino water or taking b,tbo
-wben not otherwise enoacsd II NAV Ina 70.
membered in New York that some remarkably
leu sunse1s oocurIeu a' 'nlS Time anu NOT
Spiinso 0iaiiho ~ hho" Wy "n"n 'He J" eSI
WAS hluinin'iteu anu encarmlneu-
Aid and Comfort for the Exiles.
Do tbo+osi II m,v nevs of tho ordrors ,,hou,
of his friends reacbed tho ears of Tobn f1ta,,-
berlin az wasbincton and ba st-aiobt,ya,,
son+ box nj Tvnn uovan ovstars oan,as
b,ot dncks and RaItimore terranin 70 srstair
.ho oIi1es Wban the hoy arrivad T,n,os n
RrosIin to whose care II was consigned oovo =
jinnor +o . n.rtv of 70 at the IIotsI E,s,,no,
rba dinner is cid to have bee, ti,,ir, Ii,oa
m tbe cbanter. winch wound nm finally in a