The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1891-02-26

road who stole one hundred and three
thousand dollars to carry on his gam
ing practices. Witness forty thousand
dollars stolen from n Brooklyn bank
within the memory of many of you,
and the one hundred and eighty thou
sand dollars taken from Wall street
insurance company for the same pur
pose. These are only illustrations on
a large scale of -obberies every day
committed for the purpose of carrying
out the designs of gamblers. Hundreds
of thousands of dollars every year
leak out without observation from the
merchants till into the gambling hell
A man in London keeping one of these
gambling houses boosted that he had
ruined Il noblenan a day; but If all
the saloons of this land were to speak
out they might utter II more infamous
boast, for they have destroyed thou
sand noble men year.
Notice also the effect of this crime
upon domestic happiness. 1t has sent
its ruthless plowshare through hundreds
Of families, until the wife sat in rags
and the daughters were disgraced and
the Sons grew up to the same infamous
practices or took short cut to destruc-
ton across the murderer's scaffold.
Home has lost all charms for the gam
bier, How tame are the childrcn's Ca
resses and a wife's devotion TO the gam
bier. How drearily the fire burns on
the domestic hearth There must be
louder laughter, and something to win
and something to lose; an excitement
to drive the heart faster and flip the
blood and fire the imagination. No
home, however bright, can keep back
the gaInester The sweet call of love
bounds back from his iron soul, and all
endearnents are consumed in the flame
of his passion. The family Bible will
60 after all other treasures are lost, and
if his crown in heaven were put into
his hand he would cry: Here goes one
more game, my boys! On this one
throw stake my crown of heaven"
A young man in London on coming
of age received fortune of one hun
dred and twenty thousand dollars, and,
through gambling, in three years was
thrown on his mother for support. Ar
only son went to a southern city; he
was rich, intellectual and elegant in
manners. His parents gave him on his
departure from home their last bless
ing. The sharpers got hold of him
They fattered him. They lured hin
to the gaming table and let him wiz
almost every time for a good while
and patted him on the back and said
First rate player" But, fully in thei
grasp, they feeced him, and his thirt.
thousand dollars were lost. Last of al
he put up his watch and lost that
Then he began to think of his home
and his old father and mother, ant
| wrote thus:
A LAST LETTER.
''My Beloved Parents-You vii
doubtless feel a momentary joy at tn
| reception of this letter from the chilt
of your bosom, on whom you hav
lavished all the favors Of your declin
ing years. But should feeling of jo
for a moment spring up in your heart
when you should have received thi
from me cherish it not. have fallen
never to rise. Those gray hairs that
should have hOnOred and protected
shall bring down with sorrow to tn
grave. will not curse my destroyer
but oh! may God avenge the wrong
and impositions practiced upon the un
wary in a way that shall best pleas
Him. This, my dear parents, is tn
last letter you will ever receive fron
me. hu1nbiy pray your forgiveness
1t is my dying prayer. Long befor
you have received this letter from IN
the cold grave will have closed upo
me forever. Life to me is insupport
able. I cannot; nay, / will not, suffe
the shame of having ruined you Fol
get and forgive is the dying prayer G
your unfortunate SON."
The old father came to the postoffice
got the letter and fell to the floor The
thought he was dead at first, but the
brushed back the white hair from hi
brow and famed him. He had onl
tainted. l wish he had been dead fo
what is life worth to father after hi
son is destroyed? When things q
wrong at a gaming table they shou
Foul! FOUL" Over all the gamin
tables of the world l cry out Foul
FOUL Infinitely foul!''
Shall l sketch the history of th
gambler? Lured by bad company b
finds his way into a place where homes
men ought never to go. He sits dow
to his first game, but only for pastim
and the desire of being thought sociable
The players deal out the cards. The
unconsciously play into satan's hand.
who takes all the tricks and both th
players souls for trumps-he being
' sharper at any game. A slight stake
put up just to add interest to the play
Game after game is played. Large
stakes and still larger. They begin t
move nervously on their chairs. The
brows lower and eyes flash, until mo-
e they who win and they who lose, fire
e alike with passion, sit with set jaws an
, compressed lips and clinched fists, an
. eyes like fire balls that seem startin
from their sockets, to see the final tur
D before it comes; if losing, pale wit
8 envy and tremulous with unuttere
a oaths cast back red hot upon the hea,
= or, winning, with hysteric laugh
e ''Ha! ha! / have it'll / have it!s
t A few years have passed and he
e only the wreck of man. Seatin
e himself at the game ere he throws th
first card, he stakes the last relic of b
o wife and the marriage ring whic
q sealed the solemn vows between then
o The game is lost, and staggering BAG
in exhaustion he dreams. The briet
e hours of the past mock his agony, an
s in bis dreams fiends with eyes of FL
!. and tongue OF flame circle about hi,