The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-29
The Law of tho Land Forbids Gambling
Officials Are Human, and Flesh
II Corruptlbls.

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seeing children playing some trivial game
OF chance, in which tho stakes consist OF
fruit.
Al In other countries, the laws Of China
forbid gambling. But corruptible officials
permit it everywhere, and supposedly share
in the profits of gambling establishments.
1t would seem, therefore, that China is not
altogether behind the times in some re-
spects. Many a high officer in this howery
kingdom ia corrupt enough to ALLOW a part
of his official residence, usually a house of
many rooms, to be turned into a gambling
hell. For the most part. however, such
places are found in the back streets and
alleys, because merchants will not permit
Thorn to locate in the neighborhood OF their
" shops and stores. Not because the
merchants condemn gambling, oh! no, in
dsed! but because they do not wish pros
peotive purchasers to DO stripped Of their
money before they reach the shops and
also because they fear that the poor
wretches, who are turned penniless into the
streets at night, might be tho more
tempted to break into the unguarded
shops, if they found them right at hand.
Some years ago all Of the shopkeepers in
one of the chief streets in Canton closed
their doors and kept them closed until the
governor general compelled the local gov
ernor who permitted the gambling houses
to flourish openly, to shut up all such es-
Establishments in the neiRhborhood. In Eng
Chon-fu the citizens petitioned the project
to suppress the gamblinR-houses; the petit.
tioners were 80 numerous and influential
that tho request could not be denied. Yet
themselves in boats on the river, where
they continued to do a thriving business.
There are various kinds of gambling
houses. The so-called "tankoon" consists Of
two rooms. In the first "chinp-tan' is
played, a game similar to the ..'fan-tan'''
Of the Chinese in America. II is played
on a high table. in the center of which
lies a square board, the sides of which
are numbered from one to four. One acts
as croupier; the second weighs and counts
the stakes; the third simply watches the
oourse of the play and pays the winner,
The players arrange themselves about the
table, and the roupier lays q handful of
COPPER coin before him, and instantly covers
the little hesp with a tin howl, SO that the
players can not count them. Now each
left after dividing the total number Of coins
in the pile by four. He places his money
on one side or another of the square board,
according TO his estimate of the remainder.
After the bets are made the croupler re,
moves the cover, takes a little ivory wand
and counts the heap four pieces ut a time.
Take a player who had put his money on
No. 1. If one coin remains he wins the
amount of his stakes; if two or three are
left he retains his money; if none are left
over he loses his stake. In this game the
bank has apparently no advantage when the
same amount is bet on each number.
Another game played on the Same table
is called MIN" A player at MIN" stands
TO win double his money, but has one
chance only of getting back his stake and
$rwn rf 1nu1nu II nhn q n m a iS nInv o0 in a
similar manner to- ,"Ching-tan." If two
cash. remain over after dividing the total
number by four, those who played No. a
receive double the amount of their stakes.
A fan" as played here the same, | believe.
as ''fan-tan'') the PLAYER win a triple stake
if he guesses the correct number. and loses
or all the other numbers than his own. AT
''lok." another game of the same class, the
player puts his money between two num-
bers, and wins If either corresponds to the
number of coins loft over; in any other case
he loses. In the first room of the "tan-
koon." the stakes are small copper coins.
Thu second room is for the moro aristo-
cratic and wealthy players.
The games are similar to those in the first
room. The stakes are not placed on the
table, for fear that some of the rabble from
the other salooon, driven to desperation by
losses, might be tempted to take the place
by storm and make off with the money on
the board. Playing cards are used to dis
tinguish the players and the amounts of the
stakes. Although for further p ecaution
the proprietor enters in a books the bets,
there are frequent disputes. A friend tells
me that the only prize fight that he has
seen in China WAS between the proprietor
of one of these places and n dissatisfied
player, who thought that he had been
cheated.
In all games the bank has no advantage
over the players. If the stakes are evenly
distributed the house wins nothing. The
profits come from q commission deducted
from the winnings. This is usually seven per
cent. As the gambling houses are provided
daily the earnings are therefore considerable
but the greedy officials, who c%ountenance
such infractions of the law, are Unsuitable
and come in for q large share. So far MS
the players are concerned, they arc often
ruined. Many a one not only loses his
money, but his clothes. sometimes a man
ia turned out of a gambling house naked or
merely wrapped in a piece of iute.
Another GLASS of gambling places is de-
voted to a game of riddles. The game is
curious, and, 80 far as | know, this form of
gambling 10 peculiar to the Chinese. 1t is
called "old eop!e." BY this term is signi-
fled a series of names. under which thirty
six persons were formerly uown. The
names are divided into nine groups:
l. TIL names of four men who achieved
the highest literary distinction, and who in
former stages of existence were, %respect-
lively u ish, a white goose, a white snail and
q peacock.
2. The names of five military WORTHLESS
who were once a worm, a rabbit, q pig, a
tiger and a cow.
3. The names of seven successful NOR
chants who were formerly a dragon, n fly,
II white dog, n white horse, an elephant, q
wildcat, and a wasp.
4. -Four persons. who enjoyed on earth
uninterrupted happiness, formerly u frog,
an eagle. a monkey, and y dragon.
b. Four women; formerly a sparrow, n
jewel, n white swallow, and a dove.
6. Five beggars; formerly n sea gull, a
snake. n fish. II deer, and a sheep.
z. Foul Buddhist priests; formerly a
turtle, n hen, an elk, n calf.
3 Two Tnnist priests; formerly a white
hen, and n cat with yellow stripes.
.. A Buddhist's nun, who was once q fox.
The game is played AZ follows: The own
or of the gambling house engages the ser-
vices of a mnn who is very clever and
ingenious in constructing riddles, and he
has to pay him n good stiff salary, for such
talents are in great demand. The fellow
has to devise innumerable riddles, for the
place is open twice each day.
Each riddle must relate to one or another
of the persons who are referred to in the
above list, in one or the other of their stops
OF existence. Az soon IA u riddle ia written
il is printed in thousands of COMES often
esmes. The copies are sold. Not only does