The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-04-30
At MONTE CARLO.
Exciting scenes In the Gay Hall OF tn,
Great Gambling Palace.

|
Exciting scenes in the Gay Hail OF the
Great Gambling Palace.
The season has been late and bad
upon the Reviera. Even an early car
nival has been made to fill the fashion
able winter resorts But while Nice and
Cannes, st. Raphael and Mentone have
been complaining Monte Carlo has been
always crowded, and this, despite the
win,ry weather, which powdered the
frn.t-ladcn orange and lemon trees with
snow: despite the general deterioration
Of visitors.
For Monte Carlo yearly grows more
and more distinctly canaillc. Its chief
attraction. the pernicious Casino, is an
irresistible line around which the riff
raft of this whole world continually
gathers. Every one, it is to be feared,
loses caste at Monte Carlo. Even highly
respectable people land although roughs
some decent folk at Monaco) get touch
of the tar brush, for pitch will always
stick if you get too near.
4 few strong minded persons have the
courage to resist the temptations to
play: they are satisfied to enjoy the
sunshine. the magnificent scenery -
Monte Carlo. a city Of palaces, en-
bosomed in perennial flowers, backed
bv purple hills and fringed by an azure
sea. is one of the most beautiful spots
on earth the splendid orchestra,
which is one of the finest in Europe. and
provided gratuitonsly by the admins
tration of the gaming tables, a very
prosperous and free-handed body,
thanks to its enormous and ill-gotten
gains.
But to avoid THE Rooms" that com
mon euphemism for the gay halls of the
tickle goddess Chance. demands an
heroic self-denial mostly practiced by
those who have nothing left to lose. As
general rule all visitors to Monte
Carlo take the gambling fever, more or
less badly: it is a disease endemic and
epidemic like measles, whooping cough
or mnmps Look round these detestab BILE
tables and note how the company in
clndes a dozen different types 1t is a
cosmopolitan gathering. various in age,
sex. country, rank and outward appear
ance. Let me describe one or two:
| That fat, white-faced, strange looking
man is an opera singer. in nationality
Roumanian. lie is oddly dressed-in a
light, tight suit of dittoes, the coat of
which has a black velvet collar; his
shirt is of Italian make, cut SO low at
the throat that 1t exposes half his
brawny chest: he wears a dozen rings,
a floating watch chain twice round his
neck, and a gorgeous gold bracelet set
with big diamond encircles his pudgy
wrist. Jewels are popular with the fire.
quenters of the gaming tables: they
represent what Mr.. Wemmick called
portable property and can be passed
on to tho convenient pop shop when
funds run low.
lie is an English ring" man, prince
Of sportsmen, whose business is Nice
races, and Monte Carlo his relaxation.
short, squarely-built little chap, with
hat a witty Frenchman described as
IL exaggeration abdominale. See how
in his open shirt front glisten three
studs. yellow diamonds, each as big as
a Tangerine orange.
He is "all there in his own language,
although dependent upon Emery" his
confide atial clerk. in all his operations.
for his education has been neglected,
and although good at mental arithmetic
he aI.not write his name. But he
knows the touch and value of money.
and mikes Emery promptly pass on
the ''oof' which he is winning (of course
at filst) in large sums.
Next him stands bright-faced En-
glish girl. bride, with her husband at
her elbow. lie is a captain in the Brit
ish cavalry. gentleman every inch,
STRAIGHTFORWARD, honest-eyed, but both
he AMI his young wife are fascinated by
the arch demon and under the spell Of
play hardly recognizable by their dear
est friends.
What right have women here? That
old thing lshe must be seventy odd
toothless. blear-eyed, with trembling
fngers that can hardly pick up or put
down her gold: that pretty young
widow. in all the openness of weeds be-
tokening her recent loss. has she come
here to stifle her sorrow or in bold bra
vado. as if glorying in relief from an
irksome yoke? These girls, innocent,
laughing girls, who call parting with
five franc pieces "Such awful fun are
they not out of place in this terrestrial
hell? Innocence soon wears off indeed
While ! stand observing the crowd
two boys approach me, Americans, and
with charming, ingenious address, beg
me to explain to them the rules of the
games, trente ct quarante and roulette.
do SO as matter of courtesy, yet re-
gretfully. and within an hour or two I
find them in the fore front, fighting for
seats. planking down their money en-
plein. a cheval. six deniers and the rest.
1t is but step from the beginning to
the halfway stage of high and reckless
| play. the same or less to that of the in
evitable catastrophe that assuredly over
takes all who persist in the unequal
| game. Yesterday a great throng had
gathered round . path where gros jeu
is in progress. A young French mar
quis, the lucky husband, heard. of all
| American heiress, was winning coup
after coup. maximums, 81. 400, that is
| to say. every time. There was run on
all colors, red had won eleven times,
then black for eight, and this fortunate
youth carried off some $4,000 as the
prize of one hours play. II was a bad
day for the tables.
Near at hand was German; he might
nave been Bismarck's brother, and was
the born image of that illustrious prince,
whose impassive self-possession he ex-
actly repeated as he put down rolls
and rolls of notes and saw them grow
into an enormous pile. Opposite, fol-
lowing his luck, was a well-known En-
glish duchess, great winner, both on
the race course and in the matrimonial
stakes, and also winning largely here.
To-day see my winners in an entirely
different character. They are losers,
heavy losers. The marquis will not take
chair even, he has nothing left to
stake. bismarck is reduced to risking
an occasional five-franc piece at roulette
as for the duchess, | follow her to the
little window where foreign money is
exchanged and hear her ask them ia
cash her cheque: of course the request
is refused. and then in furious indigna
ton she declares that she is the ouch
ess of X" They tell her blandly, 'Ah
madame, there are so many duchesse.
! here.'