Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-24
GAMBLING IN THE "cANTEEN."
Games Regular Soldiers Indulge In
"Jawbone Playing.

"Jawbone Playing.
"Pve got little stuff left. How are you
fixed, Carroll? All / want to win is ST.
These words were overheard bya Cincin-
natl Ti,nes-StGr reporter as he opened the
door of the "canteen" at the Newport bar
racks, Two soldiers were standing by the
side of long table which was covered
with q green baiZe cloth.
The one who had spoken the words
quoted above seated himself on one OF the
long wooden benches which stand on
either side of the table and taking small
amount of money from his pocket de-
posted il on the table before him. Are
YOU going to come inI" he continued. as
he glanced up from the, cards he was
shutting. 1T down and let's have q
game of Rush Ruben. I'm tired from
riding that horse all day."
This conversation ended abruptly by the
two soldiers becoming deeply interested
in game of cards. Sitting down beside
them the reporter took an inventory OF the
canteen or recreation-room OF the soldiers.
It is pleasant room in the second story
| of one of the Government buildings, and
| is lighted by five windows. 1t is fifty feet
| long and forty wide. In the west end OF
the room stand two billiard-tables for the
| exclusive use of the soldiers, Five cents Is
| charged for game. This furnishes cheap
amusement for the soldiers and helps them
| TO live through the long days OF idleness
which they are sometimes at loss how to
spend.
| just to the left as you open the door
stands a showcase, in which are displayed
| for sale cigars. tobacco, pipes and such
| little knick-knacks as are in daily use rs
the soldiers. All these articles are sold at
wholesale prices. but even this fact does
not keep the soldier out of debt. nearly
every one of whom has drawn on his
| credit. One man has charge OF the can
| teen and sells all articles while at the
same time he tends to the billiard-tables
| and collects the charges tor the games. DE
also receives all mail for the occupants OF
the post. The reporter learned that in the
West these canteens rise to the size and
| dignity of a small country store.
Besides the contents enumerated above
this room contains a few books, newspa-
pers, and periodicals, which are taken the
| year round.
BY this time the game of Rush Ruben
was ended, and having won his dollar the
| victorious soldier seated himself by the
side of the reporter and volunteered the
| following information:
Gambling is one OF the worst vices OF
army life. No sooner does payday come
! than the soldiers gamble until few have
won all the money from the rest. No SOL
| der is easy il he has any money in his
pocket, and the first thought IS how to
| spend his pay as soon as 1t gets into his
possession. As long as soldier has
money he plays for money, but as soon as
| that is exhausted he will bet even the
| clothes he wears. The game of haber-
dasher "a kind of draw-poker) IS where,
substitute is found for money. This sub
| stitute NAV be anything from cap to
pair Of socks. All articles of clothing are
valued at so many chips, as for example, O
pair Of gloves are worth five chips, pair
of socks FIVE chips, an undershIrt fifteen
chips, while a blue overshirt is worth forty
chips.
Haberdasher Is generally played between
y-days, and also Immediately after the
distribution of clothing, which takes place
every three months. have known III
stances where fine suits of clothes have
| changed hands the first day. Many a
| soldier has gone for weeks without ms
| own pair of socks. and one night IN tins
room soldier had lost everything he had:
| He borrowed all the money he could. and
| finally bet his shirt He won that game,
however, and ended up richer than his OPP
ponent.
Players will often keep accounts, OF as
they saw, play iawbone'-that, is they
| agree 10 keep accounts and settle on pay
| dav, and very often when payday comes
they are even. once played jswbone to
the extent of $40, and by the time my ac-
count was M / had played even. Yes,
once in awhile the officers raid us and
then just to keep up appearances we
move 10 another place for q time. lou
couldn't stop gambling in the army any
more than you could dam up river. The
men are idle and haven't any other way
| to spend their time unless they read, but
as a rule soldiers don't read, although they
have plenty of reading matter furnished
| them.
sin the West gambling is carried on
more extensively than in the East, as here
we can gooutside and see something TO IN
terest us; but out there you have an-
solutely nothing 10 engage your attention.
Yes, many of the men leave the army rieh,
! from gambling alone. IL is just the place
| for sharper. He can make an independ-
| emit fortune IN five years. oh. yes, IT'S
| against the rules, but we dontt care"