San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-15
a pRlM DoNNA's POKER GAME
Graphic Description OF a Sumptuous
Gambling House for Women,

Graphic Description OF a Sumptuous
Gambling House for Women,
\ From the New York Telegram.
The members of the McCaull opera
company are discussing today an adj
venture which befell Miss Bertram,
the star prima donna of the company,
on her arrival in this city last Tues
day evening.
Miss Bertram left Chicago last
Monday on the limited. The other,
members of the company did not
leave until the following day, and
she was forced to take the long jour-
ney alone in order to keep an engage
ment. Intending to go to hotel Oh
her arrival here, she requested the
conductor at Buffalo to send dis.
patch for her to Manager Askin, ask
ing him to care for her luggage.
On Miss Bertram's arrival here
she was approached at the depot by q
han dsomely dressed woman, who
kindly greeted her and vouchsafed
the information that she had been
requested to take charge of Miss
Bertram's trunks. The woman also
kindly offered to take Miss Bertram
home with her, declaring that it was
$50 unpleasant to go to a hotel
alone"
Feeling deeply grateful to Manager
Askin for sending such a sociable
friend to greet her, Miss Bertram
gladly assented. The NEW friend"
ordered cab, and the two ladies
were rapidly driven uptown. Upon
arriving at the "new friends" home,
Miss Bertram was shown to a hand
somely furnished room on the third
floor.
After dinner she was invited by
the new friend" to meet some ladies
in the drawing room. She met the
"ladies," lost q lot of money, and
finally left the place and went to the
Marlborough Hotel. From then on
for several hours the pretty prima
life.
1.-THE story" she said, "has been
very much exaggerated by several
members of the company. The facts
are simply these: 1 went to this
house, as you have been informed,
and lost a little money. The woman's
story seemed perfectly plausible and
/ am sure no one can censure me for
going with her. The place appeared
to me to he q gaming club for
women. On the walls were little signs
like this; / /stole one to keep as q
souvenir" Miss Bertram drew from
her pocket small ribbon sign which
contained the words, positively no
gentlemen admitted"
"There were a score of women pres
ent, and all of them were gambling,
/ am not familiar with the parapher-
MALTA of gambling den, but 1 should
say there were enough tables in the
room to lose dozen fortunes. Most
of the women were in street dress. 1
lost my money on poker, and play
ed, to be strictly truthful, because 1
was afraid not to. Quite an old lady
with gray hair invited me to play,
and did play until I lost all the
money had except 81 .25."
MAY ask how much money you
lost, Miss Bertram?"
mo, you may not. I shall never
tell any one. A great deal more than
thing about poker, and feel sure
that the game 1 was engaged in was
fair one. The women were nearly all
smoking, ana d lew occasionally
drank q glass of white wine, tut
everything was perfectly orderly"
"Where Is this house?"
"That is the mysterious part of the
whole affair. L don't know. We took
cab at the Gran Central and drove
up Fifth avenue past the Cathedral,
then drove down Fifty-third street
past the new Music Hall. We made
several turns, and I, not being famil-
lar with that part of the town, was of
course easily lost. can describe the
interior of the 'club'-we will
call it that for fun. There were four
large rooms opening one into the
other, and the decorations and furn-
ishiDgs were exquisite. Another
thing that stands out graphically in
my mind is the appearance of the lit
tie lackeys. The cutest little negro
boys, in light blue knicker bockers
and yellow livery, were running here
and there in the most bewildering
fashion. lost two jack pots watch
inn, fharo