Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-14
KENO AT THE CAPITAL.
4 MONTE CARLO IN THE SHADOW OF
WASHINGTON MONUMENT.

The Notorious Gambling Places Of the Olden
Days Banished Across the Potomac
How the Game Il Conducted In These
Latter Times.
WAsHINGToN, April 13.-This city,
which was in the old ante-bellum days and
for some years after the war one of the
greatest gambling centers in America, is to-
day without a single gambling hell. That
is to say, there are no longer public places
where men can go to buck the tiger, play
stud horse poker, keno, rouge ct noir and
other games OF chance. Of course, good
deal of draw poker is played by the poll
ticians, but it is conducted quietly in private
houses or social clubs. There is nothing
like the old luxurious gambling establish
ment which was run by PendIeton, who,
believe, was distant relative of the late
Senator from Ohio. At Pendleton's place on
the avenue, which is always pointed out to
strangers, high stakes were the rule and
many of the most conspicuous men of that
day were regular worshipers-at the shrine of
fortune. Thad Stevens, Henry Clay. Bob
Toombs and others were there almost
nightly. Stories of the high play that was
INDUCED in are retaiied by the score BY the
once between Thad Stevens and George D.
Prentice, the predecessor of the star-eyed
Watterson. 1t was poker, and backward
and forward the "raises" had been going
on until finally Prentice, whose cash was
exhausted, negotiated the sale Of several
negroes whom he owned to continue.
Finally Stevens, who held four kings, told
Prentice that he had been beaten, and re-
quested him to allow the hands to be shown,
or as the gamblers put it, to "call" him.
To that Prentice, who had four aces (this
was before the day of the sequence fush),
responded: 81 never call you. If L ~as
darken the heavens with this hand"
The only vestige Of public gaming re-
manning has been banished to the soil Of the
Old Dominion across the Potomac river and
out OF reach of the laws Of the District of
Columbia. Think of II. The mother of
Presidents nursing in her bosom the vice of
gambling alter it had been scourged out of
Washington And it is keno, the lowest
kind of gaming. that which appeals to the
poorer class of the population who have only
few dimes to risk. They call tine place
where these keno games are conducted Monte
Carlo. 1t consists of two large frame houses
on the opposite side of the river from Wash
ington where every afternoon and evening
long tables begging" away at their cards
as the manipulation of the wheel calls out the
number. Only 10 cents can be risked on a
card with the chance of winning from $40
to S15 according to the number who are in
the game. 1t is in reality a POOL, to which
each player contributes 10 cents and which
the successful person wins, less the percent
age of 10 per cent extracted by the dealer
or whatever the person who manipulates the
game is called. In these hot rooms, choked
with tobacco smoke and alcoholic fumes,
the young Virginia farmers, some of them,
perhaps, the descendants of Washington,
Jefferson, Madison aud Monroe, squander
their small earnings under the shadow OF
the Washington Monument. Little steam
ferry boats ply between Georgetown and
Monte Carlo every 15 minutes to .accommo-
date the Washington and Georgetown GUS
toners. The games are seldom disturbed.
OCCASIONALLY posse of Virginia constables
come down out of the hills, confscate the
paraphernalia and fine the proprietors.
But not often. The proprietors are willing
to pay literally to Avoid being disturbed.