St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-24
It, Now Transpires That 1t
Was the Boldest of
Plunging.
Hints to Would-Be Players in
the Palatial Hells Of
Monte Carlo,
Which May All Be Quietly
Summed UP in the Single
Word "Don't."

existed-such as Homburg, Baden
Baden, WieSbaden, etc., and now at
Monte Carlo, AiX-les-BainS, Spa and
Ostend-have often seen the continuous
run of good luck which follows some
players, writes Monte Carlo correspond
eht to the Paris edition of the New
York Herald. Ihave had a most inter-
esting talk with prominent frequenter
of these places. and he gives the follow
ing information, which l send you in
his own words:
p Foremost among the most noted Of
lucky gamblers was, for several years,
Garcia, who at the zenith Of his luck
went to and fro from Baden-Baden to
Homburg and Wiesbaden, travelling in
an old lord mayors coach drawn by four
white hCrSeS. BenaZet, of Baden-Baden
told me at this time Garcia possessed at
least 100000. Garcia began life as
barber and died pauper in Trappist
monastery. C. III. Wells is person of
pronounced Yiddfsh type, somewhat
unkempt and decidedly unobtrusive in
his dress. He in some respects reSem-
bles in appearance (when standing at
the tableS) Sam Lewis, but is as far be.
hind him in point of dress as he is in
lSiiOi " iithi 90 a i may hClO
state that, in the opinion of those best
able to judge. comprising several of the
oldest and most respected of the
Employees at Monaco,
Mr.. Lewis is by far the best and most
dangerous player against the tables they
have ever seen. Still, have MI. Lewis
authority to state that he had lost at
Monte Carlo, previous to this year, &c.
600 year for the past ten years-4100,-
900. Now, so far as am concerned, L
had never heard Of the existence Of Mr..
Wells before the month of July last
year, when 1 saw flaming accounts in
the leading French and English jour-
mails of his enormous winnings: conse-
l fonnd that he had returned to Moute
Carlo last month. 1 watched his play
almost daily. but carefully avoided
the trap which was so ingen-
.iously laid for newspaper CORE
spondents, many of whom gratui-
t,usly advertised this successful gam
bier. whose winnings they one and all
multiplied very considerably. How
Wells must have chuckled when he read
the letter i'll the London Times-three
parts OF column for nOthing-all in
praise of him and his wonderful system.
| should in all probability, have left Mr.
Wells to his own devices had my atten-
ton not been drawn to an article which
appeared in the Truth of the Sd inst,
and to the fact that Nice and Monte
Carlo have been gratuitously supplied
with considerable number of copies of
a London journal paddock Life con-
tanning long account of the history Of
theg prlncipality and 1.-The origin of the
gambling-rooms of Monaco, finishing up
with portrait and ~,
es5ss Pen land Ink Sketch
of Wells. This account concludes thus:
1.-The Legitimate Business of G.. H. Wells
is that of an engineer and patentee, and
he sis able to write @. E. pretty largely
after his name. In business he cuts
about up stairs and down stairs, as
though his life'S work had to be cramped
into the space of an hour, but he is al
ways polite and good-tempered to
strangers. He dislikes intervlewers like
poison, although he is never rude to
them, and clever is the press represent
alive who can squeeze much informa-
ton out of M. Bon Chance (sic). For
many years past, he had visited the
Cercle DIES Estrangers de Monaco, and
patiently watched the play. with the re-
suit that he has invented a system
which both he and his friends regard as
infalhble. and, as results show, his dis
covery for breaking the BANK has been
amply proved"
am like the boy in the show; 1
want to know (which is the Duke of
Wellington, and which is Napoleon
Bonaparte?" Paddock Life states that
Charles Hill Wells, the engineer and
patentee, and the gambler at Monte
Carlo about whom so much "bunkumU
has appeared in the Times and other
Dapers) are one and the same person.
The quotation above says that 'sWells,
the engineer, hates interyiewers like
poison" l can state on authority that
Wells, the gambler. reveled in being in
terviewed on any subject except his
bis winnings, both to representatives
of the press and others. His superb
idea, which gained credence with gem
tlemen of high standing at Monte Carlo,
of. boasting of building yacht of $3.50
TONS, to be called the Palais Royal, was
the II
- s.. Best ssGag'' of All,
and his subsequent visit to. the port of
Monaco, accompanied by an official, for
the purpose of securing safe mooring
for his floating palace, was sublime. l
am being daily asked: do you know
anything about W ellis and his infallible
system?" Now, the best of the joke is
that Wells had no system whatever. He
plays, as an- old ''chef de partie" said,
cali over the show" [ saw him bring
off three successive maximums en- plein
at roulette; surely no one will be found
to say there was system here. There
was immense luck-voila tout. His
manner of playing trente-et-quar-
ante was child's play to that OF Sam
Lewis, who attacks the bank with a
maximum of $4,000 francs. Wells be-
gins with thouSand-franc note doubles
up9o 5000. then takes off two notes, and
with the remaining six plays for the
maximum, which he only reaches after
alpasS of four dials in his favor, while
during this pass Lewis would have won
$4,000 francs. In justice to Wells as
gambler, am bound to say that when
he had reached the maximum he
played it out, and If he struck
ing in luck, he was bound to Wild.
Why people should have given credence
to the absurd bounce about the yacht
is inconceivable. Wells played In pre-
ciSely the same way as Capt. G. B.,
whose luck stuck to him for years,
Capt.. W., j. M. and scores of others
who have won and lost large sums at
Monte Carlo. Some one said to ME to-
DAFT ut is no business of yours who
OF what the man is" To this 1 demur,
anH / assert that it is my business. |
am constantly being asked by persons
from different parts of the world:
'sWhat do you think of Wells and his
system?" / met IN the rooms last night
four
Intimate Friends From Florence,
who had been induced to come over by
Wells reported success in the papers.
Another gentleman, who brought me a
etter Of introduction from New York,
opened our conversation with: do you
know anything of Wells and his sys-
temp"
l have no intention to write treatise
against gambling-personally I see no
difference between gambling at Monte
Carlo and gambling on the stock ex-
change or at TattersalPs-but as large
numbers of visitors have been induced
to come to Monte Carlo through the
| hlaznnpd rpnnrfs of WeIla3 win.