The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-31
1 GAMBLERS HAVEN.
BUTTE CITY A PARADISE FOR
GREEN CLOTH KNIGHTS,


Licensed-The Miners Play In Relays
and Gold Flows Into the Bank of the
Dealers-How Old Gamesters Reap
Fortunes IN the Turns of the Cards
and Are Swindled in Turn by Eel
low sharpers.
From a Butte MONTY Letter.
This place is the. gamblers Mecca and the
town constitutes the biggest mining camp
in the world. Mining camps are the &C.
knowledged prey of the men who make their
living by games of chance, and hence the
states most prosperous city is infested with
psat-fingered, tricky, cool~nerved and ubio-
uitous knights of the green cloth. The miner
Is the ''game" stalked and easily obtained.
With the Anaconda, Boston and Montana.
Parrot. Lexington, Alice and other big
paying mines in operation, the monthly pay
roll is over $500 goo. A greater part of this
Aruns up against the bank" Three shifts
of eight hours each are worked each day In
the various mines, and while one shift ia
working another is sleeping, and the third
gambling.
The gambling houses are licensed and run
faro games and round the table, poker
Roulette, red and black, wheel of fortune.
hazard or any game with kitty or per-
centage drawback are forbidden, Day and
night shifts of dealers are worked. Faro
bank dealers work for wages, SO per day,
and ''eat out OF the drawer" The limit in
most houses is S12 so, while other proprie-
tors with more "sand" allow their patrons
or victims to bet as high as their evil genii
urge, From dawn to dawn the clicking of
the chips is heard, there is hardly any cessa-
ton, Butte is essentially an "all-night"
town. It's day all day in the daytime, and
there is no night in Butte.
At this season of the year, while the snow
is still on the ground, the city Is overrun
with the gambling fraternity. AS sum mer
opens up and each worthy makes a stake
be slips away to smaller mining camps to
clean up all the money in sight; he generally
gels it. At sheep-shearing time, which oc-
ours in June, certain slick individuals are
missed from their old haunts in the city and
they go after the money Of the herders and
stock raisers They know their men.
INCENTIVES TO GAMBLING.
In this section of the country, with
plenty Of hard work and such meager on
portunities for recreation, the otherwise
sensible man seeks diversion in gambling.
This popularity Is fostered and pandered to
by the practiced sharper and the hard
earned money goes surely into the profess
sional gamblers pocket.
While in conversational mood Recently
one of the best-known gamblers divulged
some interesting facts concerning the gull
ing Of the citizens with the "sportingn
blood. Taking his cue from theatrical en-
terprises last summer, he secured an ad-
vance agent. This agent was fitted out as a
salesman for Chicago house, whose COM
modify consisted Of fine grades of playing
cards. 1t is hardly necessary to state that
all these cards we're marked. The agents
instructions were to sell the cards or give
them away. so that every store in ali the
small hamlets would have them for sale
Sell EN- for bits gross If you caut't get
more" said the gambler. Two bits equals
25 cents.
One month after all the desired localities
had been flooded with his brand of cards,
the shrewd gambler started on his rounds
He had it all his own way. The backs of
the cards were an open book to him. The
game mostly INDUCED in was "stud poker.n
The Swedes are Stud fiends,n and would
stake their clothes on the game. This suited
the peripatetic gambler; he cleaned up S15,-
OOO IN two months, went east, spent the
money, and then came back to Butte to
make another stake. He is now planning a
raid through bucolic and mining sections
for this coming summer.
Honor among thieves" and dog won't
cav OOE bt0 bHO bd"S Which experience a
black eye among the gambling fraternity.
In the expressive patois of the guild, they
'do each other up" on the slightest provoca-
ton. One house in Butte has gone 800. OCO
hehindhand in the last two months, because
50 many professionals have ''gone against
the bank" They know every move, play
systems and are the most undesirable pat
rous. If the opportunity is offered these
same men will fix the cards in the dealers
bOX that fbAV haVa "a tbinn
the bank. Only last week the proprietor
found gambler sanding the cards in or
der to beat the bank. This house always
leaves a box of cards out with the bartender
IN order TO open up the first game in the
morning. The bartender in this case stood
in with the outside gambler and gave him
the cards to fix. Fortunately for the head
OF the establishment, e friend saw the doc
toringh in operation and informed him, or
he would have been out to the tune of $780,
OC0 or S40,0 Without much ndo the drink
mixer and his 'pardn were thrown out upon
the cold world
GAMBLERS DEVICES.
Sanding" the cards consists in the appli-
cation Of sand TO the edges Of the cards so
mat keen-eyed man can procure fash Of
the next card before it comes from the box
10 novice this device would be thrown
away, but to a gambler, whose Bible is
deck of cards, the scheme works satisfac-
torily.
Another method Of beating the bank is
simple yet hard for an outsider to use. The
nrst move Is to get possession of the cards
In the dealers box. A man will watch like
hawk for days until the opportunity
presents ITSELF When the cards are in his
possession the gambler will puncture with
needle each card with black spot in the
corner. With sharp knife all indication
OF the puncture is concealed.
1. ms hole is infinitesimal, but enough for
I TI purpose Of the man working the scheme
ne places himself alongside the dealer, and
watches the cards carefully II there is an
ace, deuce or trey under the top, or soda
caroi there will be visible to the gamblers
eye dot Of white. This dot guides him,
aud ne dumps his money around these
cards, carefully capped off with ''coppers."
Cnlll the continuous luck of the player at
tracts the Dealers suspicion the gambler is
an right and the money goes his way, but
d tne trick is discovered the game is up.
w nile there are a few ways TO beat the
psnK, the methods of the latter for clean
Iug out the players In front are legion. An
expert dealer watches the spstem that every
uan Is playing, and IL there Is much money
az STAKE be can shuttle the cards in such
manner as to bring misfortune upon the
bead Of the worshiper of a pct system. To
ueaI out Oh ''2-card box" in this state is
penltentiary offense and most OF the
yam gam olers fight shy Of it; however. they are
Gseu occasionally. and are termed
~ s4ueeze." In order to win at game OF