The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-02
0LD-TIWE.. - GAMBLING,
Heavy Betting in Washington a Quar-
ter of a Centnryor More Ago.
FRANK 7. HOWE.

days before, during, aud just succeeding the
war, when there was the greatest amount OF
! freedom in legislative matters and when the
reins of mans conduct were not as tightly
drawn as at the present time. Many good
| stories have been told of the times when Sen
ators and Representatives were to be found
| every night around the green cloth OF the
faro table or betting away their salaries upon
the black and red of the roulet wheel. l
| was talking the other night with gentle
man who served for many years as Commit,
| tee Clerk in Congress during those days, ana
who occupied the closest kind of relations with
many distinguished men. He told me in con-
| fdence story of reckless betting that think
will prove of interest. Speaking Of Humphrey
| Marshall, man who was known as the most
reckless better against faro that ever struck
this city, he told this story:
Il met Marshall one day on Pennsylvania
avenue" said he and he came up to me and
remarked that he was absolutely broke, and
wanted me to let him have $40 to 60 over
| into Montero's and bet against faro. He said
he believed his luck had turned, and that he
would win big pot of money. l finally made
this proposition to him: 1 would let him
! have $40 for himself: / would put in $40 of my
own; we would go over and l would let him
play the money, with the proviso that when l
said stop we should quit the game and cash in
our chips He agreed to that. / gave him the
| $50, and we went up into the faro bank. He
menced to play. He played rather cautiously;
but be lost steadily until he had only four or
| five chips left Then he began to win, and he
| won right straight along until we went out to
supper. After supper his luck still continued
until he had about 81, 400. Then / said to him
that it was time to quit, and reminded him of
our agreement. / was satisfied, because / was
getting good return for my investment, and
felt that if he was not interfered with he would
90 until his luck would change and would
| lose every cent. He admitted the agreement,
but said it was awful rough to stop man
when he was on the full tide of success. How
ever, he stopped playing, divided the winnings,
| paid me back my SO, and then l wanted him
| to CO. He wouldn't leave, however, and, after
accompanying me to the door, turned back
again to the faro-table. l was so we'll satisfied
| that before morning he would be broke and
would Immediately come to me for more
money that l Immediately skipped over to
| Baltimore and stayed there for three or four
days. When | returned almost the first man
met was Marshall. He told me that he had
won up to 81 900 that night and then his luck
had changed and he lost every cent. He asked
me for $50. | told him l would give him the
! $50, provided he would never ask me for
another cent to gamble with. He agreed to
that. l gave him the money, and considered
| that got off cheaply."
| "That reminds me-" said the Colonel, who
| in New York / was there as the guest of
| large importer who was extremely wealthy,
and one night he said to me after dinner that
| number of friends were coming in to play a
little game Of draw, and wanted me to make
one of the party. l told him was not in condi-
ton to play any such game as he and his friends
| would play, but he insisted that if l was a loser
| he would see that everything was all right.
| There was seven of us who sat at the table. 1t
was a game with s. blind, and it cost each
| man $40 to come in. | had only about 5000
with me, and as every other man at the table
was nearly a millionaire, Of course / couldn't
| hope to hold my own with them. / played
very cautiously, with varying success, keeping
within limit that / could pay until nearly
the close of the game. for it determined to
| close at IL o'clock. Then | had four SKIES dealt
me pat 1t so happened that everybody else
had good hand, too, and they began to raise
it in sums of $3.50 before the draw. l hesitated
! when it came around to me, because although l
knew what my hand was worth didn't know
| how / would ever pay the amount if l should
| happen to be beaten. Ny host saw my hesita-
| ton, and probably understood my feelings in
| the matter, and told me to play my hand for
all it was worth. | saw the $3.50 raise and
raised back the same amount. That threw
them all out with the exception of two Then
we had cards and the betting commenced.
| There was no money on the table, each man
| putting his i o u with the understand
| ing that at the close Of the game settlement
would be made with checks. / won that pot,
and it amounted to something over $4,000 l
won two or three more deals, and when we
came to settle up found that | had checks
| from the different losers amounting to 81, 300.
We then had glorious supper and tho other
guests departed / told my host that / felt
some compunction Of conscience in taking that
money, but he said was altogether too thin
skinned, and the next day when went into
his Office, he took all those checks from me,
gave me his personal check for the entire
amount and l came back to Washington with
the money in my pocket.
They say that money won in that way doesn't
do man much good, but / had some little
debts at that time which / Immediately lqui-
dated, and then put the balance where it would
do the most good. 1 really think that that
money laid the foundation for whatever for
tune l now possess"
"Well," said the Judge, " I was over in New
York myself one time with certain United
| States Senator, and late in the evening he pro-
| posed that we should go down into faro-b bank
| and get supper. He said he felt hungry, and
he knew we could get better supper there
| than anywhere else, and as he didn't want to
eat without paying for it after we had finished,
he gave me $50, and told me to go and bet it. I
| went over to the table and found that $25 was
the limit, but as / had just one bill, and as /
was not known there, / suppose the dealer
| thought he would let me down quietly so he
told me that l might bet the full $50. I
| looked over the cue card and saw that the 10 had
won steadily for two deals. 1t had also won
once in the deal that was then progressing, and
nearly every one about the table had coppered
the 10. / could hardly find room to place even
my bill on the card, but put it on the 10 to
win. It won, and I had of course, $50 to the
good. asked the dealer if might let that
stay on the 10 to win. He said l might, and
let the whole sum lay. The 10 came up
winner again, and had 5000. Then / had to
draw down to the limit, but kept that still on
the 10. won again, and then l waited for the
turn. have forgotten exactly what the cards
were in the turn, but I know bet the limit
each way and / won. I played through one
more deal, and when that was out 1 found
had 5000, and some odd chips which gave to
the steward, and casIed IN the rest. The Sem
ator who had given me the money to play with,
when / handed him back the $50 was highly
indignant because, he said, he wanted to pay
| for his supper and not to beat the bank out of
more money. / convinced him that the bank
wouldn't have had any hesitation in taking
his money if 1t had won, and offered to divide
my winnings with him. but he wouldn't have
| it, and / pocketed the amount, being satisfied
that had done good evenings work"
"a mans luck runs very funny" said the
| Doctor 90 when he 10 about ard taba md T