Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-03-09
Bolder avenue in the East End, as he did

eva Thompson; sare your"
i9Chink about it," replied the r, e.
"Beastly poor tobacco, this of yours,
Murren. Why don't you buy cut plug?'
"You're not compelled to smoke it,"
said the sporting editor without raising
his head.
81 am when mine is out, and the other
fellows keep their drawers locked"
Thompson dropped in on Mellish, the
keeper of the swell gambling rooms, to
con suit him on the arJicle for SaJur-
days paper. Mellsh took "a great in
terest in it, and thought it would do
good. He willingly gave Thompson
several instances where the vice had led
to the ruin of promising young men.
'AIl men gamble in some way or an
other" said Mellish meditatively. "Some
take it in one way and some another. IL
is inherent in human nature, just like
original sin. The beginning of every
business is a gamble. If had $50 900 |
would rather run my chance of doubling
it at these tables here than would, for
instance, by starting new newspaper
or putting it on wheat or in railway
stocks. Take land boom, for instance,
such as there was in California or at
Winnipeg-the difference between put
ting your money in a thing like that or
going in for legitimate gambling is that
in the one case you are sure to lose your
cash while in the other you have a chance
of winning some. l hold that all kinds
of gambling are bad, unless a man can
easily afford to lose what he stakes. The
trouble is that gambling affects some
people like liquor. | knew man once
who" but you can read the whole
viii I'm hao oh hor
of the Argus.
Thompson told Mellsn about Nc
Crasky.
Mellsh was much interested, and said
he would like to. meet the local editor.
He thought the papers should take more
interest in the suppre ssion of gambling
dens then they did and for his part he
said he would like to see them all
stopped, his own included. ''Of course
he added, 81 could shut up my shop, but
it would simply mean that some one else
would open another, and don't think
any man ever ran such place fairer
than do.'
McCrasky called On the chief of police,
and introduced himself as the local ed
itor of the Argus.
"Oh," said the chief, "has German
gone, them"
81 don't know about Gorman," said
McCrasky; 'sthe man | succeeded was
Finnigan. / believe he is in Cincinnati
now"
When the chief learned the purport of
the local EDITORS visit he became very Of
fetal and somewhat taeiturn. He pre-
sumed that there were gambling houses
in the city. II there were, they were
very quiet aud no complaints ever
reached his .ears. There were many
things, he said, that it was impossible to
suppress, and the result of attempted
suppression was to drive the evil deeper
down. He seemed to be in favor rather of
regulating, than ofattempting the impos-
sible; still, if McCrasky brought him
undoubted evidence that a gambling
house was in operation, he would con-
slider it his duty to make raid on it.
He advised McCrasky to go very eau
tiously about it, as the gamblers had
doubtless many friends who would give
tip and so Illustrate raid, perhaps let
ting somebody in for damages. Nc
Crasky said he would be careful.
Chance played into the hands of Nc
Crasky and blew in on him a man who
little rocked what he was doing when he
entered the local editors room. Gus
dropped into the Argus office late one
night to bring news of an 'event" to the
sporting editor. He knew his way about
in the office and, finding Murren not in,
he left the item on his table. Then he
wandered into the local editors room,
The newspaper boys a i liked Hammerly
and many good item they got from him.
They never gave him away, and he saw
that they never got left, as the vernacu-
lar is.
GOOD evening. You're the new local
editor, take it. I've just left little
item for Murren. suppose he's not in
from the wrestle yet. My names Ham,
merly. All the boys know me and I've
known in my time fourteen of your pre-
decessors, so l may as well know you.
You're from Pittsburg, | hear"
Eyes. Sit down, Mr. Hammerly. Dc
you know Pittsburg at all?'
son, yes. Borden, who keeps the
gambling den on X street, is an old friend
of mine Do you happen to know how
old Borden's getting along?"
eyes, his place was raided and closed
up by the police"
"That'sjust the old mans luck. Same
thing in Kansas City"
by the way, Mr.. Hammerly, do you
know of any gambling places in this
city,"
"Why, bless you, haven't the boys
taken you round yet? Well, now, that's
inhospitable. Melish's is the best place
in town. I'm going up there now. II
you come along III give you the
knock-down at the door and you'll have
no trouble after that
I'll go with you," said McCrasky
reaching for his hat, and so the innocent
Hammerly led the lamb into the lions
den.
McCrasky, uuaccustomed to the sight
was somewhat bewildered with the
rapidityof the pay. There was sort Of
semicircular table, around the outside
rim of which were sitting as many mer
as could be comfortably placed there
A man at the inside of the table handled
the cards. He ficked out one to eacf
PLAYER, face downward, with an expert
ness and speed that dazzled McCrasky
Next he dealt out one to each player fact
upward and people put sums of money OF
the table beside their cards, after look
ing at them. There was another dea