The record-union., 1893-06-22
ROYAL GAMBLERS.
Kings and Princes at the Gam
ing Table.
The Prince of Wales "A Game in
Which S25O,oOO Changed Hands
King Oscars Nerve When He
Broke the Bank and Scattered the
Money to the Servants.

rev, II any, nat1OnalItleS, and still
fewer classes of society, are exempt from
the gambling mania. The demon of
chance sways men of all sorts and con-
ditions in all sorts of climes. The boot
black in the street will at any time risk
his hard-earned pennies on "craps'; the
millionaire in his so-called palace not in
frequently stakes what would be COM
petence for the ordinary man on the turn
OF a single card. And so the fever goes
from howell to palace and through all the
intermediate stations in life.
If there is any one class of mortals par
ticularly stricken with the gambling
fever it is royalty. The possession of
substantially unlimited wealth, the con-
slant adulatiOn and semi-worship of their
subjects, and the other environments
and conditions peculiar to the crowned
heads and their cousins and aunts and so
on, predispose the kingly race to more or
less rapid life. One feature OF this rapid
life is devotion to dies and cards. In all
Europe there Is scarcely a royal family
which has not one or more members IA
NOUS, or notorious, as you please, for his
gambling propensities. In court circles
everybody gambles, L may almost say.
The princelets and dukeletS and kinglets
gamble in order to while away the mo-
notony Of life, and incidentally to ac-
quire possession of as many pounds or
francs or marks of their faithful courtiers
as possible; the blue -blooded gentry and
wealthy parvenus who encourage this
same eRviable desire OF their supposed
superiors gamble that they may have the
honor Of allowing said Superiors to win
their cash. What are few paltry hun
dreds or thousands in comparison with
the honor of having stacked UP against
laas .s,l l. 1,~-l,., -
Ihat-or-the-Other, with three or four
kings against his royal highness' three or
four aces?
This is the way those people look at it,
and thus 1t Is that royalty's high-minded
desire to gamble is soothed and sustained.
But for this soothing and sustaining on
the part of royalty's courtiers and ad-
mirers, royal gambling would soon die
out, simply because it would not have
anything to feed upon. Royal l. 0. US
are very pretty things to put in frame or
paste in the family records, but as rule
the l. .. Z. part does not add much to
their value. The King can do no
wrong" you know. That being the case.
what IS the use of a Kings redeeming his
l: .. US like any common. ordinary
plebeian?
By way of illustration of the royal pro-
penslty for winning other folks money,
If possible, a gamb bling 'sessiOnrat Baden
thing about, is right to the point. Names,
facts and figures as L give them are alb
soIutely accurate.
Scene, the International Club at Baden
Baden; time, the summer of 1882; dra-
matis PERSONA, the Prince of Wales. the
Baron Selliere, the Marquis of Beresford.
Prince kinsky, the Duke of Hamilton,
Herr Baltazzy, Baron Kahlden, Herr
OehlschIager and ten or twelve other men
of titles or millions or both.
Ills royal highness, the Prince of Wales.
mad been invited by the Grand Duke of
Baden to visit him on the occasion of the
first international horse-race at Baden
Baden. His royal highness had conde-
scended to accept the invitation and by
way of increasing his personal interest in
the race, had entered horse OF his own
under the name of Scott" Well. the
race was duly run, and the Princes horse
won-the BOBBY prize. coming in a couple
OF hundred yards or so behind the next
to the last horse. AS his horse had been
last, the Prince was first to congratulate
the owner of the winner, Oscar Oehl-
schlager, an immensely wealthy member
of the aristocratic sporting set at Baden
Baden, and gave dinner in his honor on
the evening alter the race at the Inter-
national Club, famed all over Europe as
the scene of some of the highest and
bluest- -blooded gambling ever known on
the continent.
L
aside from the widespread interest at
taching to the first international horse
race and the big stake offered, had at
tracted swarm of French and Austrian
Counts and Barons and people with vari-
Gus handles to their names and ont of
this select crowd the Prince was readily
able to pick fifty or sixty men sufficiently
select to be entitled to the honor of an in
Vltatlon to dinner given by the future
King of Great Britain.
WALES SUGGESTS A LITTLE GAME.
The dinner was superb in all its an
pointments, the wines were delicious. the
cuisine was faultless, and the royal host
made capital speech of congratulation
10 Mr.. OehIschlager in GermAn which
by the way, he speaks as we'll as English.
As princely gatherings go, the assembled
company was rather brilliant one and
properly applauded the Princes post
prandial effort. But Albert Edward did
not seem 10 be thoroughly satisfied some
how. OF course, every body took the cue
and Immediately began to look dissatis-
fied. Finally Albert Edward arose to his
feet, and addressing Baron Kahlden, the
President of the club, said: ~ have al
ways heard the International Club spoken
of as a great gambling institution, and 1
am rather surprised to see that you have
no gambling here whatever. l had prom
ised myself the pleasure of stalking a
tritie myself, and brought a few notes
with me quitting his hand in his vest
pocket and drawing out large roll of
bank notes.. l presume, however, that I
must have been misinformed, and shall
be unable to enjoy the sport which I
promised myself"
In an instant Baron Kahlden had sig
nailed to the attendants to remove the
gambling apparatus from its place of
temporary concealment and in few
words announced TO the Prince that his
Royal Highness' wish should be
promptly gratitied. The whole company
adjourned TO the main gambling parlor
upstairs without loss of time and Baron
kahlden at once announced that the priv
ilege of running the bank" would be
aucuoned OF. Two or three bids of TO-
600 marks or so were promptly made but
the bidders were rebuked by the Baron
who remarked, Come, gentlemen, do not
let us be shabby about this thing when his
Royal Hlghness has honored us with his
presence. Won't somebody make a re-
spectacle bid for the bank? OF course. it
is understood that the successful bidder
shall pay his money down In gold or bank
notes"
The words had hardly left his lips when
Oehlschlager, whose horse had won the
days race, calmly called out: ~ bid
100000 marks" (S25, 900. Even the high
rolling crowd present was amazed at
this tremendous offer. which, as it were,
clearly cut the pace for the nights
gambling, and hush ensued when Herr
Oehlschlager proceeded to hand out in cold
cash his 100000 marks. That done, the
president of the club gravelv announced
That the coming game would be strictly
cash game,' and suggested that each
man who proposed to play should d TO
duce the money which he had with him
and exchange it for chips. A dozen or
Of fhAza QRfnn on