The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-03-25
SOME NATIONAL GAMES
PLAYED NJ VARIOUS CoLoNfsTs IN
COsMoPoLITAE NEW YORK.

rss skst, rreash Piluet asa Rtuisrds-
Iiuiisn CAs.tro aSd stuettor aHd Chtsrus
Fan-t.n-CraPs and Universal Poker.
Conditions OF life are go crowded In New
York that the foreigners who. come here 10
live are forced for lack OF opportunity to re-
linauish to great extent their national sports
aud to seek amusement ln more artificial and
less distinctive pastimes. Out-of-door sports
are beyond the reach Of the poorer classes. to
which most Of the torelgn-born element be-
long To be sure the canny Scotchmen get
together occasionally. and retire in winter
time when the ice is good. to Ionkers
or some other suburb. where they drive
tn EN- selves daft with that peculiarly
Scotch pastime. curling which is properly
played only when all the contestants are in
condition OF utter delirium. The Irish. too.
when crowd OF them get q day OF. occasion
ally proceed to aome large Held in locality
where police are scarce. and. after choosing
up sides indulge in free fight under assocla-
ton rules with q small football for excuse.
These games are comparatively infrequent
however. and are participated In by only a few
enthusiasts. Nearly all the different foreign
ers whose colonies form distinctive parts OF
the city. have succumbed to the sedu ctlons OF
the American national game. poker. forsakinR
the pastimes OF their parent countrl es for lite
superior attractions. The most notable ex-
ceptions to this rule are the Germans. on
whom poker has taken but little hold. BOWL
ing IL their chief amusement In the line OF
games Of exercise. Not only do all the men
bowl, but most Of their wives as well and there
are many women's bowling clubs among the
Teutons OF the city.
When a German has tired himself out with
bowling aud refreshed himself with beer. he 10
always ready for game Of pinochle. Dinner
time is the great pinochle hour parttc ulariy
for those Germans who dine at restaurants
There was never but one German cafe on the
east side that didn't keep decks OF pinochle
cards for its custo mers. and that one failed In
two months Pinochle IL played with two packs
OF cards. q few hundred.points and a few thou
sand rules. OF which 1t may be said in general.
that one half OF them contradict tho
other half Notwithstanding this. the
Germans are passionately fond OF the
game and when party has once be-
gun a deal nothing short OF an earthquake
can stop 1t. A few weeks ago. as was told at
the time In THE Sun. four Germans were play
ing In Wiiiamsburgh. and between deals one
Of them took drink Of carbolic acid instead
OF whiskey from one OF two bottles standing
together on a table near by. They took him
to q hospital unconscious and put a policeman
on guard over him. When he came to the
first thing he said was
Who won dot benuckle game"
"S'hi Keep quiet" said the policeman
You're very sick. You'll die IL you don't
keep STILL"
"Ach. SC" returned the sufferer. III I die
die goot, anyhow blay you Denuckle until
I'm Diet. Heyr'
He insisted so strenuouslythat the officer. to
quiet him. finally sent out and got a pack OF
| cards They played all night. the German won
81 9 from the of1icer. and recovered.
Still more fascinating to the Teutonic game
| ster 10 skat. compared to which plnochls
is AS easy as old maid. No one but Q German
| can learn to play skat. and when man onc)
becomes infatuated with il. business. pleasure.
wife and family become secondary consiiera-
lions. He lives only for the purpose OF playing
skat. Every now and then the abiect slaves to
and play ior days at time. a terrible example
| and warning to their compatriots. skat !.
have already Oeen written on the subject. and
| the ground hasn't been fully covered yet.
they sh bay ian O fhsrs
sometimes stake. but that is never SO much
B BE RsH. Is and Hanearians Who ike the
Germans; are great pinochle piayers These
se GRfi unless there ssn
erally pretty heavy one s. GO into any OF the
one little plates on the tables to be used as
Of the Hun garian player 10 that he almost in.
variAbly puts on his best clothes to gamble In
Gates wear evening dress when playing
This is true to . great extent OF the Franco
thea
comes in to call on another the host produces
-" Shall 1t be- piauet. bezique. or vingt- st-un2"
The visitor names the stakes and the game
Bart ans Is sIso taSorite Ssms In the french
eSlony ara an there there are many skiirIl players
n "A M
matter how small There Is this to be said OF
the Frenchman: That he 10 generally polite
Exactly the opposite is true Of the Italian:
losing a personal Insult to himself from the
others engaged In the game. According to the
bling ARRAYS In Mulberry Bend and that local
ity arise from rows over card games Only re-
cause In a poker game he held q flush OF h carts
and a pair OF aces in the same hand. Both OF
sses mixed but the maa WSo
held three Of Kind against the hush didn't
stop to ASK pat'iebSaIS ne maze , sr earnest
then ran away. Such things are very common.
4 policeman who has seen long service In
'''s Four lagos WORK ali the week up in Vest
night to their hole in the Bend. They get three
drinks Of whiskey apiece. go into the cellar and
up club, and says TO Jocko: You cheat. |
You're a liar Antonio hits locko with tho
club and knocks him down. The others kick
him because he's won their money. too. He
Jumps up and sticks his knife into the nearest
one. Then everybody shoots, tho neigh
bOrs run In with their pistols and knives
and there are several am bulAnce calls. Maybe
one or two men die. Then the dead mans
friends lay for the man who is supposed to
have done him up. and kill him. It's cheer
ful performance. and they call IL vendetta. IL
the Injured get well they always refuse to
make any omplaint. They say;
-" l don't want the law I'll M the man that
stabbed me myself
That makes material for more stabbinR
and shooting. and know Of one four: handed
game that ended in seven funerals before the
fun was over aud the relatives OF the deceased
got sick OF II. That sounds like the Wild
West but it's fact. only you couldn't prove
1t IN court because the Dasos all keep mum"
Another Italian game Is MORO, which the
neWsboys play on the street. The process
consists in = series OF motions much similar
to those OF a man trying to suppress an active
mosquito only there are two players in MORO
They wave their right hands about their