Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-06-28
ON THE ROADTO RUIN
STORIES OF THE TEMPLE OF NAM
MON AT MONTE CARLO.

Some Of Them True. Many False. but All
Highly Interesting-Backum and the
"wellington Root system"-A Talk With
MI. Spectator, . Man Who Knows.
But who should this be slipping some
iced vermouth at the marble table bat
an old friend whom I will call Mr..
Spectator. He lives at Monte Carlo, he
has passed a score Of seasons here, he
has plenty Of money, he goes to the
Casino every day and every evening and
he never plays cent. 1t is his occupa-
ton in life to be On observer of things
and 10 mark the ways of man and wom
an kind. In the summer he will mark
them at Aix-les-Bai at Lausanne or
at Trouville. He knows everything
about what is going on just now at
Monty" what Russian princess
pawned her diamonds last week and
what Cuban sugar planter did not die of
apoplexy at the Hotel Carmbole, but
poisoned himself with prussic acid.
He was food, SIR" luoth Mr.. Spec
tator. ''Why didn't he go to the admin
istration? Why didn't he make his dec
laration? They knew we'll enough that
he had lost 200, 900 francs in the course
Of ten days. They would have paid his
travelling and hotel expenses back to
Paris, or back to Brazil, for the matter
Of that. He was fool, sir!''
Mr.. Spectator went on to explain that
when a cleaned out player made a can
did admission of his impecuniosity the
administration gave him Il sum of mon
ey sufficient to defray his journey by
railway to the place whence he came
and his incidental expenses en- route.
He mentioned one case in which a whole
family of five persons were allowed ID
louis apiece to take them from Monte
Carlo to London, the sole condition al
tached to the largess being that the
recipient should not re-enter the Casino
unless he or she recouped the admins
tration for their outlay. In the case
which he cited, one of the party, a lady,
who had not gone farther than Nice,
received some weeks afterward hand
some remittance from England. She
went back blithely to Monty" repaid
the 10 louis, re-entered the Casino, and
backing the douZe dernier, not forgetting
zero, won $500. "You are net to be-
ieve," added Mr.. Spectator, "a 1.-THE Of
the sensational stories printed about
ruined gamesters hanging themselves to
trees in the gardens, or blowing out
their brains in the reading ROOM" The
majority of these canards are set ON foot
by obscure French newspapers which
have not been subventiOned or bribed by
the administration to puff Monte Carlo.
One of the pleasantest characteristics
of my friend Mr.. Spectator is that every
time you meet him he has fresh story
to tell you about an infallible system for
winning at roulette, and this time he re.
called me with a succinct narrative of
what may call the wellington boot
system" Captain Backum had played
for many years II large number of sys.
TENS. and by the time he was five and
forty had played away q handsome for.
tune. a happy thought occurred to him.
He always wore Wellington boots. His
capital was just louis. This he
changed into 8 franc pieces, and he new.
er staked more than one piece at a time,
and if he won he withdrew his stakes aft.
er the third coup. His winnings he care.
fully placed i'll a side pocket, and when.
ever he had Won four pieces he changed
them into a louis and slipped the coin
into one of his boots. He played TO,
seven consecutive hours before his stock
capital was exhausted. Then he returned
to Nice, somewhat heavy of footstep
and drawing off his boots, found that ht
had won 100 louis.
This was two years ago. " continued
Mr.. Spectator, land only last week
found Baclium at u third class hotel al
Nice. He was in a dressing gown anG
slippers and looking by no means cheer
ful. How about the Wellington boot
SYSTEM 1 asked. Utter collapse III
replied. COMPOUNDED run of bad luck.
And the boots?' Invent on. The boots?
he replied. L pawned them yesterday
afternoon.
So this is Monty" in full swing
Monty" with its ups and downs, it.
ceaseless whirl of gayety and dissipa
ton. There is no rest at Monte Carlo
When you are tired of play, there arr
dramatic performances, there are con
certs, there is pigeon shooting, and il
the spring and summer there is plenty
| of yachting. But all these are only side
issues. The Grand Trunk line of Monte
Carlo leads to the temple of mammon
1t is crowded night and day by people
LISTING for money which they have MOI
earned, and it is the road to ruin
London Telegraph.