The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-07-09
ON THE ROAD TO RUIN
STORIES OF THE TEMPLE OF MAN.
MON AT MONTE CARLO.

Some Of Them True, Many False. but All
Highly Interesting -Backum and the
"Weiiington Boot systcm"--A Talk with |
Mr.. Spectator, n Man who Knows.
But who should this be slipping some |
iced vcrmouth at the marble table but |
tn old friend whom ! will call Mr..
Spectator. He lives at Monte Carlo, he
has passed 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 an observer of things
and to mark the ways of man and WON.
an kind. In the summer he will mark
them ut AK les Bains 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 fool, SIR" quoth Mr.. Spec
tator. "Why didn t he go to the admin
| istration? Why didn't he make his dec
laration? They knew well enough that
he had host 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 a fool, sirf'
Mr.. Spectator went on to explain that
when a cleaned out player made II can
did admission of his impecuniosity the
administration gave him sum of mon
CIV 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 whole
family of five persons were allowed 10
louis apiece to take them from Monte
Carlo to London, the sole condition at
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. lyon are not to be-
lieve," added Mr.. Spectator, "a 1.-THE of
the sensational stories printed about
: ruined gamcsters hanging themselves to
trees in the gardens, or blowing ont
their brains i'll 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
e time you meet him he has II fresh story
to tell you about an infallible system foi
winning at roulette, and this time he re-
!. called me with II succinct narrative Of
what | may call the Wellington boot
y system" Captain Backum had played
for many years Il large number of sys
tens, and by the time he was five and
, forty had played away IA handsome for
tune. A happy thought occurred to him
He always wore Wellington boots. His
capital was just 3 louis. This h'
changed into 3 franc pieces, and he new
- er stalled more than one piece at a time
and if he won he withdrew his stakes aft
er the third coup. His winnings he care
r fully placed in side pocket, and when
81 ever he had won four pieces he changed
them into a louis and slipped the coli
into one of his boots He played fo
/, seven consecutive hours before his stool
= capital was exhausted. Then he returned
to Nice, somewhat heavy of footstep
and drawing off his boots, found that h
had won 100 louis.
''This was two years ago." continues
, Mr. Spectator, land only last week
found Baclium at third class hotel a
Nice. He was in dressing gown an,
slippers and looking by no means cheer
fol. How about the Wellington boo
system?' l asked. Utter collapse, h
replied. COMPOUNDED run of bad luck.
And the boots?' Invent on The bootsj
he replied. 4 pawned them yesterda
afternoon.
So this is Monty in full swing
Monty" with its ups and downs, il
ceaseless whirl OF gayety and dissip;
ton. There is no rest at Monte CarlC
When you are tired of play, there al
dramatic performances, there are COL
certs, there is pigeon shooting, and
the spring and summer there is plent
of yachting. But all these are only sic
issues. The Grand Trunk line of Mont
Carlo leads to the temple of mammn
It is crowded night and day by Peep
lusting for money which they have nj
earned, and it is the road to ruin.
4 l.. II. Il.