St. Paul daily globe., 1895-06-02
WORKED THE GAMBLERS.
How shrewd Clerks Fcasted at q
- Faro Bank.

T. Faro Bank.
Chicago Times-Herald
Two big trucks backed up in front
of No. 1874 Clark street yesterday aft
ernoon, and in a few minutes men
in oVeralls began to carry tables and
chairs out of George V. Hankins old
gambling house and load them into
the vehicles at the curb. The street
soon became almost impossible with
curious onlookers, and the police had
to make a passageway through which
the men could carry the gambling
paraphernaIia to the wagons. Among
the spectators were gamblers who had
been employed in the house for years
and others who had been regular GUS
toners" of the place.
The house had been closed since
Mayor Hopkins put a stop to gambling
last December. All the implements
had since been stored on the fourth
floor of the building, and they were
hauled away yesterday because the
structure is to be torn down May 1
to make way for d skyscraper. The
destruction of the building removes
one of the most widely known gam
bling houses in America 1t was
opened May /, 1880, by George V. Han
kins, and those who claim to know
say that it cleared for it's owner
more than $1000000. When Hankins
went into the place he bought it from
Cap Rounds who was running
what gamblers termed a shotgun"
house. on account of the small stakes
played for. Rounds occupied only one
room on the second floor, but when
Hankins took possession he leased the
entire floor.
1t cost Hankins about $1,000 to start
the house, and part of this he was
obliged to borrow. In less than a
month he had paid back the borrowed
money. The house made money from
the day he opened 1t, and for years
penseS were 81, 1,000.
After the place had been running
about a year Hankins introduced a
novel and profitable feature. AT
o'clock every day he spread a free
luncheon for lhis customers, which
consisted of the best edibles in the
market. Hankins had observed that
most of the players would go to din
ner between ) and o'clock, and it
was to keep them in the house that he
evolved the idea of a free luncheon.
The luncheon became so popular
that Hankins rented the floor above
his gambling house and turned it
into a restaurant. He had cooks and
walters galore. and the patrons of the
house were served handsomely. All
this was free, and the fame of Han
kins spread from New York to San
Francisco. Restaurant keepers in the
neighborhood lost many customers in
consequence of Hankins' free dinner
and with Mayor Harrison's aid they
compelled him to discontinue the feat
ure. Scores of clerks who worked
down town would chance % or 50
cents at some game just for the sake
amusing stories are told of how young
fellows used to scheme to get a din
ner for nothing. Two would go into
the house together and play at the
faro table. One would play s. one
way on a card and the other would
"copper" his bet. By this play one
would win S. and the other would
lose s.. Then they would go up stairs
to the restaurant and eat 81 worth of
provender.
After the restaurant was discontin-
ued Hankins put gambling tables on
this floor. He then had about twenty
five tables in the house, five of these
being faro. For years the house ad-
mitted on an average of 1900 players a
day.
One of the rules of the house was
that no employe could advance money
to a player on personal property.
When the house was in full blast
it employed fifty men. Every Sunday
in the year the house closed at 8
o'clock in the morning and did not
open until o'clock the following day
Gamblers all say that it was "squars
game and if an employe was caught
cheating he was instantly discharged.