The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-05-14


Highly InterestIng-B Backum and the
.'WellIngtOn Boot system"-A Talk with
Mr.. Spectator, n Man who KnOwa-
But who should this be slipping some
iced vermouth at the marble table bpt
an old friend whom / 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 n cent It is his occupa-
ton in life to be an observer Of things
and to mark the ways Of man and wom-
an kind In the summer he will mark
them at Aix-les- -Bains, at Lausanne or
at TrouYille. 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.
istration2 Why didn't he make his dec
laration? They knew well 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 a 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 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. lady,
who had not gone farther than Nice,
received some weeks afterward a hand
some remittance from England. She
went back blthely to Monty" repaid
the 3 louis, re-entered the Casino, and
| backing the douze dernier, not forgetting
zero, won $500. You are not to be-
| heve," added Mr.. Spectator, "a 1.-THE Of
the sensational stories printed about
ruined gamesters hanging themselves to
trees i'll 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 a fresh story
to tell you about an infallible system fOl
winning at roulette, and this time he re
galed me with succinct narrative OF
what 1 may call the Wellington boot
system. Captain Backum had played
for many years q large number of sys
TENS, and by the time he was five and
forty had played away a handsome for
tune. A happy thought occurred to him
IIe always wore Wellington boots. HI,
capital was Just 5 louis This l.,
changed into franc pieces, and he new
er staked more than one piece at a time
and if he won he withdrew his stakes aft
cr the third cout His winnings he care
fully placed in a side pocket, and when
ever he had won four pieces he change,
them into louis and slipped the coli
into one of his boots. He played 70
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, 'and only last week
found Backum 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
2 system?' asked. Utter collapse, b
replied 'Confounded run of bad luck.
And the boots?' went ON. The boots.
he replied. 1 pawned them yesterda
afternoon.
So this is Monty" in full swing
| Monty" with its ups and downs, il
ceaseless whirl of gayety and dissips
tion. There is no rest at Monte Carlo
When you are tired of play, there M
l dramatic performances, there are cor
, certs, there is pigeon shooting, and j
The spring and summer there is plent
Of yachting But all these are only sid
issues. The Grand Trunk line Of Mont
Carlo leads to the temple of mammor
, 1t is crowded night and day by peopl
lusting for money which they have NJ
! earned, and it is the road to ruin
; London Telegraph
, The BARRIERS Little Joke.
! Il see you wear a Grand Army bu