The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-04-09
ON THE ROAD TO RUIN
STORIES OF THE TEMPLE OF MAN.
MON AT MONTE CARLO.

Highly InterestinE-B Backum and the
"weIIington boot System'-A Talk with .
Mr.. Spectator, q Man Who Knows.
But who should this be slipping some
iced vermouth nc tho marble table brit .
an old friend whom ! viii call Mr.. .
Spectator. He lives at Monte Carlo, lac .
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 Ii is his occupa- I
tion in life 10 be an observer of things I
and to mark the ways Of man and wOm- I.
an kind. In the summer he will mark /
them at Aix-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 90 TO the admin.
istratiun? Why didn't lie 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
If that He was fool. sir go
Mr.. Spectator went ON 10 explain that
chen cleaned ont 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
| ration 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 hand
some remittance from England. She
went back blithely TO Monty" repaid
| the . louis, re-entered the Casino. and
hacking the douze dernier, not forgetting
zero, won $500. "You are not To be-
lieve, added Mr.. Spectator, "a tithe OF
the sensational stories printed about
ruined gamesters hanging themselves to
trees in the gardens. or blowing out
their brains i'll the reading room " The
majority of these canarCls 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 If
what / may call the Wellington bo, I
system" Captain Backum had played
tor many years a large number of sys-
ems, 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 His
capital was Just luuis. This he
, changed into 3 franc pieces, and he new
er staked more than one piece ut 4 time,
md if lie won be Withdrew his stakes aft
- the third cous. His winnings he care
Tully placed in 4 side pocket, and when.
ever he had won four pieces he changed
them into louis and slipped the coin
into one of his boots. He played for
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 he
had won 100 louis.
This was two years ago, " continued
Mr. Spectator, land only last week ]
found Backum at third class hotel at
Nice. He was i'll dressing gown and
slippers and looking by no means cheer
fol. How about the Wellington boot
SYSTEM: | asked. Utter collapse h,
replied 'Confounded run of bad luck
And the boots:' went ON. The boots:
lac replied. i pawned them yesterday
afternoon. -
80 this is Monty in full swing
Monty" with its ups and downs, il.
ctaseless whirl of gayety and dissipa
tion. There is no rest at Monte Carlo.
When you are tired Of play, there are
dramatic performances, there are con.
certs, there is pigeon shooting, and in
the spring and summer there is plenty
of yachting. But all these are only side
issues. The Grand Trunk line of Monte
Carlo leads 10 the temple of mammon
1t is crowded night and day by people
lnsting for money which they have not
earned, and it is the road to ruin
London Telegraph.