The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-01
@uinn'S Way of Proving
The Fact.
He Gives a Practical IlluStra-
: tiOn of Several Tricks.
Deals Big Poker Hands and Throws
Dice TO Win.

known in various parts OF tie country
and Is no stranger to Providence. AT one
time he became a rather familiar figure
through the agency of the Young Mems
Christian Association, VINO wished to
show the public. through frightfnl
example, the willy pitfalls and snarss to
which the youth OF the land were exposed
by professional rogues whose wits were
sharpened for the money OF willing VIC
tins. Quinn used to call his exhibit
great moral expose show and attracted a
deal o; attention from the uninitiated.
He has turned up in NewY York and runs
an institution TO teach the public how
not TO gamble at 55S broadway, and but
for the signs sprinkled about the room
warning visitors that no money will be
allowed. to change hands one might al
most believe he had drifted into the
gambling rarlors of the Pennsylvania
club at Long Branch. The games
are all there, but the artistic surround
ings, the heavy velvet carpets and the
rich and highly illuminated portieres
which have made Daly's gam bling house
famous the world over are missing. In
stead there is only the hard wood floor OF
a Broadway office building, bare walls
except for signs warning visitors against
pick pockets and the notices that they
must not indulge in gambling
Mr.. John Philip Quinn, reformed
gam bier, reserves all rights to gam bled to
himself and has established the gam
bling house for the purpose OF teaching
the public what little chance it has OF
winning when "running up against"
professional gam blers. His aim and OBJ
ject in life, as he expresses 1t, is to better
the condition of mothers and children by
teaching the father and husband the evils
Of the practice, and at the same timo
proving to him fy ersonal observation
how badly Handicapped he IL when he
attempts to win money at gambling
games from those Who have made the su b.
ject Of how to make money without
working for 1t a lifelong study.
10 properly prove to his audience the
utter hopelessness of "bucking the
tiger" Mr.Quinn has secured gambling
parsphernalia from sIl parts OF the
country and has So up tile various
games and devices Ia his gam bling room
where he lectures and describes the
game dozen or fifteen times a day:
He alleges that he has led a life of
gambling ever since he was a boy until
few yeas ago, when he was pardoned
out of Jeffersonville Prison after being
proved innocent of goldbrick swindle
for which he had served Ii months.
While IN prison he state that he realized
the evil lifo he was leading ana after Sc
curing his freedom he determined to de-
vote the balance of his life to exposing
the frauds perpetrsted by gamble he
has been supported in his WORK 10y
wealthy churchmen, and has appeared in
ssveral.lsrge cities, both in the East and
West, where he has delivered many lectures
Quinn opened his Establishment at 55S
Bro ad way last week, and has lectured to
four thousand or nve thousand persons
daily since. The big, bsrn-like room in
which he conducts bis crusade Is fitted
up with eight gambling devices. AS
you enter the. room by the side OF screen
the street you are confronted with
"keno' layout whichseveral year ago could
be seen at various places in Broadway and
was ope My plsyeo. A roulette wheel ana
layout come next, and just peyo nd Is the
"bee hive" a game which is almost un-
known here, being played principally at
FAIRS and country race tracks In the West.
Hazard, also a Chicago game, occupies
the attention OF the visitor next, and
then his attention is directed to
"spindle," or "red aud white" game.
The spindle wheel was used by the Duke
OF Gloucester at Gloucester, N. j.,
when gam bling was the chief INDUSTRY of
that interesting little village. An arrow
placed in a W heel revolves on q pivot, and
when brought TO a stop points tn some
number which the player may have bet
on or may not.
A "Coney Island baseball tivoli" game
next attracts attention n, and then faro
yout aud "derby board" which, as
its name implies, Suggests tho race track.
These games are usually to he seen at
country fairs and race tracks, and, ac-
cording to MIR. Quinn, are "suro win
ners," inssmuch as they are slways un-
der the control of the dealer and can DO
stopped at any time and a. any number,
according TO the betting. In fact, each
1 implement OF gam bling is connected by
springs with the table upon which the
layout IL set, and the operator can at
will turn IL IN any way he wishes. Mr..
Quinn draws particular attention to the
fact that where the dealer mas so large .
percentage OF the game ss to be ole TO
control its mechanism the public GER
tsinly has no chance OF becoming rich
by playin against II.
I'm an inner room Mr.. Quinn delivers
his lecture to the audience, when the
young men who are interested with him
in the crusade.complete their tour OF the
main room and description of the gam
lin paraphernslis exhibited there. In this
smaller room Mir. Quinn has erected a
small pulpit, and he opens each dis
couras with prayer ask mo that soma one