The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-20
A GAMBLING HOUSE ron WOMEN.
"DreadfnI Scenes" That May owe
Something 10 the Writer'S Fancy

Something 10 the Writer'S Fancy.
From the St. James Gazette.
My informant is a single lady of title.
who is in the habit, though she does
not own TO It. of undertaking profess
sional commissions for a private detec-
tive agency. She said that she had Joined
the club because she thought It would be
useful" to her. She at once made II
her business to get on intimate terms
with the manageress and TO ferret out
all the secrets OF the place.
The club was situated in the region
bounded by oxford street. Bond street,
and Piccadilly. 1t was managed by a wo-
man with French name, who was gem
orally known as madame but who spoke
English like a native There was man
OF pronounced Jewish phssiognomy who
was occasionally to be seen In madame >
private room, where he was generally
reading over the accounts. He came and
went by a private door at the back. Some
Of the ladies make Jokes about him, bu,
Lady Sally, my informant, ascertained
that he financed madame, and, in short,
was the real owner.
The club was, In fact, polite gambling
hell for fashionable ladies' only which
disguised itself as "a club. Rooms were
set aside for various games. There was Il
whist room. There was fine billiard
room, with two tables, which, however,
were seldom used. There was q room for
nondescript games like rubicon- bezique;
there was another where baccarat went
on. There was also a large chamber where
at certain hours-that Is, between ana
T. and again after dinner, until almost
any hour-there were a roulette table
and a bank. at which madame and an
other woman, who was understood to be
her sister, took ! y turns to act as crou-
piers.
AS the bank would not play unless con-
siderable number of players were present.
and the maximum amount possible 10 be
stal<ed was by no means high In COM
parison with the minimum, everyt thing was
in favor OF the bank, which, as a rule
won largely. 1t was rule that all gam
bling debts must be settled before the
debtor left the club. and at the same time
madame was usually ready to lend cash to
those who had been feeced, in order to
enable them TO settle up. 80
In exchange for these loans she receiv-
ed stamped paper adorned with aristo-
cratic signatures. Sometimes there were
difficulties in getting these documents re-
deemed. Some ladies' brought jewels in
stead, and left them In pawn until they
could pay. Others made scenes, wept
shrieked, implored went down on their
knees to madame In the little back room.
Madame's rule was strict and unvarying.
To the ladies whose credit was really good
THAT spirited relations) was given as
much time az they wanted, provided they
cent. discount
When the debt reached a large amount
they we're pi essed remorselessly, and IL
even then they could not pay their rela-
tons were applied to. In one of these
cases, when the final threat had been used
to her, an unfortunate woman went
straight home and took an overdose of
choral rather than face the exposure and
disgrace.
There was one mode of relief which
madame was always open to grant If the
embarrassed lady could introduce num-
Der of new members who would be profit
able to the club time was readily given to
her. One lady who was deep in debt to the
club introduced no fewer than twenty
three young girls. who, in consequence,
took to drinking and gambling, lost money
heavily, became deeply In debt to the club,
and had to go through various degrees Of
disgrace before. they could get free.
Drinking and smoking went on to
great extent. Once lady drank the great
er part of a bottle of green chartrouse at
a sitting, and remained for some hours in
the club In a state of total stupefaction.
Most of the ladies drank and smoked all
the time they played, and the more they
drank the more reckless they became.
Once, at a game of poker, two ladies rose,
seized each others hair and fought till
they were separated by force. Dreadful
scenes OF all kinds occurred.
The profit on the drink sold was enor-
nous. Some idea of the rate of IL may be
gathered from the fact that some of the
prices were as follows: Eighteen pence for
brandy and soda, Is or 1Sd for small
liquor glass OF liquor, guinea bottle for
ordinary sweet champagne, l2s Cd for half
a bottle, Sd for cigarette. and Is for a
small cigar which may have cost the club
at wholesale price about a halfpenny.