Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-09-16

Gcmc Was Introduced i'm New Or
lcnMM Society 100 Ycars Arm

Ecme Was Introduced in New Or
lcnns Society 100 Years Ago.
savannah (Ga.) News: II there Is one
game to which the Savannah negro is
devoted above all others it is craps. City
or country. 1t is all alike. On Sunday
groups in the shade of trees. out of sight
OF the "big house." and play all day
long, or until the wages which they re-
celved on Saturday night are gone. In
the cities they gather on the wharves,
In the corners of warehouses, or any
. favorable spot out of sight Of the COP"
and play for any amount they may pos
sess, from coppecs to dollars.
Ths Savannah bootblacks and news
boys like those of any other city, gamble
away their earnings, and many q game
is carried on in the lanes, the PLAYERS
often becoming SO interested that they
lose all thought of the policeman until
mat worthy appears in their midst and
nabs couple Of the players. White boys
play the game. too, but negroes of all
sizes and ages shoot craps. There is
only one other game which EQUALS Grams
In fascination for them. and that is pol
icy. and. as policy is more liable to be
interfcred with by the police, craps has
all the advantage
There are destinations about the game
peculiarly African. 1t is not without it's
tntricacies; the ordinary "come seven.
come eleven" plan of The game is simple
enough, but there is crowd around the
players, and there may he q half dozen
intert sted in the game and dozen side
bets. How they manage to keep the run
or the game is mystery to the ordinary
observer, but they do so with unerrinE
accuracy. Fights over rap games are
rare.
The expressions common to the game
are amusing. New dress f.: de baby"
exclaims one: "see my gal Sunday
NIGH night exelaims another DE little
number shows up. II eight you," says
another, meaning that he bets that num-
Der. will not turn up before the 'lucky
seven.' And so it goes.
The city council Of New Orleans has
just passed law making the game of
craps illegal. 1t does not matter where
IS is played, whether in the streets, in
the club or at home craps is specially
singled out as the most depraved Of gam
bling games, not to be tolerated any,
where. The game, according to writer
III Harpers. is of New Orleans origin,
and over one hundred years old. Bernard
de Marigny, who entertained Louis Phil
lipe when he came 20 Loui ,ana, and who
stood seventy years ago at the head of
the creole colony of the state as it's most
wealthy and prominent citizen-he was
entitled to call himself marquis in Fran :e
was the inventor Or father, of "craps,"
and brought it in high favor as the fash
lonable gambling of. the day. When ne
laid off his plantation, just below the
then city If New Orleans-it is now the
Third district but was then the Faubourg
Marigny and divided it up into lots, he
named one Of the principal streets
Craps" and explained that he did so
because ne had lost the money he 3e-
ceived from the lots on that street in this
favorite game of his. 1t .e4nlined Craps
street until 4 cew years ago, when a pro-
test was raised against such disrep-
able street, especially given to churches.
After Bern lrd Ma:ignys death craps as
gambling game descended in the social
scale. and vas finally rno1opolized main"
ly by negroes and street gamins.