The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-09-14

"CRAI'S."
Game Was Introduced i'm New Or.
Ieans Society 100 Years AgO.

Ot&DhG wa new OE~
leans Society 100 Years Ago.
Savannah (Ga.) News: If there is one
game to which the Savannah negro is
devoted above all others it is craps. City
or country, it is all alike. On Sunday
the country negroes gather in little
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-
ceiVed 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 10 dollars.
The Savannah bootblaclxs and news
boys, like those of any other city, gamble
away their earnings, and many a game
is carried on in the lanes, the players
often becoming so interested that they
lose all thought of the policeman until
that worthy appears III their midst and
nabs a 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 craps
in fascination for them, and that is pol
ICY and as policy is more liable to be
interfered with by the police, craps has
all the advantage.
There are destinations about the game
peculiarly African. 1t is not without it's
intricacies; the ordinary "come seven,
come eleven" plan of the game is simple
players, and there may be a half dozen
interested in the game and a dozen side
bets. How they manage to keep the run
of the game is a mystery to the ordinary
observer but they do so with unerring
accuracy. Fights over crap games are
rare.
The expressions common TO the game
are amusing New dress f." de baby"
exclaims one. "See my gal Sunday
night excaims 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 a 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
ill Harper'S, is of New Orleans origin,
and over one hundred years DID, 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 20
was the inventor, father, of "craps,"
and brought it in high favor as the fash
ionable gambling of the day. When ne
laid off his plantation, just below the
then city Of 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 he had lost the money he re-
ceived from the lots on that street in this
faVorite game of his 1t Ten lined Craps
street until Few years ago, when a pro-
test was raised against such a disrep-
utable name for a very quiet and respect
able street, especially given to churches.
After Bern lrd Marigny's death craps as
i gambling game descended in the social
scale. and vas finally Tno1opolized main
ly by negroes and street ganins.