The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-04
DEATH OF KING FARO.
How Montana Gamblers Celebrated
the Death of the Game.

A Great Falls correspondent writes:
King Faro is dead. Legally executed
by. the law just as the hands of the
clock pointed to the hour of u mid
night. The corpse has been carried
Blackjack into the dark recesses of
the past, there to be hidden among the
archives of the forbidden. With faro
the entire family of gambling games,
which since first Montana was known
TO human habitation, has had it's sway,
has passed to the great beyond The
scenes during the past "a hours were
many. and the last hours of gambling
in Great Falls will not soon be forgot
ten. II was not a celebration, but a
loading down of the heart with spirit
uous wines and liquors to keep down
sadness. Today has been one of the
heaviest plays in the history of the
city, and from early morning the games
We're open with no lack of persons
willing TO take last legal chance to
win or lose. Even the nic1le-in- the-slot
machines were kept busy holding the
coins that for a last time will grace
the receptacle. AS the hours of even
ing drew nearer midnight great crowds
began to gather at the various halls
saloons and gambling rooms where
games were in progress. Interest was
all centered around the tables. and at
some it was impossible to go nearer
than 20 feet from the dealer. Hun
dreds were bent on being engaged in
the last gambling game ever run under
a license in the state. Two lOokouts
surrounded most of the tables, for the
dealer and one man were unable to
keep track of the various bets. Cards
were completely hidden with chips on
the board and in many instances it
IL An
tentiOn. While disputes arose over the
position of chips no serious disturbances
occurred
Some of the games gave evidence of
a last days play, and at these many
were the charges made that a fleece
game was being operated Such was
probably true in a few instances and
chips found their way to the dealers
stands regardless of how the cards
turned At one of the tables, the near
est to open warfare occurred, when the
accused dealer and 10 kOut jumped upon
a man and knocked him down. At
Has p. m. almost every place in the
city where a game was in operation
was packed TO it's utmost caDacity
Bar business was good, but little atten-
ton was paid to the several stage per-
formances going on. At this hour the
limit was taken off several games and
Monte Carlo was in full operation.
Sports then gathered around the table
and not a few plungers among the
craft tried to bet at a rivals game.
One hundred dollar bets were frequent
both at faro and poker, but the larg-
est offered was when a prominent wool
grower placed ten 500 bills on the
high card. The dealer stopped and the
proprietor was called, but the bet was
refused.
At at least two places $500 bets were
won and lost. Five minutes more"
called ont a dealer at the Milwaukee
beer hall. but no more could get
around the table to play. The minutes
were counted by the crowd around
One, two, three, four" Twelve
o'clock" was the cry that dealt the
death blow at the Milwaukee. The deals
in progress were finished and instantly
a cry went up. Gambling no more"
The first sact was the counting of
money. and at least at a majority of
the tables it is safe to say the gamblers
did not close the games broke. With
this done the box of fortune was care
fully slowed away together with pile
of vari colored chips and the last sad
rites had been performed. 1t was then
the revelry began and from place to
place the fraternity wandered, claim
ing to have turned the last card. others
discussing the manner in which the
game was conducted. the fortune of the
players and such subjects.