The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-25
THE GAMBLERS LAST NIGHT
After Uninterrupted License for
Years the Games Stop

For more than thirty years without in
terruption, except for brief period in
1895, licensed gambling has had full sway
in Montana, but on the night of June 80,
1897, promptly at the hour of -, in &C
cordance with requirements of the
Chandler anti-gambling law, all games
were closed boxes turned down, dealers
settled their accounts, turning the
money over to their respective houses
and by l o'clock not even a social game
of cards for cigars could be found
For the last few weeks the members
of the gambling fraternity have been
taking counsel with one another ard
with the leading members of the legal
profession regarding the ACCESSIBILITY of
testing the new anti-gambling law, to
find if any possible flaw could be de-
tected in the statute or in the manner of
its enactment. A plan of procedure had
been carefully arranged, in such event,
by which one of the principal gambling
houses of Helena should remain open in
defiance of the new law each of the lead
ing houses throughout the. state being
ready to stand a portion of the expense
of the test Bonds were to have been
in readiness, and the case would have
been taken at an early date into the state
supreme court for decision. But the
unanimous opinion of the legal experts
was to the effect that the fight would re-
suit only in useless expense as the new
law was invulnerable and would stand
all tests of the courts which could be
brought against it.
few local houses declared their de-
termination to keep open until the MORN
ing of July l. and while this doubtless
might have been done with impunity, as
the officers of the law were not disposed
to be captious, yet as the final day ap-
preached there was no gambling house
proprietor or owner of the building in
which the games were run who was will
ing to take the risk of mourning the
heavy penalties imposed, as the new law
is so sweeping in its declarations that
owners of property in which games are
conducted are also included.
| Contrary to universal expectation,
there was excitement during the last
hours of legalized gambling, and the
play did not run high. There were no
remarkable winnings on either side;
winnings and losings were small, and
| few bets overran $25. In Helena, Butte
and other principal cities of the state
large crowds were present, the halls be-
coming densely packed as the hour for
closing approached, but nine-tenths of
the crowd were spectator and rather an
unusual lot Of spectators at that. Not a
few were there for the first time in their
lives drawn by curiosity; others were
old-timers, who had many a time taken
a hand in the games of the early days,
when bets were backed with piles of
shining gold dust and when thousands
were staked upon the turn of the card.
The players were good natured, joking
over the situation, and as the hour of
IL approached many bets were made that
1.-THE games would not close on the stroke
of the clock. In the largest house in
Helena several faro tables were run
ming up to the last moment and money
was rapidly changing hands. The clock
| struck; one of the dealers announced:
Gentlemen, this game is closed The
| remaining dealers, having finished the
| final deal, stopped all within one minute
of each other, and the twelfth stroke had
scarcely died away when all was over