The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-10
SHEEDY's GAMBLING DEBT.
He Travelled SiNty-fve Hundred
Miles to Collect $4,000.

Miles to Collect $4,000.
St Louis Letter in Philadelphia Times
Patrick f. sheedy is one of the strang-
est men In the world. This was attested
by the fact that he arrived an st. Louis
last Monday morning after a journey of
$500 miles which had for its sole object
the collection of a s. 800 gambling debt.
He expended 81, 600 in making the trip, but
that is nothing to him. He cares nothing
for the money, but was living up to a
principle of his life He believes In paying
all he owes and collecting all that as due
him. What is more, he does it.
Sheedy is one of the most widely known
men in the world lie conducts gam
bling house In Cairo, Egypt, What is fire.
quented by every traveller. The building
belongs to the Khedive. and cost $6,OOOO0O.
Sheedy is lessee. Gambling is the chief
attraction, although amusements of all
kinds are conducted there under the vice
regal patronage. Fortunes are won and
lost in a night. Men enter the place with
$4,000 and depart empty-handed. Sull the
Casino" has not the gambling facilities
at Monte Carlo. The latter Is on much
more pretentiou5 scale than it's Egyptian
rival.
In February Frank Lawrence of St
Louis was in Egypt. He met Sheedy, and
miles from Cairo, on the opposite side of
the Nile. Lawrence played roulette and
lost Sheedy loaned him $500. Lawrence
increased his borrowings until the final
total was $500. He gave Sheedy check
for s.. $50 on account. The check was not
honored and before the matter was adj
justed $3.50 in protest fees had been pill
ed up.
Lawrence stopped the London check be-
cause he discovered that his account there
was oVerdrawn. He wrote to Sheedy ut
Alexandria, but the letter was not re-
ctiVed, and believing that the trip 20 ST
Louis WAS necessary to collect, Sheedy
came to St Louis. Sheedy thought he was
a victim. He has bulldog characteristics.
He can lose money when the cards are
against him, but he eXacts the last penny
when good cards are in his hands. He
collected the debt, and spent $1,000 10 do 1t,
the price of very luxurious easy travel
from Cairo, Egypt, TO st. Louis and re-
turn.
Pat Sheedy Is 50 years old, and has
been a gambler from boyhood. He has
seen every part of the known world, and
has conducted gambling houses In nearly
every city Of the United States. He was
the king of chance at Chicago for six years
and attained much sporting glory as the
hacker of John l.. Sullivan. He never
used Intoxicating liquors. A liberal per-
centage of his winnings goes to charity.
He is a fluent tailSer and has a ready
Uit Despite narrow education In his
youth he has acquired seven languages.
He always talks plainly. Every word is
carved before he lets IL fall He sat in the
Terminal Hotel yeranda and tod this
story of his life:
81 was BON in Clomel, Tipperary county,
Ireland and came 10 America when II
years old. l attended school at Hartford.
Conn. for a time, and while there be-
Iaf 4
1 could bunco any boy in the class at
game Of chance. We used TO receive merit
notes and play for them al the end OF the
week Ny parents died and went out in
the world TO earn living. Somehow l
couldn't avoid the Old temptation, and in
the course of a very brief time ! was out
of my position and IN the gambling bust
ness. was encouraged by many sue
cesses. and soon became a professional
gambler | located In Boston, and after
winning several thousand dollars l went
to New York
"'rhere / opened a faro bank In 1870. ]
reaped a golden harvest in two years and
Travelled extensively, crossing the Pacific
ocean and taking in China and japan. All
the while ! gambled there, and many were
The times / got low in pocket. l settled IN
Chicago ten or twelve years ago and ran a
wide-open house in that city for a long
time and next became the manager of John
-.
the million mark joined in the games and
frequently wound up disheartened and
penniless. once 1 had 81 100000 in the palm
of nv hand An hour afterward couldn't
Law claim to a penny. sat three days and
four nights in a poker game.
when the so-cailed gambling hells were
suppressed in Chicago my purse contained
something in the neighborhood Of 100000.
l thought a smooth man could put hole
I'm the bank at Monte Carlo with that
amount. ] put up very little at the start
and gathered in quite a few francs. Then
| became boider and one evening l walked
into the place with 100000 francs. ] came
out lacking the price of supper / con-
cluded that Monte Carlo was too strong for
me and fastened TO other climes.
II remained three months in Russia, the
same time in Germany and about half
year in Asia Minor l learned German and
Russian without great difficulty and mas
tered the Arabic in seven weeks. After
considerable knocking about / landed in
Bombay, India, where l introduced Amer
lean gambling methods. | left Bombay in
the fall of 1892 with a snug fortune and
drifted to Cairo, Egypt. The casino there
was formerly the palace of Ismail Pasha,
grandfather Of the present Khedive. He
built it at cost Of 100000 When he was
forced to abdicate in 1882 the magnificent
palace was knocked down under the ham,
mer for a nominal price.
mo one could make it pay as a hotel
perceived a golden opportunity and avail
ed myself of it. / procured a twenty-five
year lease on the property and altered IL
to suit my own IDEAS. Every traveller
passing through Cairo patronizes the cast
no. We have balls, parties and recep-
tons every afternoon Towards evening
the merrymakers flock to the gaming ta-
bles, The wheel OF fortune, arranged as