The San Francisco call., 1899-01-29

The Emperor frowns on gambling in
all its forms. In the great clubs, mill
tary officers government functionaries
and others who depend upon the royal
favor hesitate to be seen at the tables.
1t was, therefore, to supply a longfelt
want that the famous Club der FrOh-
HChen" was started. The members con-
sisted Of officers of the Guards, of cav
airy regiments in the neighborhood of
Berlin, officials from the different min
istrles, members of the ReiChstag and
the Prussiau Diet, with a sprinkling
Of bankers, racing men and Bourse
operators. Though called club, the
Der Frohlichen" was only the loOsest
Kind of an association, with neither
clubhouse, ballot nor annual subscrip-
ton. At the beginning simply friends
met irregularly to play baccarat in
secret. As the circle widened the club
took rooms in an expensive hotel. Of
hcers and landed proprietors from the
provinces We're admitted to its revelries.
and as these could come to Berlin only
once week the gambling often went
on steadily from Saturday till Monday.
Champagne flowed, for the kitty" was
OF imposing proportions. The entrance
door was hidden by a massive mirror.
Ihe members tiptoed in and out, as
gambling friends are wont to do in the {
hotels of every land. The dangers that 4
they feared were all from the outside
ct their real danger was already with
them, for ChOpard had Joined the Club
der Frohlichen."
There had already been heavy losses
A hungarian nobleman, Baron G., had
lost 10000 marks. A young lieutenant
had been relieved of $4,000 marks be-
tween Saturday and Monday. Last
month number of smaller PLAYERS 4
were regularly cleaned out" Two cav
airy officers were forced to resign their $
commissions, and 1t is said that two 6
dismissals from the Guards had taken 9
place.
At the same time rumOrs arose that
these losses might be regarded in con-
nectlon with a new admission to the
club. He was an elderly man, distin- 6
gulshed and courteous. His entrance G
had caused some comment, for his gray Z.
hairs looked strange in such youthful, y.
boisterous company. He was so frolic-
some, however, that his age was soon .
forgiven. He lost large sums. He won 9
larger sums. In any case, he was a a
handsome winner. He would win all \
a young mans money and then lend it
back to him. He arranged" loans in y
the outside world. He soon became ex- o
tremely popular with certain members 9
who We're also noticed to be winners q
With them he gave entertainments. In =
word, he was a charming parsonage.
Suddenly, however, the rumors about g
him gained extraordinary defniteness. 9
1t was said that this charming person. a
age was the friend of Reuter- and See =
mann, two notorious card manipulators
of the Continent.
The baccarat at the Club der Froh- 6
liChen began to take on a new and q
breathless interest. Certain other mem 4
her-G htaCr tn he toll yal Oh
on the brink of ruin watched Chopard '
feverishly as he dealt out victorious 9
eights and mines night after night. |
One morning when the game was over
a group of flushed and desperate young
officers sat around the table. The floor
was deep with scattered cards. One of
them began idly to range up, side by
side, lot of lucky eights and mines.
He turned them face down, as if to do
a trick. Then, suddenly, he started up
with a ferocious "Gott in Himmel!"
They had discovered Chopard's trick
The cards were marked, and yet not
marked,
Now baccarat is the most honest
looking of all banking games in this,
that the bank" changes frequently
from hand to hand. One moment your
friend may be banking. He goes
broke" Then you say, Here are 5000
marks. Does anybody bid more for the
bank?" Without entering deeply into
the details of the game, it may be said
that all the players, ranged into two
groups, bet against the bank, each
group Independently. The banker deals
two cards to each group-called the
right and left-and two cards to him
self. The best combination is the num-
Der g. which may be formed by 2-7, SO,
6-ace or and any picture card Only
lhe last digit counts in the addition,
SO that and 5--for example-which
add up IA, count only 4. The winning
combination is the one that comes
nearest 10 the lucky 3. Each side con-
ceals its cards; but if a third card is
demanded, II IS given face up by the
banker At ace, ,, 8 and you ask for
a third card. At some stand. A 6 is
1alr. A is good. Both and win
on sight If formed from the first two
cards dealt. 1he highest wins when
third card is given. These are the es-
senuals of the game. The great es-
sential thing for the swindler of the I
Club der Frohlichen and his associates
was to get at the eights and mines The
way in which he marked hem without
marking them is supposed to be new !
thing in card swindling.
Inc Ordinary way Of marking cards
by means Of small dot or erasure in
one corner of the design on the hacks
would hardly DO IN large club. where
the sharper plays against a number
night after night, in the bright Iipbt
The thing has succeeded often enouph,
but marked cards are ugly things Veil
marked or Ill. They may always be dis
covered. People get into the babit of
examining the backs when they have
lost continually. To this day no one
dares say openly how Chopard or
Wolff, managed TO introduce his az
ranged packs into the Club der Frob-
lichen. There was no steward Several
members-friends of Chopard s-boueht
cards in large quantities. at varions
shops in the near neighborhood To ar
range his trick ChOpard must have
bought up cards beforehand by the
hundreds Of packs. If you will examine
any pack Of cards you will see that the
design on the backs, or account Of the
cutting and printing, does not always
occupy the relative same place. On one
card it will be nearer to the top or
nearer to one corner than another. In
this way, all playing cards, no matter
what the patterns of their backs NAV
be, are divisible into two sets, each
with an easily distinguished character.
BY patiently sorting hundreds Of packs.
Chopard produced d number of packs |
suited TO his purpose. The backs of