Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-27
AND OPEN
Is the Entrance to the Lair OF
the Tiger.
GAMBLING RESUMED in CITY
In Open Defiance of the Law faSseo
By the Last Legis-
lature
RESUMED IN CITY

Like necessity, the gambling fraternity
of Butte kroweth no law, at any rate t"e
tiger, after having ~hibeEnated for a prlel
season. has come forth from ms hiolhs
place, is doing business at the Ola stahu,
anxious for essaying tail twlsters TO come
his way. Gambling in Butte is as VIDE
open and above board today as 1t was IN
the old davs when it was licensed by au-
thority from the state. The Chahdler
anti-gambling law, within the munlcl-
nality of Butte is void, apparently, and
might as we'll not be on the statute BOOKS.
There is no secrecy about it. The doors
are open and he who wishes may enter.
About a year ago the city and county
! officials Joined issues and made a rad on
the gambling houses of the city. Inc
I PRINCIPALS. callers and players were ar
rested. and later in court paid fines pro-
%portionate to their Importance as MEM
bers of the fraternity. The dealers were
fined 500 each. while the white chip
! fends. representing the smaller end OF
the tin horn. paid s. fines, and KING FARO
was temporarily dethroned. And for a
few weeks thereafter the face cards on the
layouts were turned towards the wall.
Then the gamblers started up again., at
first cautiously, and later openly. Shortly
after the converting of the present session
of the legislature, n Saturday night,
every gambling room in the city was sud-
| denly closed, as though @ mandate had
been issued from some one high IN their
councils. Possibly the sudden cessation
was for effect, upon the counsel of some
adviser.
A representative of the Inter Mountain
has for several nights in succession dur
ing the past week visited the various
gambling institutions, and those who I'M
agine that a pass word is necessary to eff
feet an entrance are mistaken. OF course,
the gambling rooms invariably are on the
second floor. In the old c ombination,
which has probably handled as much
money in it's time as any financial institu-
ton in the city, the route is up one fight
Of stairs and through a door at the left
which opens into the lair of the tiger. At
the door of this room, on the inside, sits
a man, whose duty, presumably is to scan
all who enter, but he does nothing more
than to draw his salary, and pays but
scant attention to guests of the house.
In this room are the faro lay-outs, and
two round-the-table stud horse poker
ables. To one who frequented the Com
bination in the old days when gambling
was not a felony, the place looks quits
natural. The same crowd is there, the
Bearded, unkempt prOspector, who has
Just received the Smelter returnS on a
shipment of ore which probably took him
six months to dig out Of the bowels of the
earth. He is anxious to become separated
from his money; the dealer is as anxious
to furnish the entering wedge and the two
mutual desires are soon realized upon.
The peg leg fruit vender stumps about
the place, and does business as of yore.
end the same crowd of smooth. hungry
tin horns, hover about the layouts, alert
for sleeper bets. and ready to give the
glad hand to the prospector, should he
win, or the hot foot should he lose.
There were in the room at the time of the
Inter Mountain reporters visit probably
200 people.
The Combination gets the crowd, even
as it did in the old days. In the NJ. & NJ.
there is also q Waterman, but he dozed ir
his chair when the reporter passed into
the gambling room. Here are also three
faro layouts, all busy, with plenty OF
patrons, although not as many We're ir
the room as were in the Combination
Three stud horse" poker tables were do.
ing an Indifferent business. the deal fol.
loving the buck" around the table
However. the places are apparently more
orderly and better conducted than in tn,
old days, as on none of the reporters Wis,