The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24

Heavy Play Going on in Montana
With Politicians as the High Rol-
ZION the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Butte, Mont Dec. IA think had the
Prince of Monaco been in Helena during
the past two weeks" said a well-known
gambler. "he might have suffered at least
slight pangs Of jealousy I have travelled
not little myself; have seen Mexican
barons enter gambling houses accompa-
MED by hveried servants carrying bags
OF silver, to play monte; have dealt King
FARO in Chicago during its palmy days;
nave seen stiff poker games in Washing
ton and New York, and for the past five
years have been up and down the Pacific
Slope from Seattle to San Diego, but
thing the games in Helena during the past
month or six weeks were as good an ex-
ample OF 'high-roling' as l ever Witnessed.
Strange to say, the heaviest play was at
the roulette wheel. The limit on numbers
was so. which pay IS for /; and every one
seemed anxious to play that limit There
was apparently coterie of politicians de-
ternined to break the game, and when
three or four of them would agree on a
given number and stack up their checks
on top Of one another's the house would
stand TO win $40 on the roll or lose 81, 400,
and many times they were fortunate
enough to strike it. AS an Individual in
stance, one player was $1,000 loser; four
rolls later he was over $1,000 winner
"Of course, they did not always play the
same system and while some were dis
posed to hedge their bets by playing the
colors or columns, most of the play was
on the individual numbers; that Is, they
took the most desperate chances, and
when they made a Strike their winnings
We're enormous Night after night the
winnings of the house were from 5000 to
$1,000; then again the pungers would car
ry away immense winnings, at one time
their balance being over $4,000.
There was one of the party who had
favorite number and just as the dealer
was about to spin the little ball the play
er remarked: I have a bunch that No. II
will win and I'm going to play it in every
conceivable way Still within the limit,
by means of playing the various columns,
colors low, odd numbers, etc, he had a
total Of $40 placed on the table, and if II
had appeared on the winning number he
would have drawn down 81 $40. But his
'hunch was poor, and he lost Still he
perSevered and finally won his bet, but as
il took ten or twelve turns to bring the
desired number he was not much ahead
on his mental tip.
"Great care was required in order to
see that all bets were within the limit and
that the players had their bets placed as
desired, 1 must admit that while it was
rather slow game in action, fully fifteen
minutes being required to make a roll it
was fast enough in a monetary sense. 1t
was a nervous strain never experienced
before; you may smile and say Rats,
but with crowd limited only by the ca
pacity of the room for spectators, with
both speed and accuracy required in tabu-
lating the result in your head when you
are beaten in three or four different ways
on one number. one realizes that there are
even responsibilities for roulette wheel
er. The queer part of 1t is that while you
may study the roulette game and figure
that the house has a most excellent per-
centage as compared with faro and 9TH
ers, those politicians simply had a streak
of luck that was insurmountable, and as
near as 1 can judge. they put by nearly
$4,000 in the two weeks of the Welcome
trial.
"At the same time King Faro was not
neglected. A gentleman's game from
which the ordinary element was excluded,
was the scene of an extraordinarily
heavy play. The game was domiciled in
a room a. one of the leading hotels, with
a $100 limit, which on the last turn could
be raised to $500. Well it never closed
until the excitement at the Court House
was over. At the end when the para
phernalia was taken back to the regular
| establishment the one game was between
$55, 900 and $4,000 winner, which is, be-
lieve, the stiffest game of its kind played
| in recent years"