Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-02-16
SEGRETS OE AlAE&AaG
Lucky Numbers and Some
Strange Fatalities
CANDIDATES FORSUlCIDE
Systems Founded on Reasons Which
Even the Casino Company Cannot
Find out-The Various Degrees G
pamnatlon Of the Place.

Damnatlon OF the Place,
did not stop In Monte Carlo long,
but while waiting for train | went 70
the gambling house or casino door,
gave my name and address, according
to custom, received a card OF admis-
sion and entered the room.
wandered over to one Of the tables
which was crowded with players. Just
what game was being played | never
knew and never asked. for | knew
very little about gambling. Probably
those who have been there, or are
familiar with the gentle art" VIII
know what the game was when | de-
scribe it, The table was covered with
green and red cloth. If | am not mis-.
taken which was was marked of into
spaces. where the players threw their
gold. The dealer threw a certain nun.
Der of cards, face upward and unOn
them depended the WINNINGS OF los
ings. One large space seemed to be
specially unfortunate for the players.
II lost again and again. the croupier
raking In the big piles. By and by
threw a twenty-franc gold piece upon
the space thinking It had lost so many
times II was now in the law of chance
time for Il to win. But ] was unfaml-
lar with gambling house methods. The
crowd gathered more densely about
the table. and | was pushed back by
those 10 the manner born" Before
I could again get to the table and hold
up my money. my 20 franc niece had
won six times. doubling Of course,
each time. I poured the 1880 francs
into my pocket and left the place.
have however. since talked with a re-
tired Monte Carlo oflcer, and he has
told me the following, speaking OF the
roulette wheel:
Although it is impossible to direct
the wheel according to ones wishes.
that doesn't exclude System" There
are good and bad systems, hnt
the majority Of those have seen adj
vanced have IN them a kernel of vcri-
similitude. It's perfectly true that
seven times ont Of ten either "27' or
80" follow upon zero" Ten years
OF observation taught ME that ~ and
80" are lucky numbers and that '35
IS invariably followed by 81, 33.
"S4 "35" or "36. but the why and
wherefore is as much q puzzle to Ell
concerned as the real state Of THINGS
on Mars. ! saw the bank tremble a
hundred times under the continuous
onslaught Of the figures named; time
and again I attended deliberations OF
the directors and the croupiers irving
TO get nj the bottom of the mystery.
All theories and combinations. el
changes IN arrangements of the tables
failed. The only remarkable thing
repeated examinations by exner s
yielded was that every wheel has a lit
tie idiosyncrasy OF Its own. some tri
fling imperfection or superstition ex
erting certain tendencies.
"Of course. suicide candidates prof
tied by this uncomfortable inclination
of the wheel as well as the next per
son. but In most cases the gain was
temporary only When myself and
the croupiers OF the suicide table saw
man or woman succumb to the gam
bling fever we were struck with hOr
ror, anticipating danger whether the
party won or lost, for the respite In
voived by good luck was hardly Of
much account, seeing that the ANA
teur who wins never knows when hi!
stroke Of good luck is exhausted anS
jeopardlzes his gains as quickly al
they are made.
II am not superstitious by an,
means. but can't bring myself TO doub
that a strange fatality attaches to tn
so-called suicide table. Its an octopus
that sucks In victims from all part
OF the globe. Our croupiers are hard
ened men to be sure-its their busi
ness to be soulless to be machines
but the suicide table has. to my know
edge given three or four of Their
heart disease.
whether any of the suicide cand
dates have q fOrebOding of evil whe'
they come to our table don't know
certain It is that few try hard to es
cape their goal. They come fianke
by hunchbacks, loaded down w't
amulets. primed with prayers, or hol.
ing pieces of hangman S rome 5vlwee
their fingers Others Try to insur
their fortune by laying the croupie
100 francs before the days work be
gins. OF course he accepts the brib,
Why shouldn't he? He isn't tampe'
ing with his employers profits.
Nothing daunts these suicide car
didates. though. There is a traditio
in Monte that combinations and syl
TENS don't 20" between the hours {
$50 and 1880 p. M. and ! am quit
sure that there are more exception
to that rule than to the otNar inc
plainable wheel laws alre - mel
toned. Yet the suicide table IS crow
ed with wheel cranks during thes
fatal periods. while all other wheel
run low.
"One day five seasons ago my neigl
Dor at the table was a young Parisial
He sat In one of the one death chair
and won and won When the dooi
closed he carried of 200 600 franc
Imagine my dreadful anticinatio
when, next morning, found him 81
ting 20 the left of the croupier. I fc
like tearing him away or slipping
card into his hard warning hi
against the awful significance Of II
chair he had chosen, but my oficl
character forbade me to interior
and. besides. my advice would has
been scorned in all probability. for q
fellow gambled like one mad. He To-
and lost He lost the winnings Of q
day before and 200 600 francs of b
own money. I saw the cold swe.
stand on his face. 7 saw the 600.
skin on his head. When his last tho
sand franc note was gone he rose ar
swayins to and no like q duunkar
stumbled out Of the hall. laughing il
moderately. The next day he ".
IA