The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-05-23
MONTE CARLOS 1ERR|)RS
ASuicide Table Where Scores
Have Despaired.
SOME MAD GAMBLERS.

a Bridal Couples Trasedy-suleides
Know Their Fate-Few Try to Es-
cape Their Goal-Incidents Of the
Worlds Most Famous Gambling
Rooms.
To the right Of the Moorish salon, the
second from the entrance in the great
gambling rooms Of Monte Carlo, stands
the suicide table.
This accursed piece Of furniture has
a record Of causing 113 suicides in ten
years. according to the count kept by
G. Bcnvenisti, formerly chief Of the de-
tectives in this room.
Even the chairs Of this table differ
in the intensity Of their hoodooed state.
The chair to the left Of the croupier
facing the entrance door has claimed
seventeen victims. The twenty-third
chair accommodated eleven suicides.
six women and five men. The others
have records Of eight, five, four, three
and one death.
One day five years ago, writes N.
Benvenisti in the Chicago Inter-Ocean,
my neighbor at the table was young
Partisan. He sat in one Of the one
death chairs, and won. When the doors
closed he carried off 100000 francs.
Imagine my anticipations when next
morning I found him installed to the
left Of the croupier. felt like tearing
him away or slipping card into his
hand, to warn him against the seat he
had chosen. but my official character
forbade me to interfere, and, besides,
my advice would have been scorned.
for the fellow gambled like one mad.
He lost his winnings Of the day before
and 100000 francs Of his OWE money.
When his last 1000 franc note was gone
he rose, and swaying to and fro like
drun!ta I'd, stumbled out Of the hall,
laughing inmoderately.
Two Of my men led merry chase
for this unfortunate, and when they
caught up with him he jumped off the
railway bridge, knocking out his brains.
Another case that haunts my
dreams' One day an elderly gentleman,
Signor Antonio Cesare, who knew my
connection with the Casino compelled
me to give him the seat was occupy
ing, next to the croupier. did so with
q bleeding heart, for this old man was
the very picture Of health, and was
an intimate friend Of his cousin, the
Mayor Of Bentimigli.
Well, this gentleman lost nearly q
hundred thousand francs in the day
and evening. When he got up. his own
mother wouldn't have known him He
looked ten years older; his flesh had
fallen away; madness stared out Of his
eyes. Next day they fshed his body
from the lake at Mentone.
Then there were the Parlingtons, re-
fined English people. They were on
their wedding trip. I never forgot the
look Of delight with which young Mrs.
ParlinGton pocketed her first small
gain. The pretty bride fairly coaxed her
husband to stake 10 francs.
When night came they had a couple
Of thousand francs in their pockets.
Next morning they took chairs Nos.
% and o. No. q brought them the usu-
al luck They gained $4,000 francs. But
on the following day came the inevita-
Bile change. The 10000 francs went back
to US, and the couples little fortune
followed. They walked from the room
deathly pale, hand in hand.
My detectives informed me that they
took the train for Nice without trouo-
ling about their baggage. They shot
ard Killed themselves in the Windsor
Eote, there. Everybody can see that
the cloth on the suicide table is Of more
recent make than the rest. Yet the
Casino company is only 31S francs the
poorer on that account.
Here are the figures: Cloth for double
table, 25o francs, painting Of yellow fig
ures, 50 francs; mailing down, Is francs:
total, 313 francs.
Against these figures there Is an Off
set Of 500 francs, which the Casino
company would have been obliged to
pay the young Russian for travelling
expenses. This Muscovite Prince re-
fused to become a pensioner Of NJ.
Blanc's heirs, and blew out his brains
over the table where he had dropped
his all,-0o,000 francs.
It happened two years ago, and it
nearly cost me my job. The circum-
stances that one Of the directors Of
the company drew me into a corner
to talk about the same Russians per-
sistent ill-luck just minute before
the shot rang out-that alone saved
me from disgrace.
The incident itself was soon forgotten
and had no bearing on the game. It
has nothing to do with the supersti-
t.ons attaching to the suicide table.
The Ill reputation Of that piece Of fur
niture was Of many years standing
when the Russian committed his flag
rant breach of Casino etiquette. He
was No. S. on my list Of unfortunates.
When I saw man or woman ap-
proach the suicide state, my first care
was to prevent him or her from spoil
ing more cloth. signalled my men to
press around the party, and prevent
him or her from putting a hand in the
pocket or from striking the croup!er.
Many desperate cases I approached
as fellow gambler, offering to assist
them and pay their homeward journey.
dare say my intervention-which
cost me nothing, as the company re-
couped me-has saved many a poor
devils life.
Whether suicide candidates have q
foreboding Of evil when they come to
our table, don't know, but few try
to escape their goal. They come fanked
by prayers or holding a piece Of hang
mans rope Others try to insure their
fortune by paying the croupier 100
francs before the days work begins.
OF course he accepts the bribe. He isn't
tampering with his employers profits.
Robert B. Jennings, was held up On