The St. Louis Republic., 1901-01-06

EpseiaI correspondence of TIE Sunday Republic
Macao. Nov. Ill write this in the Monte
Carlo Of Asia. in the great gambling hell
OF Macao, where fan-tan runs riot. Day
and night, Sundays and week DAYS, year IN
and year ont. these gambling houses are
orer. This is the center OF the lottery sys-
tenn of West Asia. The Manila Company
has moved here and the fortunes which
went to the Philippines now come 10 Ma
Gao. The chief gambling is in fan-tan. In
which thousands OF dollars are lost and
won every night by betting on the number
OF copper cash under the bowls
In a Chinese Gambling He'll.
lam sitting in a gambling hell as I write
these notes. 1t is In the heart OF this Por-
tuguese capital. on the Rua de Jogo. the
street Of the gamblers. 1t is midnight. and
the pavement is thronged with hard-faced
Chinese, running TO and fro The air is full
Of laughing and joking and Of the noises
which the Chinese call singing.
There are male roysterers and females OF
! pleasure. The rest OF the city is dark. but
Me Rua de Jogo blazes with Chinese Ian
TENS. Its stores are open. and gambling
signs invite you to buck the tiger" The
talk is of winning and losing. There is an
almond-eyed, long-queued man who tells
how he won $1,000 last week, and how a
Frenchman came here to break the bank
and lost four thousand IN one night. Listen'
He says the man got It all back the next
night and $1,000 10 boot. The thought stirs
the Yankee gambling blood IN US, and we
look up the house where the money was
won.
We 20 through a well-lighted passage and
enter The ground floor is full OF Chinese.
That large room at the right is crowded
Yellow men and women are gathered about
long table covered with mating. upon
which money and chips and Chinese cards
are lying. Look up through that opening
which runs 20 the roof. with galleries at the
second and third floors See the hundreds
Of anxious almond eyes which are looking
down upon the table. Notice their owners
as they let down little baskets with strings.
Each basket contains the money which its
owner wishes to stake When the game Is
over they pull up their winnings. AS the
baskets go down they sing out the number
where the money is TO be placed, and at the
close OF each game the bankers shout the
numbers which win.
4 Hcw Fan-Tan Is Played.
4 In another room they are playing fan-tan
IN much the same way. Here the betting Is
all on the number OF copper coins under a
bowl The banker takes couple Of hand
fuls Of coins from pile at one side of the
table and covers them with a brass bowl
Later on he will count them In fours. and
the betting is as to whether they will come
out even or whether one. two or three cash
will be left.
The bets dow In from all parts OF the
room. There are hundreds Of dollars upon
the table. and the croupier calls 'Stopr'
He raises the bowl and begins TO pull cut
the coins with two chopsticks, taking four
out at a time. He does It so slowly that
there is no chance of deception.
The game looks fair. and l put my money
on No. 1. only to find that wins the stake
The next time 1 put It on 2 but luck is
against me. and IT goes into the pile Of the
banker. Had 1 won. 1 should have gotten
three times my stake.
This game OF fan-tan is played through
out the Far East. There are different ways
Of counting. but. of course. the chances are
always in favor of the banker. In
some games the chances are almost even.