The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-21
Great Gambling at Helsha

Il reckon" said an old Montana sam-
bier, that there IS 10 town ia ths ooun
try whore you can set as high a limit II
bucking the tgar as you can right here
IN this little spot n me mouniains. rha
legislature meets here next week, ana
that may be the cause cf the sbnormal
raise. but no matter whae thu cause IS.
] hardly expect 10 see any one kickine
because he can't bet an ne wants 10 81
the single turn Of a card. There is
faro game right here Ia Helena with q
$1,000 limit on singles, and IN M career
I've seen no man hoiier for a bigger
limit. We've run along for years with 3
limit varying from $3.50 to 500 on cases.
and seemed % satisfy the demand. with
occasional exceptions. but 1 understand
there Is to be an unprecedentedly heavy
game this winter, and after a consulta-
ton we have decided 70 place lhe limit ii
$1,000 on each Of the fffy-two cards ia
the deck, ana / imagine that viii satisfy
'am ALL
And the raise Of the limit from sl60
to $1,000 is not based wholly on senti-
ment either During the last session or
the legislature We had a private game
for a young man with $500 limit right
after the grand iurys Investigation Of the
senatorship contest, and in Just fourteen
hours he lost $4,000. or about s. 900 an
hour, which is. ! guess. one Of the steep
est games ever played ia Montana. But
be came back the next day 20 chow thar
he was true blue and won back S00.o00
IN an oven shorter time This man sent
word over that he would be here again
this winter and be wanted 81 900 limit
this time, and It was partly at his re-
quest that The limit was raised. but. II
course, The game is open 20 al, and any
one can have the same privilege
"And not only can the highest limit IN
the West be secured here. but Won can
play IN the most magnl1cently furnishes
gambling house TO be found IN the coun~
try. ] have Travelled from coast to e0ast
and whils some private clubs are more
elaborate and have costlier paintings. for
a public gambling house the swellest of
'em is right here ia this town why. the
lookout has a finer cha 10 recline in
than the COVER or OF tn, state Yes I've
played IN Congress hall Al Saratoga, ana
dealt in an the Hot Springs resorts. ana
know W ereof I speak
Tine Montana anti-gambllng Inv? Yes.
there is one. and It IS probably as strict
in It's provisions as any 70 bo found IL
the country. But don't you know that old
adage about mining camps and faro
games. that Is. where you find the first-
named you will also find the other? And
do you suppose that after having playea
faro in Montana all the years since tie
first discovery Of gold ia Alder Gulch .ln
'03 these men would send a man 70 the
peniteniiary for simply indulging IN their
favorite pastime? Preposterousl There
has not been a conviction under the
law and there never will be-. IN fact,
the law Is such a dead letter that it win
probably be repealed this winter"
ANY high rolling lately2' asked the
reporter
Yes. We have had a pretty stif play
all the year. swede Sam Is 5000 10
the good inside Of sixteen months. whieh
is not bad record BY any means. and
there are several others who have won
and lost fortunes IN that time"
But / mean individual plunging said
the Questioner
"Yes, had some Of that, too. young
fellow came over here from Butte on q
special train not long ago 70 clean up
the town after having won a big stake
there. He arrived at about 4 o'clock IN
the morning after most Of the sports
had retired. He didn't do q thing but
hire some hacks and send for a few
friends with a request that they ljoin
him IN a game Of poker The game was
for table stakes and between $4,000 and
$4,000 changed hands before 10 o'clock
that morning. That IS. he carried that
much back to Butte with him. ~ addition
TO the stake he had on arrival His
train cost him $500, but he could easily
anord that after winning over $4,000.
Then, again. a Utah mining man lost
$4,000 at roulette In one night. after
having been $4,000 10 the good al one
stage Of the game. He had a lfty-dollar
limit on numbers. which pay 30 for J.
you know. so that when he won he re-
ccived $3.50 In return. Helena MONTY
Correspondence New York Sun.