The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-30
GAMES FOR HIGH PLAY.
Veil. of Mystery Is Drawn From n
Chicago House.


Chicago House.
From the Chicago Daily News.
A gambling palace, with games OF
all kinds and furnished lavishly, so
that no man need leave it's doors to
find entertainment and a place to
sleep-such is the mysterious house"
at 25S Michigan avenue, according to
information secured from reliable men
who have access to its doors and from
men who are considered equally as
reliable but who are not invited inside
1t is stated by the insiders" that the
mysterious house" is under the con-
troll of A. Curtis Gum, better known
to the sporting world as Curt" Gum,
and coterie of well-known gamblers.
Rumor links the name of "Cy"
Jaynes with the enterprise-that of
furnishing wealthy men with a quiet
place to burn their money or double
ii at the forbidden games Of faro and
roulette. Some insist that Jaynes and
Gum are partners in this, as they
have been in many enterprises in the
past. Others say that Jaynes and
Gum have parted company and will
never be found together again in any
enterprise.
At all events, there has been some
thing doing" at 25S Michigan avenue
which the police have not learned or
at least have not divulged.
THE place is conducted on a plan
similar to that of Canfield's in New
York" said one informant.
Another said: 1T is a. 'bang-up'
place and is furnished from top to
bottom in a lavish manner. A fire.
quenter need not leave it until his
money gives out or until he is tired
of the place. He can live inside for a
year it he cares to and never step out
side the door, because there is every
thing there a man desires. The cafe
is up to date and the meals are as
good as one can get at the best restau-
rant or hotel in Chicago. The bed
chambers are dreams of comfort and
the buffet-well, you couldn't call it a
buffet but the liquors served the guests
free of cost equal those sold over any
bar in the city. There are the finest
tapestries and curtains hanging from
the windows and walls to give an ORR
entail effect and to hide the lights from
those without. The furniture is the
best money can buy.
Thus is the New York Bridge Whist
Club, as a business card secured to-
day names it, described. Since the
mysterious house" at 25S Michigan av-
enue attracted the attention of neigh
bors and passers-by in the evening and
night time because of the equipages
stopping near Hubbard place and Mich
igan avenue and the occupants quick
disappearance in the house by the front
| entrance or the rear through a blind"
alley, the silence of the grave has en-
veloped the house.
The doors of the place. however, have
remained closed for several nights to
the outsider who visited there unless
he came well vouched for or with a
companion known to be safe" The
only thing to attract the curious about
the "house of mystery" now is a dim
light shining through the transom over
the front windows. One of the inform
ants declared to-day "the boys must
have fallen down with their protection
pull or the house would be wide open
in defiance of the police"
A near neighbor to the house OF
mystery" is another gambling house
in Eldridge place, near Michigan ave-
nue.. 1t is said to be conducted by
the Wagner brothers-"Ed" and
"Sam'-and Harry Hoffman. These
are the men who are said to have been
in charge of the games run for a while
last fall at the Sherman House, which
were exposed at the time in the Daily
News. Reports have it that the Wag-
ners and Hoffman and Gum and
Jaynes are on friendly terms and
work together but that to all surface
indications they are not friends. There
are some who profess to believe that
Gums alleged gambling rooms in the
National Hotel building at Van Blu
rem street and Wabash avenue, over
"Al' Austins saloon, have been aban-
doned and the fixtures and furnishings
removed to the house at 25S Michigan
avenue.
Others declare that this is mis-
take and that Gum has simply be-
come an "expansionist" and is main
tanning the place over Austins.
mo known gamblers are admitted
is said to be the expression among
the sports" when they mention the
new place. Neatly printed and IN
conspicuous business cards are being
distributed among the high flyers"
notifying them that the New York
Bridge Whist Club Is now located at
25S Michigan avenue. No name is TO
he found on them. however. 1t is said
that the New York Bridge Whist Club
formerly occupied richly furnished
rooms in the neighborhood Of 20 Wa
bash avenue.
influential Pollteian-"My dear fell
Inv. ia be. glad 20 get a berth for you
tsY Gould but I don't know OF a single