The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-15

London January 24.-Sir Hiram Maxim has been visiting Monte Carlo for the purpose of making @ scientific study of the system of gambling there. As q re- suit he has written a long letter to the press recording the results of his obser- vations, which combine to form an im- pressive warning against the folly of try ing to "break the bank by any system Maxim holds that in the long run the best of systems is capable of doing little more than reducing the loss which eventually is inevitable owing to the heavy percent ages in favor of the bank. He gives moral to his sermon in the words of M. Blanc, founder of the Casino, who mer- rily confessed that
 Rouge wins sometimes; 'noir' often, but Blanc always"
 Maxim begins his letter with a com parison between his own observations and the statements of the official guide book to Monte Carlo, which represents the average relations between the players and the bank as being 60 To 61 and the annual winnings of the latter as S5,00,0OO. This appeared to indicate that the Amer ican and European players took $905,0 ,00O GOO sterling to Monte Carlo every year and won back $500, 900, 900 and left $5,000,0O0 with the bank.
 Figures Staggered Him. The magnitude of the figures staggered Maxim, but on careful studying the play l he found that instead of the players talk Ing s9O5, ,00O O0O and losing S5, 100000 of it, l the total played at Monte Carlo did not probably exceed $5,500, GOO. and that of the l amount the bank instead of winning ] about IF per cent, as stated by the guide l book, actually won rather more than 90 per cent Therefore the advantages in favor of the bank, he found, instead of 1 being 61 to 60 were approximately 10 to l. Discussing the chances of the gambler l in trente ct quarante and at roulette. l Maxim demolishes a number of attractive 1 rival systems for infaibly winning for | tune at the expense of the bank He in- sists, in the opposition to one authority, that there Is no tendency to make things even between pair and impair roulette, and that if red comes up twenty times in succession 1t is Just as likely to come up for the twenty-first time if it had not appeared for a week.
 He declares in contradiction to the au- thors of various systems, that 1t makes no difference in working any one of them whether the player bets every time the
 
 a day. or once a week. Every particular play Is absolutely independent of all the others. He holds, however, that while all systems are unprofitable, even a bad sys tenn is better than none.
 Briefly, Maxim suggests that the only sure way to beat the bank Is not to gam ble at all
 Brleands Swarm Over the Rivera.
 Nice, January 20.-The season at Monte Carlo Is the dullest for years Play at the Casino is light, there are no plungers- and few notable Americans have thus far arrived on the Riviera.
 President Kruger Is one of the most no- table cottagers at Mentone, and is divid ing popular attention with the Princess Stephanie and her husband, the Count Lonyay Kruger is living modestly, and rarely drives out except when he visits his grandson, Eloff, at school at Castellar. He receives few callers ana sits in the | sunlight of his garden smoking his pipe, l reading his Bible and dictating letters to l his secretary. It Is reported that Kruger | during the winter, sent $200O00 to aid the | Transvaal poor and ordered all of his l property in Pretoria sold. desiring to sever the last link of his connection with the place.
 Crimes of violence on the Riveira this winter are unusually numerous. There have been so many robberies at Monte Carlo that people are afraid to venture out after dark. gang of Italian braves Is swarming in the town, and hold-ups occur nightly. Two English women were robbed in the daylight yesterday. Nice and Monaco are swarming with thieves, who are attracted by the Nice races. Several Americans have been the victims of pickpockets on the railway between Nice and Monaco.
 Afraid Lest Garfield Break Bank. | Monaco. January 17.-There Is much ex- I citement at Monte Carlo over the rumor l that the famous American gambler" Richard Garfield, is coming Whether 1 the "Societe les Bains de Mer," as the | great gaming institution innocently calls | itself Is really to be attacked. or wheth- I CT the courteous staff of M. Blanc would allow Garfield to play are questions that | much agitate the club and cafes. | It Is the same sort of excitement that | was felt here last year when Lord Ross | lyn was advertised to make his descent | on Monte Carlo, but this time 1t is much more intense, and the question is freely | asked, "Will this redoubtable Garfield break the bank7"
 As a matter of fact the bank at Monte Carlo never has been broken (since M Blancs reign) and never will be. It oc- casionally happens that lucky gamester, working with maximum stakes, tempor- arily "cleans outp table For lack of ready cash the game is suspended. The suspension rarely lasts ten minutes-in- deed, generally not more than five. supply of notes, gold and silver Is in-