The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12
BALTIHORE'S GAMBLING DAYS.
THE CRY ONCE A RESORT or SOL
DIERs or FORTUNE.
Gaming and Midnight Banquets Even IN
the saieeas-Gastsonomie Feats Of
the sports-Jack Hayerly's nun Of
Luck--Anrayy Frequent Then-Ihe End

Luek-Anrayp frequent Inen-Ino k1n0
BALTIMORE. April ii.--Nearly every big
city at ono time or another has had its
Tenderloin, but few have had record like
that OF the Tenderloin Of Baltimore.
Less than a quarter OF a century ago
that part OF the city bounded by German.
Liberty, Lexington and Greene streets
was commonly known as the Tenderloin.
Certain faces were TO be seen In the neigh
borhood with remarkable regularity. Tho
men were hashily dressed, and were known
as soldiers Of fortune, who lived by the
gaming table or the racetrack. and carried
their thousands In their pockets one day,
next.
In those times the peaoemaker was scarce.
Men frequently settled their disputes with
pistols on the street or by simply getting
the drop on an enemy and putting bullet
into him.
Sporting men came from all over the
country to gamble where there was no
interference with gambling. The Pimlico
raoctrack was under the liberal manage
ment Of the Maryland Jockey Club. and
It brought many Of them here. Then the
Tenderloin was infested with saloons. the
majority OF them handsomely appointed,
and with gambling furnishing large part
Of their profits.
Such men could afford to gamble. and
they did. Every line which ingenuity
could invent was laid to take them to the
tables. Each restaurant proprietor We'd
with the other In efforts to make his house
the most popular, and surprising tales
were told Of the midnight banquets that
were given. Every delioacy Of the season
was obtained. covers were laid for large
numbers OF people, and every sport who
played at the tables below stairs partook
Of the delicacies on the floor above with
out being worried by petty thoughts about
paying for them.
Many gastronomic feats were performed
here. There Ia a story that certain sport
once made a wager that he could eat ono
dozen boiled eggs while the clock was
striking the midnight hour. No one be-
lieved him. but the eggs were prepared.
They were boiled just sufaciently hard
TO make some pretence Of holding together.
They were placed at the sports hand.
When the clock began striking the man
began eating. Witnesses gay that the
eaters eyes grew bigger and bigger as egg
after egg disappeared, but at the last stroke
Of midnight the dozen had been disposed OF.
Another story 10 Of a man who made a
wager to eat thirty 1iails in thirty days II
of one form OF food for 30 many days would
sicken the man and that his stomach would
rebel before the task was half completed.
But the man chewed slowly, varied his
drinks after each dish. and came out OF the
wager winner, but decidedly tired Of quail
But these were only side issues. The
saloons were really gambling houses.
Every opportunity for slipping money
away was given. Betting on the races In
saloons was possible .hen m ana t nf s. MsFe
| Faro was the favorite and there were banks
! everywhere. -
To go little out of the real bounds OF the
| Tenderloin, there Is a story told OF Jack
| Hayerly at the time when he made money
| fast out Of Haverly IS Minstrels. He was In
| saloon on Calvert street one night. and won
| s., 900 OH faro. The next night he went TO
| Washington and entered game there.
! His luck still stood with him. and at -four
| O'Clock in the morning. he wase40.0oo ahead
such luck does not last, and Haverly's
| friends knew it. They attempted to per-
| suade him to desist.
What stop now r ~ asysry r h ssid e
He continued playing. and . half hour
later the luck turned. An hour. later
Haverly threw down the cards. dead broke.
| a
The breaking Of the faro bank. known a.
the New York game because it Was
| hacked by New York men, u one that will
be remembered by oldtimers. Sport after
! sport had been In the game and hnished
loser. "
| tered the saloon and began playing. One
| began with SO, which he had borrowed.
| The cards surrendered completely. The
men won without a waver, and finally broke
the bank, getting $1,000 on an investment
Such rapid changes Of fortune made men
forget the Ten Commandments. Every
man carried q gun and there were a few
who were not timd about pulling trigger.
| A shooting which Is yet fresh In the minds
| OF many Baltimoreans was that in which
| a well-known character killed John Duncan.
| The affair occurred In q saloon on the east
side Of Eutaw street, near Fayette, Inc
men had been good friends and had sud-
| denly become bitter enemies; both were
known as fighters. and what followed was
not entirely unexpected.
| The man who was killed. In company
| with another man, who v at present In the
saloon business in Baltimore, started to
| go to a dentists one afternoon to have
a tooth which had been worrying him for
some time extracted. On their way to
the dentists they stopped In the saloon 70
have a drink and the man who was soon
20 die is said to have talked OF how much
appear when he met him.
On their way back the boaster and his
friend again stopped In the saloon and
the man renewed his threats. The other
fellow, who happened TO be In the neigh,
borhood and who had heard OF what had
bt en- said, went to the place. He went
straight to an apartment made by parti-
ton extending across the room from the par.
The other man and his friend stood AZ
the bar drinking, The fellow behind the
partition walked behind the end OF the bar
and az he did 90 the man In front said some
thing to him, and 1t Is asserted, put nus
hand behind him
Quick az q fash the other man pulled
a big gun and fred. The bullet struck
the victim in the neck, just below the chin.
and he fell to the floor without a WORD;
The slayer was subsequently acquitted
on the ground that he had shot In self
Many similar affairs occurred. To give
the whole history Of the place would be
TO write a volume. PriYefghters were
deyeioped In the Tenderloin. and many
encounters occurred, but the epirit OF the
place was given by the gamblers, and Just
as they lived by games OF chance. 40 they
came 10 look upon life as game OF chance:
They lived high while the luck lasted, and
cared not a rap for the morrow.
In the latter part OF the sos cloud
began to gather over the sporting man in
the shape OF the Reform League. There
A,f, al Aoahaa md few