The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-04-23
FORTUNE WON
AT MONTE CARLO
Col. Power of Mississippi Takes
$325,OO Away.

years. The greatest sum in winnings
ever carried away by single player,
1925, 900, has been won by an American.
1t is not unprecedented that plung-
er should at some point in his play
have been ahead of the bank even to
the extent of this large amount, but
something like $250,0 is about the
maximum that any previous player has
taken away from the principality.
On Sunday last Col. E. Harrison
Power of Mississippi boarded the train
de luxe for Paris, carrying with him
in French bank notes 1,625,000 francs
more than he had brought with him to
Monte Carlo two weeks earlier. Before
coming to the Riviera, Col. Power had
accomplished after several months
hard work the organization of the In
ternational Finance Corporation,
banking institution, with a capital OF
$10,000,000 in which some prominent
tnanciers, including Prince Hohenlohe,
Count Esterhazv of Vienna and the
Duke of Somerset have undertaken a
leading interest. 1t was for rest after
this arduous undertaking that Col.
Power came to Monte Carlo with
party Of friends, among them Lord Viii
s:2-s.
1t is significant of the wonderful luck
attending Col. Powers play that not
once after his first coup did he use his
own money. In other words, the entire
capital which he risked in making his
enormous winnings was ten louis, or
$40.
After strolling about the Casino for
few minutes on his first visit, he
placed his stake on the cheval between
zero and on the middle table nearest
the door.
The wheel was spun and the ivory
ball dashed and plunged and finally
lodged in zero. His first coup had re-
suited in a win of $3.50.
Without taking the original stake
from the table, he repeated his play
and was the lucky number. From
that time on his luck was inVincible.
He played cares, transVersals, colors,
odds and evens, and every other pos
sible combination, and at the end of
about an hours play he had won S4,
900 francs.
often upon 0, 8, 8, and 9.
Every day of the fortnight had prac-
tically the same story to tell. The
high-water mark of his good luck was
| reached-Students of superstition, at
tention!-on Friday, March IL.
On that day 100000 francs was the
amount of winning by the Casino
| players, the largest amount ever lost
in a single day since the doors of this
u
| this amount Col. Power secured 10000
| francs.
The scene on that occasion was note
worthy The appearance of the Amer
| lean with his party at the entrance of
the Casino after dinner was the signal
for an outburst of cheering, followed
| by jostling and crowding of the cas-
! ual and the habitual punters to get
| places at the same table with this son
of fortune and to follow his play.
After few turns of the wheel, Col
| Power went into the new rooms open
| ed this year and began to play trente-
et-quarante. AS under the touch of
| Midas everything he played turned in
| to gold.
Maximum after maximum he played
| and Won and so did the throng who
| played as he did. The excitement was
| intense and reached an unprecedented
| pitch when nine double maximum
| coups on black and color, yielding "a
| 600 francs each, were won in success
| sion.
Such performance had never been
| equalled. On top of this came eleven
| successive maximum coups of 1900
| francs each on inverse" The cheers
and the excitement were tremendous
| as his wonderful run finished.
| The only cool man in the place was
| the winner. He stood beside the table
! during the entire play smoking a cigar.
He seemed to have less interest in the
proceedings than any one about the
| table.
AS coup after coup was made he
never altered. He never touched his
stake. He allowed it to lie on the ia
| BILE and had it shifted from time to
time as he changed his play. His real
| enjoyment seemed to come at the con-
clusion of his play, which did not ex-
| coed three-quarters of an hour when
he tossed several thousands of francs
to the throng of women and profess
sional beggars who infest the place.
| The scramble which was made for the
money gave him almost boyish enjoy
| ment
OF the other players on that day,
| Lord Villiers won 100000 francs. The
remainder of the winnings went to the
| small punters.
One effect of this Black Friday was
| that the arrangements of the Casino
were considerably altered. Heretofore
| the old rooms were opened at 1913
| in the morning and closed promptly
| at IL at night, while the trente-et-
| quarante tables in the new rooms were
kept going until l o'clock.
The play on the three trente-et-
| quarante tables in the new rooms on
this day was so heavy and the banks
| losses so great, that rooms now close
| at midnight, instead of l o'clock, while
| the general rooms, containing thirteen
| tables, roulette and trente-et-quarante
now remain open until midnight
In the old days each table was
equipped with a bank roll of 100000
| francs. When that sum was exhaust
ed the bank was nominally broken,
and 1t was customary to close the
table for an hour or so. Now all that
happens is that the cropier, seeing
his money low. sends a messenger for
| more, and the play continues without
interruption.
On this Black Friday at Col. Pow
er's table the messengers were kept
busy bringing additional money, as
the croupier's cash had to be replen-
ished seven or eight times.
The Sun correspondent inquired of
a friend of the winner what Col Pow
er's method of play was, whether he
used any system or whether he relied
entirely upon luck.
Luck and judgment are the two
| things Col. Power depends upon" was
| the reply. He doesn't play unless
the judgment to know when to stop
and also the courage to carry out his
| judgment.
Last year 1 was with him here and
he promptly announced that he didn't
feel lucky and wasn't going to play
He didn't wager a single franc, but
wandered through the Casino looking
| at the tables and the play and the
players with absolute indifference.
This year he felt he was lucky.
I