The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-03-08


baccarat combination; sent six OF
the American proprietors-with gentle
, manly Mr.. Draper at their head-over
the frontier; refused a roulette permit
the game in the French territory es-
Establishment at Monte Carlo; and gave
out he would apply laws against pub
lie gambling.
Will Clemenceau, prime minister OF
France, succeed where great Napoleon
failed? Today he is undergoing the
combined attacks of senators and dep
uties from AK and Arcachon, Biar-
ritz, Vichy, Nice, ContreXeville, Pau.
Trouville and Dieppe-the watering
places of the sea coast, the mountains
and the south-all frightened lest re-
form should stop the flow of gambl-
ing gold that makes the places live.
Paris gambling had become an open
scandal. l myself was steered into
one of the Belgian combinations gOr-
geous places on the promise of free af-
ternoon tea.
Outside Paris lay in a cold, rainy
twilight. Up two flights of stairs we
passed into bright salons, an atmos-
phere Of pink-lit fairy lamps nd per-
fumed frou-frou, where the tinkle of
iced cups, silver spoons and porcelain
mingled discreetly with the gurgle of
beauty, the rattle of an ivory ball, and
a cropuier's monotonous "Rien ne va
plus
There were young actresses; beau
ties of the race track and the Bois;
young married women seeing life; ;"
Americans and English; residents and
tourists. The roulette was of the
French watering place species, with q
numbers, two zeros a quarter moon
and a star-and advantage of 13 per
cent where Monte Carlo is content
with 1-2 per cent rakeoff.
The plunging of two English tourist
girls amused the crowd. The courte-
Gus Belgians lifted off the limit for
them. they were betting 500-franc
ing themselves from a ruddy, white
moustached old sport from London,
obviously in his dotage. Quiet, slick
moving middle-aged men won-but
regularly when their money was alone
upon some section of the layout.
Young men lost; flushed and bright
eyed. Certain smart girls won con-
tinually, but l noticed that the tour
lists in particular and girls accompan-
led by men, enjoyed bad luck.
A famous enough beauty, backed by
a young American whose fathers
name was known by all, declared a
$1,000 bank, paid the enormous COM
mission, and took the roulette-with
it's advantages.
She turned awkwardly; the public
murmured for the croupier; and he
came on, the Belgian croupier very
slick andsuave. The disc revolved
and the ball fell like clockwork. Red.
manque, uneven, the number five!
BLACK, passe, uneven, the number IT,"
The crowd buzzed gaily. Confidence in
creased with winning. Even the club
servants smiled benevolently on the
crowd as it got back a little of it's
money.
Who were the ZerOs? Where the
quarter moon and star? All too soon
the famous beauty rises; her $1,000
bank is busted; and when one of the
quiet, middle-aged men bids $500 and
takes the roulette, he was extremely
careful to please the table attendants
who seemed eager to make another
killing
The croupier. who often has no sal
ing on the game. throwing the cards
into the pot, raking in the chips and
paying the bets with his big paddle;
but when he possesses the full quail
ifications, he may be allowed to keep
as much as half the tips freely given
by generous players-with 10 per cent
of the chips that may stick to his fing-
ers-the speciality of "entouffage,"
praticed only against the roulette or
baccaret banker of the moment-whose
servant the croupier becomes.
The commissary drawing from 5000
to $500 per month must be a man of
probity and exercise authority. He is
the umpire who decides all questions
of the game-as when a card falls by
mistake. If anything is crooked, he
should stop tiff he sees it!
The cashier. a retired business man,
must furnish from 100000 to 100000
liquid cash-to lend at usury and stake
confederates when, On the quiet, they
take a bank for the establishment. He
draws from Is to 25 per cent of the
kitty and the profits of usurious in
terest.
Finally. when the club has a poorly
paid secretary, a well-paid president,
an expensive kitchen to draw play
ers by cheap meals and free teas;
when you coun the servants, the
heating and electric lighting and the
furnishing, not to speak of monthly
dinners by invitation or the govern
ment tax of 81 per member and from