Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-27
AROUND THE GREEN COVERED TABLES AT MONTE CARLO
"Inside Information" Eager
ly Sought by Women
Gamblers Often
Proves Worth
less.

Special Correspondence OF The Star.
MONTE CARLO, Monaco. April -. 1907.
The little old woman in black who dashed
past the controle and pumped down het
"viaticum on red is now comparatively
rich and famous.
The official lookouts say she was a
"piker at roulette-a steady player whose
bets never rose above so. Then one day
she had money left.
For such victims there is a department Of
discreet investigation. How long have
you been at Monte Carlo? How much have
you lost? What was your average play?
Where do you want to go?"-no matter
where. ge, out of Monte Carlo, quick, They
call 1t the ''viaticum' or travelling money"
to save the expense and scandal of a
suicide.
She asked for the viaticum and got it;
signed cast-iron quit claim, and found
the casino barred against her TIL she paid
back; but, instead of gong out to buy her
railway ticket to some town in hungary
she is a magnate's prodigal grandmother
she ran to the roulette. slapped down her
cash and won.
Here. you can't play that money" an
inspector told her. 1T is travelling money.
owed to the administration"
"Then take it back she triumphed.
What l won is mine, hope She flourish
tu lHt new Sb4u IitttS- l ne "tli-u! C-SSt
crowd applauded. Let her play" they
clamored. Monte Carlo is tactful. Monte
Carlo hates scandal The inspector used
his Judgment. Go in peace he told her.
SO she played again and won enormously
for her comparatively modest stakes. That
Joke about the viaticum cost the admins
tratlon 500 600 francs. one of the COM
nissaries said yesterday; while the in
speCtor vino used his judgment has been
discharged.
Sure to Lose.
she will lose her winnings back says
avery regrctfully, even the English
army officers widow at our hotel. herself
= victim-while a temporary winner,
have never seen the man who began
telling the good lady of eighteen Italians
who won $4,000 francs in ten days bet
tng on the physical defects OF certain
roulette They had discovered that the
compartments u. $. II, II. IL, II. "A, ~ and
81 were a trihe larger than the others.
Nowadays the administration changes
the roulettcs from table TO table every
night" | told her; its Impossible to
recognize one"
The English widow smiled mysteriously.
Little by little she told me her secret-she
had 10 tell il to somebody! She met this
man. He had put Ter OH good thing.
Sne had won lots.
He had been an empIoye of Schw.lGe,
the manufacturing optician at Strasburg,
each roulette wheel she informed me.
CINE SChwilSe roUir,tes have European
reputation for precision TpGn,d With force
they revoke for twelve mEU,tsD
A year ago. when they were making
new machines for Monte Garlic she CON
tinued. this young German arranged one
so that six numbers would win oftener than
others. Then lie resigned his situation
and came here To wait Recently he rccoS-
nized that roulette and proposed a partner
ship to me. Naturally, l furnished the
capital.
And YOU lost?' ! suggested.
Lost, Why. no. We won! The first
day We won SO.OOJ francs. l banked my
original capital and took LOCO francs of
winnings for expenses, while he kept the
rest-to play next day. Then suddenly he
wrote me a mysterious note. which said
that must wait a week. he feared
suspicion. That was fifteen days ago. l
have not seen him since. / fear that they
have banished him because he knows too
much
She is ready to he victimiZed next time
for good-the more because this time, by
chance and the moderation of still half
decent swindler, she is not loser, but the
winner Of 5000. Of course the young Ger
man simply made her risk her money.