Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1910-03-31
OLD GANDLINCCI[ I. !,
Famous Resorts of the Betting
Fraternity In Loaaon.
THE way FOX WAS TRIcKED.


A Scheme That Allowed Him to 30
Cheated by Lord Barrymore--N,e-
tiers, Commended by Lord Gy.an
and Patronized by Beau Brummal.
In America such thing as propri-
etary club owned and managed by one
man is almost unknown. In London it
Is the usual thing, and almost all the
medium sized clubs which are devoted
to some special purpose, such as card
playing. are proprietary.
In the Old days this was money
making enterprise, and some immense
fortunes were piled up by the proprie-
tors of London card clubs. But now
whenever club shows signs of I'M
usual prosperity the members get to-
getller and insist on forming some sort
of governing body which shall have
power to pass upon the proposals for
membership They also see to it that
the proprietor spends proper proper
tion of his profits on the comfort of
the members instead of putting every
thing in his pocket
The fashions in the card clubs con-
tinllaly change with the years aud
With the games that are the rage A
century ago it was against the rules
III many of the best clubs to play
cards before dinner, whereas nova
days the principal play is between
the hours of 4 and Z. The income of
the proprietor today is from the an
nua subscriptions and from the fixed
fees for card money. In the old days
the largest source Of revenue was
from the counters picked up from the
floor after the game was over.
George Raggett. the owner of
Whites. one of the most famous gam
bling clubs in the world, situated on
st. James street, made it his rule to
| attend to his guests in person when
ever exceptionally high play was in
progress. Knowing that he would be
wei repaid for his time. Upon one
occasion, after picking up counters to
the value of nearly $1,000 from the
floor. he received a gift of almost as
much from Harvey Combe. who had
been playing from Monday evening
| until IL o'clock on Wednesday morn
ing, Sir John Malcolm, Tippoo Smith
| and Ward. the member Of parliament
for London. being the other players at
| the table.
Some of the proprietary clubs adopt
cd curious rules to attract and keep
| their customers. One of the chief diff
licuties then. as now. was to insure u
game from any one that might happen
to drop In at odd hours. One of these
nicknamed the Nerve Ending club, had
Il bylaw that no player should quit n
table until fresh arrival was ready
to take his place.
One very popular feature was to pro-
vide light silken curtains which could
be drawn between the faces of the
players so as to conceal from an adj
versary any unguarded expression OF
disappointment or Of triumph upon
picking up a hand or following the
course of play.
1t was at this club that Fox lost
large sum of money to Lord Barry
more. who took advantage of the con-
ce;.lment of his own face to study the
reelection Of FoX's cards in the large
polished steel buttons which he wore
upon his coat
At the corner of Bolton street and
| i'icradilly was Walters club. which
| Is%ron records was Il superb club" in
l%l1 Beau Brumnel played here reg
aiai'y for tea or twelve years, but the
club eventually fell into disreputc
through the want of proper supervi-
sion of the admissions tn membership.
Swinburne says ~ SIS Courts Of
Europe" that 1t was i'll this club that IL
player upon seeing the witty Lord
Alvanley enter the room and, dreading
his satirical tongue, laid down his
cards and pulled out a pair of pistols.
| which he laid on the table beside him.
The only comment of Alvunley was:
II hope you don't expect your adj
versary to follow suit?'
Evei; visitor to London who has
PASSED down Piccadilly has probably
remarked the imposing home OF the
!,rvo,slire club ut the southwest cor
ncr of st. James street. Within this
building the highest gambling in the
world has probably taken place. the
sums won and lost ut Monte Carlo be-
ing nothing to those that changed
hands here. The entrance was origi
nally from the Piccadilly side. and
aany changes have been made in the
Anterior arrangements, but some of the
.ilt chairs that We're used by the high
rollers of seventy years ago are still
preserved in the clubrooms.
The proprietor of this club was orig
inally small fshmonger npmed Will
liam Crockford, who had a~shop near
Temple Bar. His first venture in club
propretorship was to take Walters
old house, where hazard, the Ameri-
cam game of craps, was the chief at
traction. In this he had q partner
named Taylor, and they both made
money, but ut the ent. II Il year they
separated, and C.tckf y, vent 20 ST
James street. whore he ~. ,,e.ed so
we'll that he instructed the Wyatts to
prepare plans for new building.
This was opened In 1927. aid, al
though 1t was a proprietary club.
Crockford was sllrewd enough to in
vest IL committee with the right of
election to membership. a move to
which many persons attribute his i'm
mense success. Among the first of the
names presented was that Of the Duke
of Wellington. and almost every man
of note in England was either men,