New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-04-25
PASSING OF A GAMBLER
Charley Reed to Sell Relics of
Famous Old Resort.
HIGH PLAY YEARS AGO
Veteran Sportsman to Give Up
Oath Street House and Quit
New York.


In an old high stoOp house in 24th
street two old men were moving about
/ yesterday looking for the last time on
the treasures gathered by one of them
. in castles of Italy. in Paris after the
downfall of the last Napoleon and in the
odd corners of the earth seldom reached
but by the expeditions of the great mu-
seums. They potte-cd about, recalling to
each other incidents of yesterday in
New York. when that house had been
the scene of high and open play. wherein
the only limit to the stake had been the
nerve Of the player. Tomorrow morn
/ ing those treasures of the first Napoleon,
of the Italian nobility and those SOU
venirs Of many os the worlds great in
fields Of sport will he sold al auction, and
the old man who owns them now will go
! back TO his native Kentucky.
AT the residence of Charles Reed.
Esq. No. > West 24th street" is the
way the announcement of the sale is
made or the auctioneer's catalogue. but
/ the oldtimers in that world will say,
Why. that's old Charley Reed. who used
/ to run the National Club with 'AI Spen-
/ Ger. down in Fulton street. and the 2ith
street house and the Stratoga track and
club"
/ The sale will mark the passing of the
oldest Of those men VINO knew. and who
made that side of New Yos life in the
. 1Os and SOS. and the passing of one of
/ the last Of the oldtime resorts of the
? har hfub alqV
l faro and roulette were the recreations of
the men about town" Charley Reed
and John Ryal will go back to Kentucky
then. content to close a long chapter of
. life with a quiet ending to the scenes Of
feverish excitement that marked their
earlier days in New York. Yesterday the
old owner. with his faithful man. was
/ willing to talk little about the memen-
toes Of the old days with which he had
filled his house in former years.
THAT .,orseshoe FitzsimmOns made for
me-" he said: made it with his left
hand. Where is Bob now; I've sort of
lost track of him lately?'
He's on the other side of the world
now; has just been through his last bat
tie. a defeat in the country he came
from near Sydhey.''
"A defeat. eh?'' said the old man.
well. there was a day when nothing
on two legs coul defeat him. but he
STAYED in the game too long But they're
all alike, these fighters There was Ma
poleon. he would come hack. and ne
met-Waterloo."
Out Of 1t well Fixed"
There was no hint in the old mans
manner that he condemned the fallen
fighters for the mistake of staying i'm the
game too long. but ii needed only
glance at the treasures in the room in
which h.. was standing to see that Char
lev Reed had not made that mistake.
He was not going out with defeat, so
far. at least, as finar i affairs were
uncerned.
Who were some Of the men VINO
PLAYED the games here ?"-the old man
repeated the question. "Oh. couldn't tell
vou that: they were men who enjoyed .
bit of high play; some of them are gone.
most Of them. guess; but some of them
have children living here now, and thcy
wouldn't like to know these things" The
old man became serious AS he though: pf
the difference between the publics views
on gambling then and now.
Nowadays people look on these things
differently" ne mused. That's why I'm
selling these things. that's why I'm GO
ing To- sell this house, everything-scn IL
Ian and q back 10 Kentucky In those
|davs back i'm -. PEOPLE didn't think So
Inf gambling Those men ganlbled. but
il wasn't for the money. they had plenty
,r that. but il was because they wanted
the excitement. guess. I've seen play
here such as Monte CARO- never SAN
twenty. thousand dollar waGers that
,yare ulayed time after time against a
r,ssible win of hundred thousand.
From other sources came confirmation
or his recollections "Old Charley Reed
and his partner Ar cpencer" said one
man. WHY. they were the kings i'm those
lavs Their place saw what was proc
ably the highest play ever seen i'm
America. and possibly in the wocld
John Morrissey built that house I'm 18th
street. ard they bought IT in 1872 fer
$50 600 cash, and Charley Reed went to
Europe for the furnishings. No one
knows how much he spent for those. but
IL was a fortune Then they bought the
Saratoga racetrack which John Norris
sey had built. and they built the Sara
, toga club I've heard AT Spencer say