Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-03-21
1.-THE PALACE OF FORTUNE"
Famous Wartime Gambling House,
Where Prominent Men Gathered.


One of the neutral grounds, where
men of both parties met in peace just
before the stormy days Of the civil
war, was the superbly furnished
gambling house of Pendleton, on
Pennsylvania avenue, known to It's
freuuenters as 1.-The Hall Of the Bleed
ing Heart" though he preferred the
appellation THE Palace Of Fortune"
Pendleton belonged to one Of the first
families Of Virginia, and his wife was
the daughter of Robert Mills. the ar
chitect of the treasury. His rooms
were hung with meritorious pictures,
and the art of wood-carving was car
ried to great perfection in the side
boards, secretaries. and tables which
served the various purposes Of the es-
tablishment. The dining and supper
tables were loaded with plate of the
pure metal. The cooking would not
have shamed the genius Of Soyer, and
it is universally admitted that the
wines were such as could have been
selected only by a connoisseur. This
Incompatible provider had invested
$4,000 in his cellar and his closet.
The people who nightly assembled
to see and take part in the enter
tainments Of the house consisted Of
candidates for the presidency, senators
and representatives, members Of the
cabinet. and the master workmen Of
the third house, the lobby. Pendle-
tons. in it's palmiest days, might have
been called the vestibule of the lobby.
It's most distinguished professors
Ill. H. nn$
money to their clients when the "ani-
NAL scratched too roughly" that Is to
say, when the play ran against them,
and they became broke" as they
sometimes did. Pendleton himself
was an operator in the lobby His
professional position gave him great
facilities. He assisted In the passing
Of many useful bills Of private nature,
involving considerable sums Of money.
A broker in parliamentary notes Is an
inevitable retainer of broker voters
In the outer parlors as midnight
approached might have been seen
leading members Of congress quietly
discussing the days proceedings, the
prospects Of parties, and the charac-
ter Of public men. A few officers Of
the army added to the number and
variety Of the groups which occupied
this apartment. Here all were drink
ing. smoking and talking generally in
n bright vein. Servants were gliding
about with cigars. toddies, cocktails
and whisky straights" on little silver
trays. Among them were two old
Virginia negroes, very obliging, who
picked up many quarters and halves,
and not a few white fish" represent
ing 81 each.
But the third room was the haunt
Of the tiger! The company around
the faro table would be playing mostly
with counters Of red, circular pieces
Of ivory called fish or chips, each Of
were nearly broke" would be using
the white ones of one-fifth the value.
The players were silent as the grave,
because some of them were "in great
luck" and large piles Of red chips
were standing upon different cards to
abide the event Of the deal, which in
dicated they had been won from the
bank; but, alas! the close Of the deal
was unfavorable, and before the lit
tie silver box from which the cards
were drawn yielded the last Of the
pack the most Of the red piles had
been drawn to the red side. But
some Of them had doubled, and the
owners drew them down as capital
lhc CllduCSS VI tie leAl ucdl. IL
one had great good fortune and some
prudence while possessor Of the red
piles before named he would leave the
house with a few hundred or thou
sand of dollars, but the chances were
that between midnight and dawn the
gamesters would all retire minus the
money they had brought into the
place and ali they had been able to
borrow from friends
There were, however. exceptions.
The largest amount ever won from
the proprietor at Pendleton's was
$1,000 for stake Of 800. When
Humphrey Marshall was appointed
minister to China by President Pierce,
in 1852. he lost his "outfit" and six
months pay, and was forced to ac-
cept a loan from Pendleton to en-
able him to reach the scene of his
diplomatic labors. When Pendleton
died Mr. Buchanan attended his fun
eral, and several leading Democratic
congressman were among his pail
bearers. His effects. including the
furniture of his gambling house, were
sold at auction. attracting crowds Of
the most fashionable people in Wash
ington.-Kansas City Star.