The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-04-13
"THE PALACE OF FORTUNE"
Famous Wartime Gambling House,
Where Prominent Men Gathered.

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 its
freuuenters as "The Hall Of the
Bleeding Heart" though he preferred
the appellation "The Palace OF For
tune" Pendleton belonged to one
Of tho first families Of Virginia, and
his wife was the daughter OF Robert
Mills, the architect OF the treasury.
His rooms were hung with meri-
torious pictures, and the art Of wood
carving was carried to great perfec-
tion in the side-boards, secretaries.
and tables which served the various
purposes of the establishment. 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 entertain
ments of the house consisted of can
didates 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 pro-
fessors might be found there. They
lent money to their clients when the
animal scratched too roughly" that
is to say, when the play ran against
them, and they became "broke," as
they sometimes did. Pendleton hip-
self was an operator in the lobby.
His professional position gave him
great facilities. He assisted in the
passing of many useful bills of pri-
vate nature, involving considerable
sums of money. A broker in parlia-
mentary notes is an inevitable re-
tainer 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
ina bright vein. Servants were glid-
ing about with cigars, toddias, cock
tails 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"
representing 81 each.
But the third room was the haunt
of the tiger! The company around the
faro tables would be playing mostly
with counters of red, circular pieces
of ivory, called fish or chips, each
of which represented SIS. A few, who
were nearly "broke," would be using
the white ones of one-ffth 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
indicated 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
for the chances of the next deal. If
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
thousand 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 all 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 a stake of 800. When
Humphry Marshall was appointed
minister to China by President
Pierce, in 1852, he lost his "outfit"
and six months pay, and was forced