The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-01
.Juarez, the
Monte Carlo
of America
Great Gambling Hall There
Il Business Venture of
Gen. Villas.

r VEN to the most puritanical Of
minds the gambling hall, with
- its excited tense crowd. the
clock of chips and the whir OF the
roulette wheel, holds a sort Of fascina-
lion. Add to the ordinary gambling
hall a throng # swarthy MexiCans
spurred and booted. with each man
prominently displaying a silver mount
ed revolver. a Mexican band playing
l. Paloma." and the knowledge that
az any moment IA false move by "A
dealer will bring all Of the revolvers
into action, and one has the ideal set
ting and romance for the goddess Of
chance.
The setting is found at Juarez, Mex
leo. the border port across the river
from ri i'aso. Tex, where nightly
wanted American crooks and - n
fideuce men. Nillista soldiers and Of
ficers. dancers from the cabaret halls,
and "A motley collection of tourists
gather in the biggest wide open gam
Bling hall on the North American con-
tinent. Soldiers of fortune who WIS.,
tied Nome, Alaska, Guldiicld and Tom
opah or Colon in the boom days say
that. though the stakes wagcred were
larger, for actual size. equipment and
variety Of games the gambling hall
in Juarez Is the largest they have ever
seen.
The Juarez gambling hall il u COM
mercial venture of Gen. Francisco
Villas. and has. since its opening ten
days after the northern leade took
the town in n night surprise attack.
proved highly profitable. 1t is con-
Quoted by his brother. Hippolito. who
pAvy drives nlnif Ina ROY in a hinh
priced car. though five years ago he
was content to mount a burro and
bangle his legs down beside an array
Of milk ans.
Rumor has II in .Juarez that each
night the winnings are counted, d.
vided into two equal piles, and then
made up into neat bundles. one OF
which is despatched 10y a trusted mes
scnger To- Gen. Villa. the messenger
being Instructed to deliver the package
70 the General. no matter to what spot
the cN.gencics Of war may have driven
him.
A half dozen stores were Coniscated
for a site for the gambling hall. Par
titions have been knocked out. and the
place now has "A floor pace of half a
city block. with additions constantly
being made. The fittings. except. for
the apparatus actually employed in
the games. are Of the cheapest. The
tables are of pine, and the chairs
range from the ordinary kitchen chair
10 q costly sofa picked up in the home
{ some former luarc2 citizen who
made the mistake of adhering To the
antl-NEla side IN the Mexican contro-
versy. The only adurnmcuts on the
walls are placarde announcing Tho
limits Of the varinus games. outside
a huge electric sign bears the letter.
ing: "Juarez Turf Exchange and
Monte Carlo"
Heavily armed guards lounge nj the
entrance. Just To- the right is "A crap
table. the dealer staudiu on a raised
platform with a long cane H. his hand
u IN" c"h'r" 81 the h!g nan are
located me roulette ''"l"S' I NIKE the
American "h'"iS IN" Nh''I - spun
on an nPrlSh' S'"t!"trd' me STANDARD
being about the only upright hin
connected WIN IN" game Ihcre are
t~WrntN-rirht RUNNERS ana IN" Afirri-
can n Mexican nags on he wheel,
the umhers Alternating betWcen red
and black. Tn" smallest amount that
can DE Stlked on a llllnh"f Is - cents
and the largest amount ~, Special
ar~rhnscm"ntS, h"WeNcr, are made in
the cases oi the cabaret singers or
plnngers' the FORMER hr'n1 allowed 70
play nickels and the latter heing ac-
Cotnmodated with a roof limit at one
special table. II" %; the managers
told mo that the accommodations We're
allowed IN hnth cases heCaliS" II added
class 10 the establishment.
As at the crap tables. huge piles OF