Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-06
THE GAMBLING MANIA
Some Lessons Drawn From the Big
Raid Of Last Week-0ames os
Chance In Al lands--Famous
Gamblers Of Other Days
BY GEORGE NOX Mccain

phia last week.
1t Is sad commentary on the police de-
pnrtmcnt. though, that the Director was
compelled to 20 outside recognized detective
channels for the information which led to
the cleanup.
1t is not q matter Of wonder that the
protection in these hectic days.
To the eternal credit of the system there
are officials like James Il. Cortelyou who.
seeing their duty, are not afraid to per-
form it.
There were thirty seven men among those
arrested who were held on charges Of main
tanning gambling houses.
=, The poor fish," the little fellows" the
'suckcrs'---one hundred and forty two In
number-who contributed to the support OF
the blacklegs and tin. horn sports were per.
mitted to go free.
Notwithstanding their painful experience,
the chances are that another gambling raid
thirty days hence would find these same
suckers in the police net.
THE mania for gambling is as old as the
L race.
The oldest literature records this passion
for gambling.
The instinct began as early as the recog-
milton of the right of individual property.
have noyoubt that the Tenth Command.
ment was aimed at those Jews who coveted
the possession Of their neighbors' goods and
sought to get them by games Of chance,
hocuS pocus or skulduggery.
Inc American Indian was gambler be-
fore he knew the use of alcohol; the China
man before he became addicted to the use
Of opium.
The Chinese are the most invcterate
gamblers among all the races Of men.
MODERN commercial insurance. as de.
A'A veloped by certain great foreign com.
panies, is gambling pure and simple.
One OF the greatest insurance corporations
In the world will take risk on anything.
Amusement managers or promoters OF
great events in the sporting world can Sc
cure insurance weeks ahead on the possible
character of the weather and other condi.
tions affecting the success of an enterprise.
SO far as the aboriginal American is con-
cerned. and his remote predecessors. the
;rotecs and oil the other strange and little
known races that have gone down the wide
avenues OF time on the Western Hemisphere,
they have left to the archeologist no recog
nizable indications of the gambling spirit in
the way of gambling implements.
THE Spanish Conquistadorcs infused the
L American Indian with the gambling
spirit four hundred years ago.
In one OF the big eases in the Smithsonian
Institution at Washington there is displayed
an array of crude and primitive gambling
naraphernalia that illustrate the games OF
chance played among the North American
Indians.
The most curious of the exhibits are
packs OF playing cards collected among the
They are made of dried skin and arc the
size of an ordinary playing card.
The number Of cards in n pack and the
character of the device indicate that they
are of Spanish origin.
During the last century the researches of
ethnologists have failed to disclose any
gambling game or devices among early In.
dians in which the mind is brought to bear.
There is no game in which the player Is
supposed TO exercise mental skill.
All their games were games of chance.
TNHE average American of today like the
i average Chinaman. is n natural gambler.
The passion seems to be not only instructive,
but infectious
As straight gambling game poker is the
universal favorite.
In. gambling houses faro is tie most
popular game. with roulette good second.
The American admixture of bloods and
races demands quick action in games of
chance.
Faro is chain lightning. 1t is one, two,
win or lose. on the turn Of n card
1t requires on an average a lapse of eight
seconds for the marble to settle itself in one
Of the brass bound cells Of a roulette wheel
after 1t Is first sent spinning round the
groove.
1t is the next swiftest game to faro.
Tn EUROPE'S civilized centers gambling
i runs to roulette.
1t is one Of the big games at Monte Carlo
No, one has ever tried, so far as have
heard. to invent Il system that would win
Systematically at poker
1t simply cannot be done.
AS for roulette. the systems that have
been invented to cir"umvcnt the supposed
law of chance that dominates the whirling
wheel are innumcrable
The most successful players come to grief
II they stay with the game long enough
One remarkable player, and / watched
her operations during part of an evening
in the Casino ut Monte Carlo, was u woman
about twenty -four or twenty-five.
She was playing the bank with reckless
the lay,out' with open hand and vet
thought | detected system in her play.
Az one time she had at least n pint Of
gold COINS before her. When | left she had
u teh cup 1Ill remaining, ] suppose she
stayed with the game till she went broke.
| HlLL WELLS, or "Bonne Chance"
- Wells. was one lucky Britisher who
really gave the Monaco gamblers IA genuine
thrill some years ago.
| He operated what he said was IN l,ttle
| system Of my own"
lie played for one week steadily and then
| departed $4,000 to the good.
| All he would say concerning his system
was that 1t required $50. 600 capital. and
for the most part II must be played with
maximum, stakes of from $1,000 to $500 so
as to enable the player to withstand a cor. :.
siderable run Of adverse luck.
| When he retired some one asked him yyhv
If his system was infallible. he did NOT 20
on and break the bank, ' ''' ~
THE physical strain is beyond nv
strength said this premier gambler. ~
have been sitting daily from II noon tiIl II
at night. playing without break. / nm
worn out. "'''
EAho' 'ud poker and roulette, with
D.! draw poker as the leading game, have
for generation been the gambling .house
specialties In this country. ''''SN
Keno, with its goose and card ~ ,,r,
bers, has been thrown into the discard. II
was too noisy, and the commission 70 the
keepSr was not large enough. " wv
In Mexico ] have seen them nlav kenc
with paddles and grains of corn ".ne was
IL 10,