Year: 1867

a man rise from the faro-table strip
ped OF every cent he had in the world,
who sat down to it a weather. man
than either you or | will probably ever
be. He gave a hollow laugh as he
pushed back his chair, and said :.n4e


"Well, gentlemen, I'm played out. y


Then he wiped his lips with a
trembling hand, looked about on the
company wildly, drew a pistol, shot
himself through the mead, and fell dead
to the floor. .eva.I


naturally supposed that so shock
ing an occurrence caused the house
to be shut up at once, at least for that
night, and said so. es a ra zea7


"No. There was a sensation for a
moment, of course. But even the
game that was under way at the time
was not stopped. 1t was only inter-
rupted few minutes, and then went
On as before. The body was re-
moved, and that was the end of it..
Such things are very annoying to a
respectable house like this-very; it
would be great favor if such poor
fools would go away somewhere to
blow their brains out-what do they
want to cut up here for? That's
about the gist of a gamblers way of
considering such matter"


"But | should think such occur
rences would so horrify the frequent
ers of these places that it might act
as a warning to them, and lead them
to reform"


"Not a bit of it. Every gambler
expects such things in this sphere oc-
casionally-and he isn't going to be
the victim, of course! You might as
well expect the gamblers in Wall
Street to take warning by the de-
struction and ruin that they see
wrought about them daily. Suppose
man should shoot himself in the
gold room down there-do you sup
pose any gold gambler would see his
own possible fate in that of the sui
eide Not at all. Men kill them
selves for love sometimes; does that
prevent other men from loving fool
ishly ?"


| was dumb. 1t was no doubt true
that such illustrations of the evils of
gambling operate benefcially only
upon those who have not yet entered
the dark and slippery path.


We shall not find, in other gam
bling-houSes of this class, any features
materially differing from those wit
messed here, and as our time is limit
ed, we will walk toward Broadway.
Passing down Fifth Avenue three
blocks, our attention is called to the
large and handsome building on the
corner of Twenty-frst Street.


This" says our guide, "is the
most fashionable clubhouse in New
York. It's members are all gentlemen
of wealth and leisure. If you write
about New York gambling-houses,
don't forget to put that DOWN.


"But a clubhouse is not a gam
bling-houSer' p | said, in some surprise.


Nevertheless, if you could pene-
trate the walls of that house
which you cannot, for it is strictly
private house, and admits none but
its own members-you would find
gambling of the most desperate char
acter going on. The most of the
club houses of New York are little
better than genteel gaming-houses.
They do not play faro, or any such
games-nothing but the card games
that are so common in our parlors,
such as whist and the like"


This astounding information will
no doubt be as new to the public as
it was to me.


Walking down Broadway, from this
point, our companion points out to US
place after place where gambling is
going on; it seems there are scores
of them in that street. They are
well known to the police, and pursue
their nefarious business in defiance OF
the law. Why they are not broken
up, is a subject that has puzzled other
heads than mine. The law is so
plain, that child cannot misconstrue
it. 1t provides IA penalty of from ten
days to two years Imprisonment at
hard labor for every gambler who is
convicted, besides a fine not exceed
ing one thousand dollars. The pen
alties are seldom inflicted, it seems.
Imagine the Hon. Mr.. Morrissey SEN
fenced to the States prison, where he
ought to be; just SO certainly as he is
a notorious gambler.


But F" decents," as they are called
are made upon gambling-houses from
time to time.


La Broadway another former prize
fighter has faro bank-the notori.
Gus John G. Heenan. There is moth
ing to indicate the nature of the ma
ture OF this place. As we pause be-
fore it the windows fronting the
thronged street are carefully darkened
Entrance is only permitted to well
known parties. This place was not
long since honored with descent,
and Heenan placed under bonds, at
which he laughs. a6oa


We had now walked down some
distance, when my companion pointed
out a stairway which would lead me,
he said, into keno gambling-saloon.
As L would find no difficulty in enter
ing these Iower-class places, he bade
me good night. Proceeding up the
dark stairway, and cropping my way
through hall at the lower end OF
which | saw a gimmer of light, ]
pushed open a door and entered a
t. otv