Gambling in New Orleans.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 107, 20 June 1885, Page 5

Gambling in New Orleans.

i One evening, in company with some friends who thoroughly understood the subject, I took a tour among the gambling saloons in the French quarter. In New Orleans gambling is legaliped by license, and the income from this source is no inconsiderable sum every year. We went upstairs into oneplace, which I think was called "The Royal." Here every form of known gambling; was in full blast. - There were two large halls, in which were seated fully five hundred people playing " keno." Some of them were boys not fifteen years of age, and others were old men ready to step into the grave. Each had a card, on which were certain sets of figures. At the end of the hall was a large electrical contrivance for registering the numbers which were called off, and which I was told by the proprietor cost $10,000. Nothing was heard save the loud, shrill call of ,tho man on the platform, as he read off the numbers which were being drawn from a curious contrivance, which was supposed to mix up the balls having the numbers inscribed on them. One call after another was drawled out in a monotonous way until one man in the crowd suddenly yelled " Keno " at the top of his voice. The rest of the players looked at him with disgust, for many of them were only waiting for the number that never came. Then the agents of the house collected 10 cents from each player, and the game started again. In other parts of the hall was faro, roulette, German hazard, poker — in fact, every kind of q, gambling game that is known. Lator we went down in the negro quarter, and saw a still more demoralising sight. Stopping to get a police escort, we Wfcnt! r into a negro gambling place. On the level of the street, and within plain sight of pedestrians, with windows and doors wide open, we saw fully two . hundred darkies playing faro, roulette, •'sweat-cloth," and a curious sort of a game similar to "three-card monte." In this game the dealer held a bean in one hand, and in the other several shells. Then he would toss the bean and give odds that the players could not tell which shell it was under. They lost, as a matter of course. In the rear of the gambling saloon was a large hall. A band was stationed at one end, and played while the negro men and women danced. I never saw a more villainous set of coloured people. The police told us that the most of them were men who worked on the river boats, and came to town about once a month to spend their entire earnings in a debauch. The remainder were thieves and disreputable characters generally, who were in attendance to fleece and rob those who came to visit the place. This den is owned by a white man. Poker is the great game at the clubs and among the higher classes. Not a great time ago several gentlemen sat down to play, and in. one hand everybody dropped out save two. They bet againpt each other until there were §1,800 on the table. The stakes were won by a man with a pair of queens against a pair of tens. — N. O. Corr. " Boston Traveller," April 29.