Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 30, 1900, Page 6, Image 16

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    0
Chinese the Greatest
-of,
(jRIIlDlCrS
VailiyiVl O
(Copyright, 1900, by Frank O. Carpenter.)
MACAO, Nov. 21, 1000. (Special Corre-
Bpondcnco of Tho lice.) I wrlto this In tho
Monto Carlo of Asia In tho greatest gam-
bung ticll or Macao, whoro fantan runs
riot. Day and night, .Sundays and week
ilnvft. vrnr In nml vnnr ntil tlinnit tmfiitillntr
ins
ck
ng
i
houst-a nro open. This Is tho center of tho
lottery system of west Asia. Tho Manila
company has moved hero and tho fortunes
which wont to tho Philippines now come
to Mncao. Tho chief gambling Is In fan-
ion, In which thousands of dollars nro lost
and won vory night by betting on tho num-
ber of copper cash under the bowls.
I am sitting In a gambling hell as 1 write
HAVINQ A
ihtfao nuteB. it la In the heart of this Por
tuguese capllul, tu thu uuu do Jogo, thu
Htrtei of tuu gamblers, It U luldulght uud
mo pavement Is thronged with hard-faceu
mint-so running to uud fro. Thu ulr la
luil of luugnlng and Joking and of tho nolsea
which tno ChlucBo call singing.
'ihuro uro male royatererB uud females of
pliutuio. Tho rest of tho city is dark, but
mo Kuu do Jogo blazoB with Chinese luu
lornu. lta stores nro open uud gambling
Bigus Invito you to "buck tho tiger." Tho
talk U of winning and losing. Tnero la un
nlu.ond-eyed, luug-quoued man who tells
how ho won flU.OOO lust week, uud how
a Fieuchmun camo here to break tho bank
and lost 4,000 in ono night. Listen! lio
Buys tho man got it ull back tho next night
und 110,000 to boot. Tho thought stirs mo
Yunkeo gambling blood in us uud wo look
up tho house where tho money was won.
Wo go through a well-lighted passage und
enter. Tho ground Uoor Is full of Chinese.
Tho largo room at tho right is crowded.
Yellow men and women aro gathered ubout
u long tablo covered with matting, upon
aro lying. Look up Through that opening
Which runs to tho roof, wltn galleries nt tho
econd and third Moors. 800 tho hundreds
of anxious, almond eyes which aro looking
down upon tho table. Notico their owners
hi they lot down llttio baskets with strings,
Ench basket contains tho money which Its
owner wlsheB to stake. When tho game la
over they pull up tholr winnings. Aa the
baskets go down they sing out tho number
where tho money Is to bo placed, and ut tho
closo ot euch guuio tho bankerB shout tho
numbers which win.
How Fuiitun lm I'IiixmI.
In anothor room they aro playlug fantan
In much tho samo wuy. Hero tho betting
Is all on tho number ot copper coins under
a bowl. Tho bankor takea a couple ot
fcandsfu of coin from a pllo at ono Bldo ol
J -I.U?!.AB!
UUni. VU UU Wit, bUUIlb IIIUIII III iuiho
and tho betting Is ub to whothor they will
uomo out oven or whether ono, two or three
cash will be loft.
Tho beta flow in from ull parts ot tho
room. Thero aro hundreds ot dollars upon
tho tablo and tho croupier calls "Stop!"
Ho raises tho bowl and begins to pull out
tho coins with two chopsticks, taking four
out at a tlmo. Ho docs It bo slowly that
thero la no chance of deception.
The gamo looks fair, and I put my money
on No. 1 only to find that No. 3 wins tho
stako. Tho next tlmo I put It on No. 2, but
luck la against mo and It goes Into the
pile of tho bankor. Had I won I ahould
otn i.m. ti...n. n.v ii.i
This game ot fantan ls played through-
out tho far east. Thero aro different wuys
of counting, but of courso tho chances nro
always In tho favor of tho bankor. In
Bomo games tho chances aro almost oven,
but tho banker has a commission of 7 per
cent on all that passes over tho table.
Thero la u game whero tho gambler has
ono chanco of winning, two of retaining IiIb
stako and ono of losing it. This Is culled
chlngtow. It nt tho close ot tho count ono
coin Is loft ho gets un nmount equal to his
Btnko. If two or thrco ho saves his stake,
but If tour ho loses it. Another game
nllowa tho gambler ono chanco of winning
doublo tho amount he puts down and three
chances of losing It. Tho gnmo Is In ninny
ways llko roulotto, although thero la no
wheel for tho rolling ball.
Tho Chinese aro among tho greatest gam-
j a- liT 1 -
Ol" tile W Of! fl
VA ,M TT JL 1U
blcra of tho world. You find gombllng
houses In every Chlncso colony, In every
Chlncso city and In every village The
pcoplo gamble on tho roadside, In tho tea
houses and on board ship. Tho steamers
which cress the Pacific from San Francisco
to Shanghai often carry a thousand or more
nui i .i . . ..
Chlncso In tho steerage. They nro usually
men who have mndo money In tho United
States, and nro going homo to Bpend It.
They gamljlo nil the way over. A dozen
different gnmcs nro running at ono time,
and In some robob tho stakes nro high.
U)on Bomo of BtcnmghI)a .,. nmpcrH
J X' ,,IZ J , i '
gambling, and 1 havo seen Amor.cans, both
QUIET CAME
womon and men, alt down with theso dirty
Chlueso to play. During my last trip across
tho Pacific I buw tho agent of ono of tho
big Mllwaukco breweries loso 1097 at fan-
tan, whllo a vory pretty American widow,
who wa8 1 tcaft not n8 good ft9 Bho 8hould
bo, lost moro than x&oo in mo samo way.
Thla woman, aa well dressod and as nice
looking as any girl you will mcot In six
months, squatted down in hor Paris-made
dress on tho deck of tho steamer with piles
of silver dollars beforo her, risking from
10 to 20 at a tlmo on tho cash under tho must Instantly lllng out as many lingers as of j,, Thero is a largo class of profes
bowl. Tho sight was a dlsgiaceful ono, ana will when ndded to tho numbor mcntlonod 8inui fortune tollers, who aro consulted
tho fact tna: gamming is pcrmiucu on
atcamera carrying tho Amorlcan flag ls a
dlsgraco to tho Unltod States. I hoard it
hinted that tho Chlncso Keepers of tho
gnmo paid a proportion of tholr winnings to
tho Amorlcan omcors, anu mo inner ioiu
mo that tho ChlncBO must bo permitted to
gamblo or thoy would tnko other boats.
Gambling la forbidden b law In China,
Thoro aro many pcoplo who donounco It.
nnd mnnv who would no moro think ot
gambling than a Presbytorlan parson would
of betting on a horso race. Gambling, how-
over, is loioraicu uy mo omcnus, wu u.uD
monoy out ot tt by levying blackmail upon
such housos. Indoed, thoro aro gamlug
shops right at tho uoors 01 some 01 mo gov-
ornmont olllccs. They nro to bo found In
the bnck nnd Bldo streots nnd Bomotlraes
In tho bualnesa Btrcots.
Many sporting houses nro conducted by
Joint stock compaulcs nnd somo by private-
parties. It Is against tho law for women,
to opon such houses, but tho (lower boats
of Canton, tho most gorgcoUB palacos of
sin to bo found In Asia, nro accustomed to
havo such games, nnd thoy go on in secret
in many such establishments upon land.
GiiiuIiIIiik lur MphIn.
Qthor co(jk 8h ,n chna
Ruling shop. Hero you risk your
monoy as to whether you will got double
tho portion you pay for or nothing. Upon
somo of tho restaurant tables aro bamboo
tubes ns big around ns a tin cup, nnd nboui.
a foot high, each containing sevoral long
sticks of tho size of n crochet necdlo. On
tho end ot each stick aro llttio dots ot Ink
spots similar to thoso on dlco. Tho man
who wants a meal pays so many cash for
a chance. Tho tubo Is Bhakcn and ho pulls
out n certain number ot tho sticks. If the
dots on theso aro tho winning ones ho gets
double tbo amount ot his monoy in food; It
not, ho gctB nothing. I havo seen cako ped
dlers Jingling such sticks on tho wharves
01 cn T'ln n,"0,,B C""U8
unloading tho vcBsols. It was at lunch
llmo' ftnd cnch of tho lurors latl Perhaps
cent or two to Bpend for his lunch. In
"lno cases out of ten ho would bet with the
peddler, taking tho chanco ot getting two
big cakes or going hungry.
Anothor method ot gambling la with thrco
short sticks. Tho gnnibler ties a pleco ot
monoy to tho end of ono ot the sticks nnd
grasps tho throo Btlcks In his hand so that
tho money Is concealed. Tho gnnibler fast
eiiB nn equal amount to the othor ond ot
ono ot tho sticks. If ho puts It on tho stick
on which tho monoy ot tho dcnlor Is he
wins; otherwise ho losos. In this caso tho
man who runs tho gamo lias two chances
at winning.
Ono ot tho most common wnys ot bolting
hero ls with oranges. You seo this
going on at tho fruit stalls and nlso In prt
vato houses. Tbo bet la on tho number of
THE ILLUSTRATED BEE.
seeds In an orange. Sometimes it is aa to
whether tho number Is odd or oven, and at
others aa to tho exact number of seeds tho
" a "-uii aianu mo
al?rtwl 1 pay lh,0 1Ucky BUC880r ,lvo tlmca
h s bet, but tho loser must pay tbo value
of tho oraugo and also flvo times aa much
08 J10 nas wjigerod.
Ti. " i mYi l" ,,, 0rlcl-'"-
. 18 mu Rambling on horso-raclng
, ,, , , p.c'" porl,f and a 1,ong KonB-
. ,,.? , , , fl8nl 'n.ko lUo placu8
l,,Tn S in. . .Vce.' T tro 8 ,Bomo
ulruh, - , F alwo8
everywhere there nro oua II 1 irhts nml
Y ' , ;.7. q "Bnls anu
,, ,
qua" "Bating ls lono on a table with a
lll,u , 0 aboul ,t8 uUg0, The "Khtlng
f , Lavo bccn Blnrved 'or Bomo time.
, , y aro pul lnto 1,10 pcu a ,ow Brains
? rlcor o laid beforo them and
lJ?y nt 0,11:0 . boln to . 8ht ver them.
g07dVghter Is worth 1W .ATpwSrd.
it ls tbo samo with tho crickets, Their
prize rings oro llttio bowls. Tho c.-ickeU
havo boon trained. They seem to undor
Htnnd their master's word, and they nro
urged on to tho combat with straws. Somo
or them nro very tlerco nnd many will light
until they die. Thoso which chirp tho moot
loudly nro considered tho best lighters.
Tho Chinese understand how to feed nnd
groom tho crickets for tho fray. They glvo
them honey, boiled chestnuts nnd boiled
rlco and certain kinds of fish. Thoy do not
ullow anyone to smoke near them, for they
think that tobacco ls Injurious to them.
If tho crickets grow sick they feed them on
mosquitoes and, in certain cases, red ants.
In a cricket light the Insects nro wclghoj
boforo thoy aro put Into tho ring. They
are matched as to alzo and color. Tho hot
ting Is dona Just us curefully as at an
American horse, race. The stakes aro held
by a committee, which deducts a certain
percentage for thoso who own tho fighting
houses. During tho fight the gamblers
grow excited. They scream and yell and
hop up nnd down as one Insect gets tho
better of tho other and go almost mad when
ono wins,
(uecr CIiIiicnu Cjiiiiil-h,
Tho Chlncso havo all sorts of games, but
mostly games of chance. Even In ktto Hying
tho boys and men for oven tho men laro
llv kites will trv to boo which has tho
Btronge8t string, forcing his string ngnlnst
tho Btrng ot lno others so as to break
thcnii jn HUch contcstB tho strings aro
ofton BOttkfd with gluo and dusted with
powdered glass that they may cut or saw
J"ho boUoj.
At overy feast there aro games of guess-
ng upo whlch money Is staked. Ono Is
guessing how many fingers a mnn throws
out ut you, und another is quickly Hinging
out ono or moro fingers and shouting a
number when the others who aro playing
by tno nrst man innKo up a total oi icn.
At tho samo tlmo they must shout out tho
number of tho lingers they throw out. In
this enso thoso who loso have to pay so
much monoy or drink so much wlno ns a
loricu. ino uuincso i.ro very iohu oi mi
game. They grow so boisterous In pluylng
It that tho. European oniclals of Hong Kong
havo prohibited It thero after 11 o'clock
In tho evening.
Speaking of Hong Kong that city ami
Shanghai nro among tno fastest places in
tno empire. K ' ","0 s of tho
" " " vorv vicIulIB hab,t that
Chlncso married to every vicious habit that
. .
CCCTION BUSINESS DEPARTMENT OF DOYLES' COMMERCIAL AND SHORTHAND COLLEGE, DEE BUILDING.
This accounting department is finished In oak and the ground glass partitions aro labeled according to the branch of business
pursued in each. This ls the Jobbing end of tho commercial school, whero the pupils are taught by practical observation the
dotalls ot the work of the wholesale house, tho commission office, tho freight office and the national bank. Completo business
-'courso, completo shorthand and typewriting course.
known to Europe. Tho older Chlncso at
the treaty porta deprccato tho prcsenco of
foreigners In China becauso of tholr vicious
example. They claim that their aona are
bolnB European teachings. Take
foP instance the compradoro of tho Amer-
lean conaulato at Shanghai, a man who
started llfo as a clerk and who has now a
business outsldo of tho consulate which
brings him In about $15,000 a year. Ho says
that ho has made somo money out of tho
foreigners, but that ho would bo glad to
k'vo "P his every cent If they wore out of
China. Ho told mo that ho had seven sons,
...... .... . . . . ..... ......
who might have been good boys, but they
l"d been so ruined by foreigners that their
only Idea now wns to stay out all night and
Bpend money. I havo heard tho samo from
rch Chinese at tho other trenty ports and
i Cnn seo that tholr sons aro as a rulo
worthless. They hnvo all tho old vices of
lholr rnco added to our now ones. They
a aro gamblers, profligates and spendthrifts,
FORTUNE TELLERS ARE
while their fathers, on tho other hand, aro
thrifty, upright good fellows and good
business men.
CIiIiivno Gnd of I.uck.
One reason why gambling is so universal
hero Is through tho superstition of tho Chi
iwHn. Tlins rmiHlilur life lnrcelv a matter
upon everything. They nro naked to point
out tho lucky and unlucky days for all
sorts ot actions. Thero are certain days
ntinn whloh thn ilhlncan will not do certain
tnng8i u tney open a granary on ono day
thoy th,nk thftt tho rlco wlu rot nnd tney
w,n nol plnnt upon nnotiler cortaln day
for th(J Bamo reaB0( wnn0 on n third thoy
nover B,mvo becnuao 1 they do tholr heada
wil bo covered with bolls,
Bvery dny hafJ Ug own BUper8tton and
,tg QWn ,uck Jf you d,g ft we 0 tho day
ca"Cd Mow you W'" KOt ",y bUtCr Water8
(Continued on Seventh Page.)
THE WINTER TEItM OPENS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1901.
Kmfcniiiiifc I f jjr. 'H I
December 30. 1000.
A Model Husband
New Jersey, tho' land of oddities, comes
to tho front again with n phcnomcnnl
matrimonial agreement, absolutely without
parallel anywhere. Somo tlrno ago Hugh
Krelg and his wlfo of Hawthorno had n
quarrel and separated. Ho soon wearied
of the condition of loneliness Into which
tho disagreement had plunged him and
prayed to bo restored to her favor. Tho
only condition upon which she would con
sent to n reunion was that ho subscribe
to tho following oath:
"In consideration of tho fact that my wife
allows mo to return home nml rcsldo there,
nml enjoy her companionship, love and
care, I, Hugh Krelg, do hereby promlso to
begin anew, treat my wife properly nnd
return homo beforo 10 o'clock when not ab
sent on mutual engagements.
"I do promlso to work for her and sup-
CONSULTED UPON EVERYTHING.
port her as my position In llfo will al
low. "I do promlso further to attend prayer
meeting, to abstain from nil Intoxicating
liquor; also from tobacco and rlgnrs and In
future to conduct myself In n strictly de
cent, sober nnd orderly manner." Oath
taken before' a magistrate by Hugh Krelg
ot Hawthorne, N. J.
Mrs. Krelg wroto tho oath out. At first
It staggered him. Ho walked about tho vil
lage for two weeks cogitating and waver
ing. Then he resolved to do It and
called In Magistrate John Keys.
"I'm tired of eating cold dinners nnd
having nowhere to llvo," ho said. "My wlfo
Is the best llttio woman In Jersey nnd I'm
going to tako that oath and stick to tt It
I can."
The maglstrato was a llttio opposed to
tho oath. "There aren't any wings on your
shoulders," ho said, "and I don't bellovu
you can keep It." Dut Krelg said he could
and tho oath vtns administered."