WHOLESALE GAMBLING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1847, 22 May 1888, Page 3

WHOLESALE GAMBLING.

4 A tolagram dated St. Louis, Mo., Feb 24th, says:— Wednesday night the wives ff seven St. Louis basinessmen, membars of the Merohanta Exctiaage and wholesale merchant? awaited anxiously their return to thoir family residences, while the wife of a gentleman visiting the city doubilesa fondly Imagined him sleeping peacefully the sleep that comeß after a nard day'a work. Tha eight gentleraDn were seated around a tabia in a room in a loading hotel, plies of ohecka in front of O'ich of them, and eo^mod to be fully equipped for an all night (session. They had entered at two o'clock in the afternoon for a couple of hoars' qalei; poker gamo, jick pot, 50 cento to coma fr» and a $5 limit. Before they left it yciylorday afternoon nearly $125,000 had changed hands and they had played one of the largeat games of the kind on reoord and had staked the hrgQßt innorni on tho tlighteat chance. It was a game that would mako the professionals who' rolgnod before the 'gambling law went Into effect turn green with envy. And yofc the participants were only untutored bu&hieea men, any one of whom could Bign his cheque for several thoußandp, and e;ch of whom has made hia money by coutr.lng probabilities rather tha.n possibilities, oven in. speculation. The limit waa gradually ralaed to $50, and aide bete of from $129 to $1000 wtBJ made In various combinations— tho smallest heart, the largeat club, etc. At 6 a.m. only three of the party remained in the game. Theae three played to four four o'clock yesterday afternoon, having had a twenty six hours' session without leaving the hotel. The pots ran up to $800, and there were a number of heavy oldo bets. The ohecka ran out, and lend pencils wero used to represent large amountp. Over $125,000 had changed hund3 during the twenty eix hours.