A FRENCH GAMBLER. From a Lender He Becomes a Player and Insane.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 210, 9 July 1887, Page 3

A FRENCH GAMBLER. From a Lender He Becomes a Player and Insane.

Of all celebrities of the gambling world fe.w have been, more celebrated than Charles Leroux, who has just been struck down by a form of insanity which nowhere occurs with such appalling frequency as in this city of pleasure. Among those whoso minds it has destroyed in late years, and to whom it has been the signal of approaching death, may be mentioned Andre Uille, the caricaturist, and Mine. Nilsson's first husband. It is expressly termed here he folk dcs millions. Its victims imagine themselves as rich as Croesus, and act accordingly. They write cheques for fabulous amounts and commit every kind of prodigality. They are frequently people who have been rich and who have lost their reason by brooding over the reverses of fortune. Such was the case of Charles Leroux, From being a waiter who was not too proud to accept a small pourboire, he became a croupier in one of the gambling clubs, and while in this position a young gambler who has since died mad lent him 30,000 francs. With this sum Leroux commenced business as a lender to gamblers, which in those days— the palmiest of the empire -was a most lucrative one. Ten louis were lent for a quarter of an hour and eleven weie returned. Leroux lent, freely, and left the question of interest to the generosity of the borrower. His system answered wonderfully, for he became the most popular of lenders. Every gambler looked uuon him as his friend in need. He must have made losses, but his gains rendered them insignificant. At the end of a year of business Leroux, instead of ten louis, lent 300 at a time. He became rapidly rich, bought a magnificent hotel, had eight hordes in his stable, and kept more servants than some princes. If he had remained always a money lender he would have kept his wealth, but the passion for gambling seized him, too. The baccarat table and the bourse at length ruined him, and his misfortunes proved too much for his reason.— French correspondent " Boston Transcript."