The Oregon daily journal., August 26, 1906, SECTION FOUR, Image 41

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Qoae Out of ZusMess xt
T LAST the Saratoga Club, the most.
luxurious public gambling resort; the
- real Monte Carlo of America, where
t ...... l t t L. u -1 m
fortunes nave oeen won ana wit oj tnc nnm
, whirr of a wheel, where scores of men and
women, once rich, have been" turned out penni
less; where at least one life has paid the fpr
feit of recklessness, is closedgone, it is Je-
heved, to join the almost equally famous
Pennsylvania Club, of Long Branch, in ob
Hvion. ,., ';. , "; ' ' 7
And about the same time contes.the news
that the Castno at French Ltck Wprtngs, In
diana, where the wheel whirred with equal
ferocity, and where the stakes were onh one
. degree less high than at the Saratoga Club, is,
.also closed. A ..'
Public sentiment that ts all. . .
The public would no longer stand for such
play, and so the will of the people, she most
powerful single force in America, drove the
taw to act. yWeann, luxury, influence an
were without avail. "V; '
' Except at Monte Carlo, the present
generation, if indeed any preceding one, has
luxury attendant upon gambling as was 0 be .
seen at, Canfield's,, place in Saratoga, the '
Casino at French Lick Springs, and the Penn
sylvania Club. v '-j-'V . '
. The Saratoga , Club and the Pennsylvania '
Club were essentially alike, with their air of
high stakes and exceeding luxury.1. At French
Lick Springs, the stakes were not so high, nor
the luxury so great, but the spirit of gambling
was ruhnad. Men gambled, women gambled,
children gambled in the Casino; the newsboys,
unable to do more, gambled with pennies. T.he
waiters in the hotel rambled upon the ap-
hrnirhititr ttil fit the riralher. t'nker .iratHAt turned-ujumuOw
.. L ' . I J L .-.'J '"
Xmer'tcab front Qar7o. TVxe Seracn Qtri, Sus Ctosetf
- play common there Is known In but ftw other
- placet tan .Monaco, .
Othor ptaoe at Sara tota wre closed aF the aame :
T time that of Canfleld, but,' btfh aa waa tlie play In
them, luxurious aa were the furnishings, they faded In
comparison. "-i . .
i Tlte (rounds of the Saratoga Club occupy an entire
block In Union avenue. In one corner stands the! ladles'
restaurant, openlnc Into- the gambling casino. The
grounds themselves are an openlj jpiusfil'f arc ilia
statues-o( Italian marble, by living artists, to be found
there are hardly to be excelled. :
Tor twenty years the Saratoga Club was run wide
; open. . Against politicians. Irate - losers and Individual
. reform-graves Cnnld fought . successfully; but he
Anally encountered that public wrath against which
nothing can prevail. And It all came about after. the.
suicldo of a young man who had lost 171,000 at roulette.
'. From that day. In January. 1901, when Cale Mitchell
killed himself at the door of Senator Bracken's office,
in the Saratoga town hall, misfortune has followed Can-
field and those associated with him. .
i ' One of the ttrst rulee established by Caqneld when
' he first started td gamble In New York- was to bar
professionals. He coveted the patronage cf the cul-
. tured and the rich. A fortune eaon poured in upon
- him ss a result of this policy. .
How many men Have gone to ruin In Canfleld's place,
In Forty-fourth street. New York, and at Saratoga, no
. one will ever know. For they were of the class which
prefers to bear disgrace in quiet rather than to. incur
notoriety. Their number, however, is legion.
It is stated ton good authority that Canfleld has real
ised as much as a million dollars in a single year at his
Saratoga Club. From one man alone he won a fortune,
nor did -he desist until he got all the money due. 1
inaoea. lortunes or rrom iw.ww to wim have been
When not plsylng, the guests would sit on the hotel
veranda discussing their losses or winnings. . . - '
. Poker games in the guests" Toomr-TTT the hotel we
to be found at all times. Gambling was In the air. Long
after they had regained their health, guests would be
held there by the gambling erase; but just as many were .
msde 111 by It. , . ,
Recently the play at French Lick was wltneseod by.
the Rev. R. Keen Ryan, pastor of the Garfield Boule
vard Presbyterian Chvrch. Chicago. He. -wrote of his
. observations:
- "I saw one young man lose $1000 In a few minutes'
tlme'playlng roulette.
"I saw another man In the gambling resorts of West
Baden win a thousand.
"I saw two young girls, not more than 18 years of
age, lose $20 in a few minutes trying to beat the slot
machines.
"I saw four young boys, not one of them a day over
14, lose $10 apiece gambling with the slot machine.
"I saw a handsome, reflnnd, elegant-looking woman
of middle years lose m In Just two Hours' time playing
roulette." .
JSven little boys and girls, the clergyman asserts,
were tossing pennlee; newsboys wer "matching" coin, '
and the waiters In tlie hotel were betting on the change
of the weather. Gambling had become as nstural, and .
twloe as attractive, as eating at French Lick Springs,
TAQGART MEETS CANFIELD'S FATE
Go ZYuzrsa72(fs 7reteniin. to
T&jotne "Reccing Wires for Gpmeons
paradox of paradoxes he u r ; playing th:
chapel organ as accompaniment for a choru
in striped suits, .
: sinomaious, oui true a nc atjijmgcr.
4 fij m la la mlm J jmiA A mA mm mA Ze sa f
a wm w s m mm w wm. ii si i . a riu u m r smj n is wn m rw as a rasa ra n i ii i
a " r ,t--""
060 inveitled from "easy marks" now ten
derly press the 'keys every Sunday and som:
weekday evenings, until the large chapel re
sounds with the strains r of "Lead, ' Klndl
Light," "ty hen the Roll is Called Up Yok
der" and 4,Rock of Ages Cleft for Me."
And he must play them well, with rec
feeling, or he cannot hold the post of prise
organist, which he secured only after a sever
competition. Summerfield likes it, too, for i
permits him to leave .his damp cell a goc
many hours a weeks Jlis smilef which: h:
drawn as high as 50,600 froma financier 1
a fitting, is even broader than ever while 7.
plays the hymns which his mother taught hi.
years ago. ' " ' ;-. -
No piketr crook is summerfield.
looks back-vpon-heareer of wiretappingj-mi
ing stock swindles, brokerage games and boo ',
maker's tricks which stamp him as the bun:
renius of the are. Moreover, he has swi
Of ADNESS pervades the fraternity of un- died only the wealthy and experienced. II
i failed "con men" and all because of has even attempted to fleece the navy offlcia.
the fall of Larry Summerfield. - at Washington.
Norbeeauie the ' wir?teJT7Wiretapper.'-- No bonder there are tears in the eyes c
the king of swindlers, has been caught at last his former confederates when they think c,
and put in a Sing Sing cell, but because him playing a chapel organ. : 7 ;.
chli OnJjr
were everywhere. Qne would have said that
the entire resort was inoculated with the bac-V
illi of a disease that had burst beyond control.
Then public sentiment forced -itself upon(
the law. '' ' '. '.' ' '.'-'.,
.. .V, V- v .-y
IT IS the Idleness, the tondency of time to drag at
the health resort which was responsible for 'the '
growth of palaces of chsnce. The shrewd men who
established them knew from experience how essential '
gsmbllng Is to watering places abroad, and knsw that the :
same spirit. Is rampant in America.
In rerh Instance, some famous sambllnr centra nf
the Old World was imitated. For Instance, French Lick ,
was another Carlsbad; . Saratoga was a Monte Carlo, '
and Long Branch was, In some respects, an American ,
AIX-K'S-tiatne.
With the exception of one or two privet gambling
houses ln Kew- Yorkr America- has never known such
another resort aa the Saratoga Club, owned by Richard
(.'anfleld and recently closed by order of the Governor.
Furnished In the exquisite taste thst distinguishes. Can
field among all others of his kind, rich In statuary and
paintings almost beyond the dreams of avarlee, such .
faw"
club wss closed, a well-known horseman
won 14000 at a single play, recouping the losses suffered
st a similar play only a moment before. Another man,
as won known st the race track ss in Wall street and
various Industries, hss dropped IuO.uob In a day, only, in
some instances, to recoup the next. .
LOSERS IN OREAT MAJORITY T
Few Men, however, have won as much at the Sara
toga Club as they have lost.
Again and again has the' order boen given that his
place must close, but each succeeding year, with the
exception of a few brief Intervals, lias seen It aa wide
open aa before. Early in ths present month, however,
fubllo sentiment against the club became so overwhelm
ng that Governor Hlgglns felt compelled to order the
Sheriff to put Canfleld out of business, so far aa Sara
toga le concerned. 1
Another Carlsbad waa French" Lick Sprit gs. When
the company of which Thomas Tsggart wss president
purchased the mineral springs five years sgo, it per
mitted gambling to be added to, the 'other attractions.
' It at once made a great hit. It Is said that one part
ner's share alone of the proceeds amounted to touo a.
yusr.
To women, as well ss men, the-casino was open.
F.vsn children accompanied their elders to wstrh the
games. From the hotel a caueeway led to the clubroom,
and It was el ware oocupled by people passing to and fro.
But, like the Saratoga Club, public sentiment against
French Lick Springs became too great. Attorney Gen
eral Miller,- of Indiana, is himself pressing the suit
against the French Lick Hotel Company. Pending the
trial - ths casino has been closed.
Until a few yeare ago Long Branch, . N. J., was ss
gay and luxurious a gambling town as any In the
United States. Most prominent of Its palaces of chance ereentnae of the wlnnlnsa for himself, he dlsm
nKinuffnBTairTorrT,yipirift Tiiruuuli "inisiskeii iiifurnuaiuir.- 'the1 ti
Pbtllp Daly, Jr. -The name of Daly is interwoven Insep
arably with the history of Long Branch. Besides Phil
Daly, there was' John Daly, prcprietor of a gambling
house which vied in msgnltieence with the Pennsylvania
Club. But the Dalya.were In no wise related to each
other. ." . t .
The gambling halls were In the rear of the dwellings,
. but furnished with the same degree of luxury, la those
places the limit was always the roof, and so:, the profile
were fabulous.' . '1
Men of porting instincts went to 'Long Branch In
tho summer, ostensibly for the sea air and the baths,
but really to gamble. Parties of brokers would go from
Now York In the evening, plsy till morning and thorn
1 return. Staid business men would etenl swsy from their
rottages down the Jersey cosat for a bout with the tuer. '
- and the moneyed youth would come In droves to be scpa
' rated from their cash.
In evening dress, the prcprietor would meet his pa
trons at the door with a smile and a bow, just as If
welcoming them to a social function: and it waa this air,
of refinement that attracted the wealthy element.
' Wbea the raid cane, the officers smashed much of
Phil Daly's cosily furniture with axee. Knowing that
. at last the count y-attthortttee were In esrnest. the 'pro-
prletors of the gambling palaces quit and got out, one
by one. ' - .
The lesson to be drawn from the end of theee resorts
Is. that public sentiment will not permit public gam
bling in ths United States, no matter how well its claws
may be disguised by luxury. .
INO OF CROOKS" Is the title which Larry -.
Summerfield has ' been awarded by common
consent on account of his operations extend
ing over six years.
' If ha had nsver originated anything but the "wire
less wiretapping" game, he would well merit the dub.
With some variations, he worked this game perennially,
and never failed to get a good Income from it. But.be
had other gnmea to play, and for larger stskes.
His favorite game was to approach a prosperous
.looking stranger with a proposition either to get Inside ..
Information on a horse race or advance tips on the .
stock market by tapping a wire, the victim to place his
bets In the poolroome or Investments .through hlm
When the money had been Intrusted to him, Summer
field wbuld disappear. . ,
Tim and again was he arrested, but, for one reason
or another, the prosecution was seldom pushed. Let trie
bsll be ver so high and It wss placed at WO.OOO more
than once Larry was never obliged to wait a day for a ;
bondiman. - .. 1 .
At the beginning of his career ss a confidence man
Summerfield devoted himself exclusively to the racing
end of hie "wiretapping"! game. Indeed, although widely ,
advertised, it is still worked by Imitators of the master
knave. - .- . ; . -
Kcprncnt Ing himself to be an expert telegrapher, he
would offer to tap a raring wire and obtain the "w
of the winner shesd of the poolrooms. Then, with this -knowledge,
he wss to bet upon "sure things" with the'
victim's money. By shrewdly standing out for a big .
msnrmea sua-
tMBS I'pOu
whlrli the hat wss placed never won. In reality. Bum-
merfleld never laid the bet, but kept all the money for .
himself. . 1
.On the few occasions when his dupes had the- temer
ity to appear seulnst htm In court, he blamed them for 1
everything, declaring that the betting was regular, snd
that the other party loet through -his own bungling. -
When it became necessary to change his game be
cause of the notoriety, Larry's resourcefulness never de-,
serted lilm. lie made a confederate of Charles Moran,
better known -as "Chappie" Moran, a clean-cut. Intelli
gent young fellow, who might, be mistaken for a bank
C'0lfftimmerfleld and Mors n came to grief ones in Phlla-'
del ) his through ths vigilance of a plain-clothes man,
' James Tste. Jr., who recognised them on the street from
' their pictures .In the Rogues' Gallery.
He saw them go to the rear of the Postal Telegraph '
Building, at Chestnut and Juniper streets, and Inspect
, the a ires, thsn go to the Hotel Loraine, where Moran
engaged in conversation with a stranger.
Ho followed the trio when they emerged and walked
toward the Poetal Building, and as they were entering '
arrested them.
Th4 .Intended victim.- a laundry proprietor, explained
. that Moran hnd promised for 1M) to Introduce Kim to
the manager of the telegraph company for, the purpose"
of arrenging for him to secure the stock nejss before it 1
wss nt to the brokers. The police believed the pair
must . have had a confederate who would Impersonate
the manager. But the dupe refused to prosecute. - I
Then Summerfield went to New York and Inserted s
ad" In German newspapers, offering to make lar
profits for sny ono having fWbO to Invest. Detectiv
Fernelsen answered.
"It is easy for me to beat the poolrooms," explain'
Summertleld. "I receive the names of the winners first.
Thereupon he told a "clerk" . to taxe Femeisea to t
house in Forty-nfth street.
. They went to a rcom fitted up with telegraph Ir
etriirtu-nts and racing cards. "Operators" pretended t
be busy at ths keys. Ths whole group, was arreste
but were never punished.
'On one scheme alone It Is believed that Sumincrfle'
reoelved more than tlOO.000 trom various persons In .
Single. year.-vTbis was the "copper mine" schemo. .
Promise wss held out to the prospective victim th
he could double sn Investment In a few days by. buyi
supposedly vsluablo stock in the Horseshoe mine fro
a. third person, a mining expert, who. It was repr
sented. wss forced by illness itnd poverty to part wl
It. Of course, after the money was obtnlnod, ths SUM
turned nut to be valueless.
Gef.rge A. McClean, of Pittsburg, la said to hnv
been victimised out of I2S.0OO by Summerfield In Phm
delphla in a similar .way. Another prominent man wl
was fleeced was George F. E In linger, Harlem real t
bite denier. , ,. , ,
A small boy ran out of the office building at 41 W
stree-t one day, vand confided to Detective McConvli.
"Say, there's a queer gamo going on la there.
The detective found Summerfield In conversation wl
a fine-looking man. from Dallas, Texas,- and exposed hi.
The Southerner, while in Boston, had read an "sd" 1
aJScwJork papas vfUrtug la double 40fxUa-Am eaiy&
hours. Answering It. ho had been met at Boatna 1
Hunimertield, and had come to New York to close t
deal, .
According to Summerfield. tao prominent steel tn
nstes from Connecticut were his companions in a I
scheme to beat the bookmakers of a wiretapping plai
which was frustrated by his arrest, tie Was gunrant
1U).'(VC. he said, to make the scheme go. This was t
brasep atory he told when P. J. Ryan caused his art,
on tho chsrge of swindling him nut of t-J); and it
cured tils release because of the general sbadlnees Of t
tranractlon. - . .
While in the Tombs on 'this occasion, larry, v
was plentifully supplied with money, had b re
served to his fellow-prisoners. , They cost him as av
of 15 a day.
-. One of his neatest swindles was thai by '
securod l-W.yo from a wealthy New York
Summerfield and three confederates met the t'
and laid before hint the Horseshoe Copper j -
pany ;-eU
They Informed him that a sick enslneer. t 'e t
know Its value, had atock In the eompnf ..r
that concern would pay a high price. A few eh
bought for t3 ajhnre. snd were promptly so. 1
mining company fur twice the cost. Thus ei
the Investor bought heavily. , This time the mini,
pany refused to buy.' -
For swindling a Harlem real estale man e-t
Sumnir?kld was sentenced to ten years in t
snd It l this sentence the first la his kin J
crime-that he ew serving. .
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