liquor dealers are content with from $30 to $50 a day. Some of these
places remain open all night, and are filled with dram drinkers at
all hours. At the first-class establishments the liquors sold are of
good quality, but as the scale is descended the quality of the drinks
fall off, until the low-class bar-rooms are reached in which the most
poisonous compounds are sold, under the name of whisky, brandy, gin and
rum.
The American saloon is the curse of the nation. Hundreds of thousands
of men and women are being ruined annually, and our government, it
seems, is powerless to curb the destroying monster.
There are over 1400 girls in the training school for girls, and with
few exceptions they have been children of an alcoholic inheritance. Are
they to be blamed for the circumstances surrounding their young lives?
Not at all. The whole blame lies at the door of those who have voted to
license the saloon which has made it possible for the parents to so
poison their physical being that it is not possible for them to bring
into the world normal children with the powers that would enable them
to cope with the world.
The number of moral imbeciles that are in the state institutions is
simply appalling, and there are object lessons enough in Chicago to
cause any one who will give the subject but a moment of good, unselfish
thought, to go to the polls and declare that no longer shall be
fostered in our midst that which in the course of time will make us no
better than a nation of lepers. Some day parents will recognize the
responsibility of bringing children into the world.
The American woman of the fashionable set lives in a whirl of
unhealthful stress and excitement. She sleeps too little and keeps her
nerves constantly on the Qui Vive. She tipples and drugs, she is often
a degenerate and a mother of degenerates—if, indeed, she be a mother at
all. This drinking among women is more prevalent than we are willing
to believe, and it is one of the greatest dangers with which we are
confronted today. The hurry and fret of Chicago life is turning out
degenerates at a rate that will one day stagger the world.
Ignorance and bad parentage are doing the work in many instances,
and girls comparatively good are led off by bad men and worse women.
Children who have been well born and should have been well reared, find
their way into the schools of delinquents, the jails, penitentiaries,
and insane hospitals. The heredity of many of these children is
appalling and the environments does the rest.
The “barrel-houses” are located in the poorer sections of the city
where the liquors of the vilest kind are sold. Their customers are the
poor and wretched. Only the cheapest and poisonous liquors are sold
here as a rule.
It is impossible to estimate the amount of drunkenness in Chicago. The
arrests represent but a small part of it, as thousands upon thousands
of habitual drunkards manage to keep out of the hands of the police.
Respectable men patronize the bar-rooms regularly, and are constantly
seen reeling along the streets. So long as they are not helpless, or
guilty of disorderly conduct, the police do not molest them. Systematic
drinking, which does not amount to actual intoxication, but kills by
slow degrees, is very common. Among the most liberal patrons of the
bar-rooms are young men and even boys, who thoughtlessly begin their
careers that will one day end in sorrow.
Drunkenness is by no means confined to men. Women are largely addicted
to it. Out of some twelve arrests for this cause three are women. In
the more wretched quarters of the city, women drink heavily and are
among the most constant customers of the cheap groggeries which thrive
among the poor. Even women of respectability and good social positions
are guilty of the vice of intemperance. They all do not frequent
bar-rooms, however, but obtain liquor at the restaurants patronized
by them, and it is a common sight to see well-dressed women, married
and single, rise from a restaurant table under the influence of
intoxicating drink.
* * * * *
The poem of Francis E. Bolton, tells the story of the rum demon.
Within a home of woe and shame,
A drunken father nightly came,
And called the only child he had,
To come and kiss her poor old dad.
A darling little girl was she,
Who climbed upon that father’s knee,
And kissed him with a look half sad,
Although she loved her poor old dad.
Drunken and dirty, weary and sad,
She always kissed her poor old dad.
But lower, lower sank his soul,
Infatuated with the bowl,
One comfort only then he had,
The kiss that always welcomed dad.
One night a Christian brother came,
And won him from his woe and shame,
He found the Lord, who made him glad,
That night she kissed a sober dad.
Days came and went, his eyes grew bright,
His clothes were neat, his heart was light,
His home was heaven, his child was glad,
Some marvelous change had come to dad.
One night he called her as of yore,
As she stood white-robed upon the floor,
His tone a deeper loving had,
“Come, pet, and kiss your poor old dad.”
Loyal and loving, manly and glad,
She knew some change had come to dad.
Her eyes lit with a radiant smile,
She paused in thought a little while,
She said as slow as she looked him o’er,
“You’re not my old dad any more.”
“What then, my pet?” he asked with awe,
“Why, now you are my new papa.”
He caught her to his breast with praise,
“So may I be through endless days.”
Loyal and loving, noble and true,
Praise to the Lord, old dad is new,
O, glorious grace of God! ’tis here,
For those who sigh in sin and fear.
Come unto Christ who can restore,
Nor be the old man any more.
In Jesus Christ the world is true,
You are a creature wholly new.
The blessed spirit now implore,
Nor be the old man any more.
Loyal and loving, noble and true,
The soul that lives in Christ is new.
Gambling Hells
Past and Present.
The statutes of the state of Illinois pronounce severe penalties
against gambling and gamblers, yet games of chance have flourished
in the past and do yet to a greater extent than in any other city in
the country. There are said to be about 20,000 men who maintain an
existence through gambling in one form or another. In late years the
laws against gambling have been enforced more rigidly than formerly,
and the number of professional gamblers has somewhat diminished. Yet
there are enough of them left to make their business a very marked
feature of metropolitan life.
At the head of the fraternity are the faro dealers. This game is too
well-known to the average American to need any description here,
and has always been popular in this country because of its supposed
fairness.
“In the good old days,” as one celebrity expressed it, there were
between forty and fifty faro games in Chicago, some of which were
palatial establishments. The busiest of these were to be found in Clark
street, and numerous side streets; outwardly these places appear to be
simply private clubs, for they have a silent, deserted air during the
day, giving no signs of life. The blinds are kept down and only men
are seen to enter and leave the houses. The better class are furnished
with great magnificence, and costly paintings adorn the walls; the
softest carpets cover the floors, the most costly furniture fills the
apartments and superb chandeliers hang from the ceilings and shed a
brilliant glow through the rooms. The servants are colored, and the
attendance is all that could be desired. Delicious suppers are spread
nightly for guests, and rare wines and liquors are at the command of
all who honor the place with their presence. In the house are all the
various conveniences for gaming. In the first-class houses no one
is asked to play, but it is understood that all who partake of the
proprietor’s hospitality are expected to make some return by risking
something at the tables. In the best houses the games are generally
fair, the proprietor trusting to the chances of the game, which are
nearly all in favor of the “Bank,” and the skill of the dealer. Great
care is exercised in the admission of visitors. The proprietors of
these places discourage the visits of young men; they prefer the
company of men of means who have something to lose. Poker is also
largely played in all first-class establishments.
The second-class houses or “hells,” are scattered all over the business
portion of the city. The visitors to these establishments are chiefly
young men and strangers in the city, who are lured or “roped” into
them by agents of the proprietors. Faro, roulette, poker and numerous
other games are played here, but fair games are unknown, except among
the professionals who frequent the place. The “skin” game is used with
the majority of the visitors, for the proprietor is determined from
the outset to fleece them without mercy. In these places everything
pertaining to gaming is boldly displayed—chips, cards, faro boxes,
roulette wheels, handsome gaming tables, and side-boards containing
liquors and cigars. The entrance to the houses are carefully guarded,
the doors are secured by heavy bolts and bars, and sliding panels
afford every opportunity for inspecting the visitor before his final
admission to the rooms. Though roulette is frequently played in these
establishments, faro, as we have said, is the principal game. It is
simpler than roulette, and gives a heavy percentage in favor of the
“bank,” and “skin faro,” the only game played here, offers no chance to
the player. In “skin faro” the dealer can take two cards from the box
instead of one, whenever he chooses to do so. The box is so arranged
that the dealer can press on a lever within the box in the right hand
corner. When this is pressed upon the mouth of the box is opened, so
as to allow two cards to slip out at once. The cards being “sanded,”
stick close together, and the player can not perceive that there are
two. On the withdrawal of the pressure from the lever the mouth of the
box is closed by a spring, so that only one card can slip out. There
are some boxes, called “sanded-boxes,” by the use of which the dealer
can press on the end of the box and take out two cards, still keeping
his fingers in the natural position, instead of being obliged to reach
inside of the box in order to press the lever. No tally is kept of
these games, and the player is unable to see how many cards have been
dealt out. Should he discover the trick, it is highly dangerous to
attempt to expose it, as nearly all the persons present are in league
with the “bank,” and are united in the effort to get possession of the
player’s money. The safest plan is to bear the loss and get out of the
place as soon as possible, as the men present will not hesitate to
provoke a quarrel with or assault a stranger who disputes the fairness
of the game. A quarrel once started, every advantage is taken of the
player, and his life is not worth a farthing. The safest plan of all is
to remain away from these hells. The man who enters any gaming house in
Chicago, especially a stranger in the city, is a fool, and deserves to
lose his money. He who ventures into one of the second-class houses,
risks not only his money, but his life. However wise a man may be in
his own conceit, however he may rank as an oracle in his distant home,
however brave, resolute, or skillful he may be, he is no match for
a Chicago gambler. In nine houses out of ten his life is in danger
unless he submits quietly to be robbed in the most barefaced manner.
One of the worst and most demoralizing forms of gambling is “pool
selling.” The pool business flourishes at the present time, and is
winked at by the police officers, and tribute is generally understood
to be levied against the proprietors. The business is conducted
by professional gamblers, and though seemingly fair, is a swindle
throughout. Pools are sold on horse-races, prize-fights, boat-races,
political elections, and in short, on all and every conceivable contest
into which the element of chance or doubt enters. The pool is a fixed
number of chances, each of which is sold at a certain price. The
managers charge a percentage or commission on all tickets sold, and do
not hesitate to sell as many as there are applicants for, even though
the legitimate number is exceeded by such sales. A favorite trick is
to receive the money invested in pools and then spread reports which
shall discourage the bettors, and induce them to withdraw their bets.
The managers return the amounts invested, minus their commission,
which they retain, and in this way, while seeming to act with perfect
fairness, fill their coffers at the expense of their victims.
The great evil of “pool” gambling is that it encourages young men
and boys to enter into the combinations, and thus give them a taste
for gambling. The possibility of winning considerable money by
investments fascinates them. During a political campaign officers of
two of the largest banks in the city called upon the Chief of Police,
and stated that they suspected that many of their clerks visited the
pool-rooms. They feared that the excitement and allurements of gambling
might impair the integrity of these young men, and induce them to
appropriate money belonging to the bank. Detectives were employed, and
the suspicions of the bank officers were confirmed. Business men are
constantly finding that their clerks and salesmen are regular visitors
to the pool-rooms. Messenger boys, boot-blacks, and others who earn
only a few dollars a week, invest all the money they can get hold of
in buying pool tickets. Men of high respectability fall victims to the
same vice, and the evil goes on increasing. The only persons who profit
by it are the managers of the pools, who do not hesitate to resort
to any trick to retain the money intrusted to them, and who coolly
swindle their infatuated dupes, old and young, with the same cheerful
alacrity.
Another vicious form of gambling is the lottery business, closely
connected with which is “policy dealing.” Lotteries are of two
kinds—the single number system and the combination system. In the
former as many single numbers as there are tickets in the scheme,
are placed in a wheel, and are drawn out in regular order. The first
number drawn wins the capital prize, and so on until as many numbers
are drawn as there are prizes. In the combination system, seventy-five
numbers are generally placed in the wheel, and from these a certain set
of numbers are drawn, according to the provisions of the scheme. The
chances are much greater against the ticket-holders in this system than
in the single number schemes, as, in order for a player to win a prize,
the various numbers must be drawn in the exact order represented on his
ticket.
It is, of course, possible for a lottery to be fairly drawn, but it is
a well-known fact that in the majority of the schemes advertised no
drawing of any kind ever takes place. A bogus drawing is published,
and, though prizes are assigned, not a single ticket-holder ever
receives one. Even if the drawing is fair, the business is to be
denounced on the ground that it is not only illegal, but demoralizing.
The purchasers of lottery tickets are, as a rule, persons unable
to afford the expenditure—generally the very poor. This species of
gambling has a fascination which holds its votaries with a grip of
iron. They venture again and again, winning nothing, but hoping for
better luck next time, and so continue until they have lost their all.
There are hundreds of well-authenticated cases of men and women being
reduced to beggary, despair and suicide by lottery gambling.
The managers of the various lottery schemes are professional gamblers.
They are without principle, and do not intend to pay any prizes to
ticket-holders. They receive their money from their dupes, announce a
bogus drawing, in which no prizes can be found by any ticket-holder,
and then coolly ask their victims to try again.
Policy dealing is one degree lower in infamy than the lottery business.
There were at one time about 200 policy shops in the city, whose
principal customers are negroes, sailors and foreigners. The mazes
of policy are not well-known to the general public. Few games are so
well devised for a sure loss to the player, even when honestly played,
and the more influential sellers make this assurance doubly sure by
playing to suit themselves. The game consists of betting on certain
numbers, within the range of lottery schemes, being drawn at high noon
or night-drawing. Seventy-eight numbers usually make up the lottery
scheme, and the policy player can take any of these numbers and bet
they will be drawn, either single, or in such combinations as he may
select. The single numbers may come out anywhere in the drawing, but
the combination must appear as he writes it in making his bet. He pays
one dollar for the privilege of betting and receives a written slip
containing the number or numbers on which he bets. If a single number
is chosen and drawn, he wins $5.00, two numbers constitute a “saddle,”
and if both are drawn the player wins from $24.00 to $32.00, three
numbers make a “gig” and win from $150 to $225; four numbers make a
“horse,” and win $640.00 A “capital straddle” is a bet that two numbers
will be among the first three drawn, and wins $500.00. The player may
take any number of “saddles,” “gigs,” or “horses,” paying $1.00 for
each bet.
Now all this seems very fair, but the policy managers are equal to the
emergency. As soon as they receive the drawings, they change the order
of the numbers, and thus condemn the players to a total loss. These
alternated numbers are printed on slips, and distributed to the various
policy shops. In some cases, after these copies have been sent out, it
is discovered that the players have even then won too much to suit the
managers. The copies are immediately recalled as misprints, and new
copies, altered to suit the managers, are distributed.
All sorts of people engage in this wretched game, black and whites,
rich and poor. The grossest superstitions are indulged in respecting
“lucky numbers.” Such numbers are revealed by dreamers, which are
interpreted by “dream books.” To dream of a man is “one,” of a woman
“five,” of both “fifteen,” and so on. Thousands of copies of these
“dream books” are sold every year, and among its purchasers are said
to be many shrewd operators on the Board of Trade. So great is the
rage for policy playing that men and women become insane over it. The
lunatic asylums contain many patients who have been brought there by
this species of gambling.
Criminal Operations
One of the greatest evils of the city is the existence of a class
of men and women—some practicing physicians—who make their living
by practicing abortion upon women who have been betrayed and upon
married women. These abortionists are known as a rule to the police,
who make no effort to break up the infamous business. They continue
to flourish, and advertise in such city journals as will admit their
advertisements, and reap large profits from the sale of drugs and
the performance of operations upon pregnant women. Their calling is
illegal, and the statute books inflicts grave penalties against them.
To bring on premature confinement, which shall result in the death of
a child, is made by law a grave offense. In spite of this, however,
infanticide flourishes in Chicago, and every year the city journals
contain numerous accounts of the death of women at the hands of
professional abortionists. They are arrested and punished whenever a
clear case can be made out against them; but others spring up to take
their place, and the infamous business continues to thrive. Some of the
more cautious practitioners will not undertake the premature delivery
of a woman, but content themselves with receiving her, and carrying
her safely through her confinement. They require that she shall be
backed by some responsible man. The child, when born, is sent to
some foundling asylum, or given to persons willing to adopt it. Often
the practitioner places it in the hands of some person to care for it,
and, when the parents are of good position in society, and possessed of
wealth, holds it as a means of extorting money from them. Large sums
are wrung from parents in this way, in order to avoid an exposure, and
men and women have been driven to despair and suicide by the wretches
in whose power they have placed themselves.
One of the most notorious women of this class was the late Madam
S——. A large part of her income was derived from the sale of drugs
warranted to bring on miscarriages. She amassed a large fortune, by
her business, built a magnificent house on a prominent street, and
lived in royal style. She would never commit an abortion outright, but
would safely deliver her patients, take care of the children born in
her house, and use them as means of extorting money from the parents.
Her patients were invariably women of position in society, in the city
and other parts of the country, and she received no one in her house
unless “backed” by a man of known wealth. At length her wicked ways
threw her into the hands of the police. The evidence against her was
overwhelming, and to escape the just punishment of her crimes, the
wretched woman committed suicide.
A physician of standing in his profession once said to me, “The number
of young girls in their teens who come here begging my services is
astounding. Many, of course, have been betrayed, and seek to remove the
consequences of their sin.”
[Illustration: “Poverty in Chicago.”]
Life Under the Shadows
Poverty in Chicago.
It is a terrible thing to be poor in any part of the world. In Chicago
poverty is simply a living death. The city is full of suffering and
misery. Some of the wretched people who endure it have, no doubt,
brought it upon themselves by drink, by idleness, or by other faults,
but a large majority are simply unfortunate. Their poverty has come
upon them through no fault of their own; they struggle bravely
against it, and would better their condition if they could only find
employment. They are held down by an iron hand, however, and vainly
endeavor to rise out of their misery. They dwell in wretched tenement
houses, in cellars of buildings in the more thickly populated parts of
the city, and in shanties, and hovels in almost every quarter of the
city. A few families, even in the midst of their sufferings, manage
to keep their poor quarters clean and neat, but the majority live in
squalor and filth. But little furniture is to be seen in the rooms of
the poor. Everything that can bring money has been sold for the means
with which to buy food. Many of these wretched homes have been stripped
of all their contents for this purpose. A cooking stove sometimes
constitutes the only article of furniture in a room, and the inmates
sleep upon the floor. Not a chair or table is to be seen. Often there
is no stove, and the only food that passes the lips of the occupants of
these rooms is what is given them in charity.
The inmates of these wretched homes are often families who have seen
better days. Once the husband and father could give those dependent
upon him a comfortable home, and provide at least the necessaries of
life. But sickness came upon him, or death took him, and the little
family was deprived of his support. In vain the mother sought to
procure work to keep her children in comfort. What work she could
procure was at intervals, and the little she earned barely sufficed
to keep a roof over their heads. Little by little they sank lower and
lower, until poverty in its worst form settled upon them. The city is
full of such cases, and missionaries, whose labors among the poor
bring them in constant contact with scenes of suffering, confess that
they do not know how these poor people manage to live. Whole blocks
are filled with families on the verge of starvation. They would gladly
work if they could get employment; but the city is so full of sufferers
like themselves that they cannot escape from their wretched condition.
The so-called Ghetto and other localities present scenes of misery
which almost surpass belief. Many of the dwellers here pick up a bare
subsistence.