The Evil Consequences of Gambling. - Deceptions. win, and money they will have; it is their idol, their God-all they seem to care for in this life; paying no regard to the future, they look only at the present. A gambler, after reaching his highest state of excellence, is generally apt to retrograde rapidly. From faro he will visit the race-course and cock-fightings, where he will get with men who are reckless and vicious as men can be, and still be at large in the community. His habits, up to this time, have qualified him to associate and bet with these men, and, step by step, he becomes one of them. His games will now be roulette, rolling-faro, chucker-luck, and twenty-one, with poker. These are the lowest order of games, and are played principally by the class last spoken of. Thus he falls from one degree of degradation to another, until he gets to the despicable game of thimbles; then, if ill luck or want of opportunity to play where he can make any money, should interfere with his expectations, he hesitates not to pick the first pocket he can get his hand in, or break open the first trunk that falls in his way; failing of which, he only wants the first opportunity, and he will hardly scruple to enter, feloniously, some store or dwellinghouse to satisfy his love of money and of booty. In short, I know of no crime, even of the blackest hue, that the gambler will not stoop to commit, when to obtain money is his object; and what better can we expect of men, whose whole lives are spent in defrauding and cheating their fellow-men, by artifices so base, so vile, that every honest mind shudders to contemplate them? I will now proceed to give an account of such games as are most generally practised, noticing the various deceptious tricks that are resorted to by gamblers in using these games; also, relating such incidents as will serve An Affecting Story. Mr. C and Mr. T. to illustrate their villanous nature and destructive influence, hoping by this means to produce in the minds of my readers that deep abhorrence of the practice of gaming, that should be felt by every honest and honorable mind. And, inasmuch as what I shall relate are facts that have come within my own personal observation and knowledge, I must believe that they cannot fail to make a deep and salutary impression upon every individual, young or old, that may honor this book with an attentive perusal. AN AFFECTING ACCOUNT OF A YOUNG MAN BROUGHT TO RUIN AND AN UNTIMELY DEATH BY GAMBLING. The narrative which I now propose to give, will, I trust, be of much service to many of my readers. If we ourselves are sufficiently apprized of the deception practised by mankind, perhaps we have some friends who are comparatively in the dark in relation to such matters; and if so, it is certainly our duty to inform them, that they may not be subjected to the danger of having to learn by sad experience. In this narrative I shall relate nothing that is not founded on facts that have come to my own knowledge. Some time in the year 1829, there removed to the south-western part of Virginia, a gentleman of fortune, a Mr. CHis family consisted of a wife and an only son of the age of about fifteen years. At that age, his parents sent him to Philadelphia to receive his education. At the expiration of five years he returned, and found his parents very much elated at the improvement he had made. There lived a near neighbor to him, a Mr. Ta man of wealth. He had retired to live on the riches he had accumulated; and his most intimate friends apparently, could not tell whence they came. He very frequently, in his younger days, had made trips to the south with slaves for that market, and always returned with large profits, and it mattered not who went with him, they always came back bankrupts. Mr. T. finally settled himself, and came to the conclusion that the interest of what he had, would be sufficient to support him handsomely for the rest of his days. He was a man of high life, was very liberal to the poor, and denied himself of no company or amusement, however expensive, that would minister to his enjoyment. He was particularly fond of horse-racing and cock-fighting, and always kept himself supplied with the finest horses and most choice fowls for these purposes. But still he had managed it so that none who knew him in private life, had any knowledge of the business in which he was engaged. He was generally from home when the races were going on, or a cock-match was to be fought; but still he so managed matters as to prevent any censure being laid on him. His horses would almost invariably win, but he always said that he did not make any thing more than expenses. Mr. C. was a different man from Mr. T.; he was a man of fine moral principles; his chief amusement was hunting with his pack of hounds and gun; but this was a kind of sport that did not suit Mr. T. any attention to any thing from which no other profit than mere amusement. made it a part of his business to find out the state of every man's affairs in his neighborhood, and those in the He never paid he could derive Mr. T. always Fox-hunt. Horse-training. best circumstances were always sure to receive the greatest share of his attention. During the acquaintance that he had formed with Mr. C., he had learned that his son would fall heir to the whole of his father's estate. From that time his whole mind was occupied in contriving some means by which he might get possession of Mr. C.'s fortune. To this end, his first step was to become acquainted with young Mr. C. on his return to his father's house from school. It so happened, that shortly after his return, he went out with his dogs on a fox-hunt. Mr. T. had his horse caught, and started to accompany him; they were out some considerable time, but with no success, and when they were about to return, the following conversation took place between them: said Mr. T., "This is dry sport." Yes," said the young man, "but it is a kind of amusement I am very fond of." "O yes," replied Mr. T., "I was once as much pleased with it as you appear to be, but I found other amusements that are much more desirable; I raise fine horses, and it affords me great pleasure to see them run." "But," said Mr. C., “I always considered such a kind of sport, cruel upon the dumb brute." "Not if they are really fineblooded animals," said Mr. T., "for in that case they take as much delight in it as your dogs do in the chase." "Indeed!" answered the young man, "I always thought that they had to be forced to run." Mr. T. told him that in this he was very much deceived, and added, "You know that I have a stable of fine colts in course of training, and I wish you to come to-morrow morning and see them gallop." Mr. C., having accepted the invitation, called on the following morning to witness the training of the colts. He started several, and they ran with great speed, and |