Daily Gleaner, July 2, 1872

We are credibly informed that certain places of resort in King Street, in this city, which pass under the designation of “Coffee Houses,” are but meeting places for gamblers who congregate there, and in all hours of the day and night, Sundays especially, ply their nefarious and demoralising trade. Unseemly disputes frequently occur, and breaches of the peace committed. In one of these affrays on Saturday night knives were drawn, and very nigh a scene of bloodshed would have been enacted.

Daily Gleaner, June 24, 1875

One of the -- to use the expression of His Worship the Police Magistrate, in a recent case -- “gambling hells of the City,” at West End was the scene of a disturbance on Friday night last, terminating in the wounding in the face of one of the parties assembled, who left the place in blood. This den is represented to us to be ostensibly a cigar shop. By this false appearance, shops that are really and truly cigar vending establishments may get to be looked upon with some degree of suspicion by respectable people who might otherwise go into them to make purchases. The Constabulary should keep their eyes on these shops, and endeavour to stamp out by prosecution in the Police Court, an evil which is ruining our youths. It will not do for the next generation to be covetous gamblers, and frequenters of low out of the way haunts. It was lamentable the other day -- when evidence was being given in a case of manslaughter, arising out of a fatal fight in one of these places -- to see a young man, to all appearances a well bred youth, look the magistrate in the face, and tell him "yes" in answer to his Worship's question -- " Were you also gambling?”