The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-13 00:00:00

LAWS OF GAMING

MINUTES OF EVIDENCE ATTACHED TO THE
REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE or(
GAMING. Ordered by the House of Commons to
be printed, May 29, 1844.
It is our present purpose to give extracts from the
evidence of one of the witnesses only who were ex-
amined by this Committee. The evidence of Mr.
Crockford, now deceased, is certainly one of the most
curious, guarded, qualified, and astute pieces of tes-
timony, ever given by a reluctant party, anxious to .
screen himself from all implications and consequences
which might be contingent hereafter on his answers.
The reader will bear in mind that the Committee ex-
amining at the time consisted, including the chair-
man, of nine persons. Out of these nine gentlemen,
we are perhaps quite within the mark in saying that
four, at 'least, had been either members of, or had, at
one time or other, played at the magnificent hell—
the head-quarters of imperial gaming—in St. James's-
street.
Thursday, 28th March, 1844. William Crockford,
" Esquire,' examined :
Chairman—Have you been made a defendant in any
of the qui tam actions which have lately been made the
subject of Parliamentary interference ?—I understand
so, but no writ has been served upon me.
Chairman—lf any questions should be put to you on
the matters with reference to which those actions have
been brought, and where your answers may be injurious
to you, the Committee desire you to understand that on
your stating that to be the fact, those questions will not
be proposed.
What is your occupation ?—I have no occupation, ge-
nerally speaking ; I am concerned in mines and other
things.
Are you the proprietor of a club-house in St. James's-
street?—l was; but that terminated about four years ago.
For how long had you been the proprietor ?—About
15 or 16 or 17 years.
During the time you were proprietor of that club-
house, what were the rules of admission to that club ?
It was a private club ; not a thing done in public at all ;
it was amongst private gentlemen; I should wish to de-
cline answering that question.
They were elected by ballot ?—Yes.
You were not the person who ldid down those rules ?
—No ; they were laid down by a committee.
There was a good deal of play carried on at that club,
was there not ?—There may have been so ; but I do not
feel myself at liberty to answer that question, to divulge
the pursuits of private gentlemen. Situated as I was, I
do not feel myself at librty to do so.
Do you not know that play went on in that house ?
I do not feel myself at liberty to answer that question.
The careful hypothesis, rather than admission,
that " there might have been " a good deal of play
carried on in this high temple of cards and dice,—the
reverential delicacy with which Mr. Crockford shrinks
from any divulging of the " pursuits " I) of private
gentlemen ;—and his not feeling at liberty to say that
he knew of play going on in his own house—are mas-
terly hits. The quondam fishmonger seems to attri-
bute a sort of theocratic silence to the mystery of
gambling, as if it were the mystery of freemasonry
wherewith he was dealing. But Mr. Crockford, when
he says, in answer to Q. No. 2,624, " I don't care
what I say about myself, but I must beg to decline
bringing any gentleman's name into discussion," sup-
plies us with a key to some of his answers, which would
appear strangely incompatible with that quickness
of apprehension and general shrewdness for which he
was really so remarkable. 111 the following passage
it will be seen that the master-spirit of the modern
Pandemonium undertook to say that he did not knot
who was the proprietor of his house ;—whom he had
•given it up to ;—whether, on his retirement, and giving
up the mastership,the had signed any papers or not
;-
who now paid him rent for the palace he had erected;
—or who was its present superintendent. We are
only astonished to find that he does plead guilty to
some experience in betting on the turf, and some
knowledge of games of chance and horse-racing.
These confessions do wonderful credit to the in-
genuousness of the old gentleman :
I should wish to ask whether you still wish to decline
answering any question with regard to the proprietors
of your club four years ago ?—Yes, certainly I should
beg to decline it.
Mr. Eseott—Are you proprietor of a house in St.
James's-street ?—No.
Were you three or four years ago proprietor of a house
in St. James's-street ?—Yes.
Who is the proprietor of that house now ?—I cannot
tell ; I have given it up to the committee, and I cannot
tell anything further about it.
Who are the members of that committee ?—Upon
word I do not know; they shift about among themselves-
Who was the person you dealt with when you gave
up to the Committee ?—lf you were to ask me myself
could not tell you ; I gave it up to the general use of the
club four years ago. of
Did you give it up at your own suggestion, or that
any other person ?—At my own.
To whom did you communicate your intention to gip
it up ?—To the general club.
To the general club ?—To the club in general. 4„,4
Was there any chairman of the club ?—I do 001
myself at liberty to go on any further with the que--;
tions ; I must decline it. When I dealt with the club,
should say 200 gentlemen were met together, and I elc:
pressed my wish to decline it, and the consequence We'
that it was over.
Chairman—Surely you must have had some one wheel
you considered responsible to make the arrangement
-
No public arrangement at all ; it was a private sr
rangement.
Mr. Blake—Did you sign any paper ?—Upon my word,
I do not kaow ; I would not give an answer to sty
whether I did or not. I believe I did not.
Mr. Escott—lt was a private arrangement ?—Gene;
rally speaking. I said I grew too old, and I could 1:le
continue in the club any longer ; and I wished to ape
up the club to the gentlemen, who made their own
rangements.
Cannot you say who were the parties who made the
private arrangement ?—No ; I do not care what I
about myself, but I must beg to decline bringing it"
gentleman's name into discussion. ?
Mr. Blake—Do you receive rent for the house no
—Yes, now I receive rent for it, certainly ; the re
I Who pays the rent?—lt is paid through the geller,,,rsi
club secretary. When I say I receive it, my snabbe
ceives the money, and of course pays it; it is onlY
money I pay myself.
Mr. Escott—Who pays the money?—l do not 10°1
my son receives it and pays it.
Is your son in London ?—Yes.
Is your son now the proprietor or occupier of tliss
house?—No; he never was in his life.
if'
Is your son conversant with the business carried on
that house?—No, e never ws in it.
Who is the supe hrintendenta of the house?—l d°

know. re
Mr. Blake—Does any person authorised by You
main in the house?—No.
Col. Peel—You have handed the house over to till
club ?—Yos, and the consequence is, when they g'` pt.
up I receive it back again. They have to pay the re d
Mr. Escott—During the time you were propriett)reie
the house were you cognizant of what took place la
house ?—I must decline answering that question. no,
Mr. M. Gibson—Have you had considerable &Cr
rience in bein on the turf ?—Yes.
And a general knowledge of such transactions ?'Y a 9
You also know something about games of cbano3'
well as horse-races 7—Yes.

,:„,
POPULAR HEALTR.—The mean term of or," t is
minishes northwards in Great Britain. The hier,.."
in the South Western counties, in the following 0ru_,76.6
Sussex 55, Hants 53, Dorset 55, Devon 56, Coravor,nror
the decrement in the last case is caused by the 5"„;00
lives of the miners. The county of Lancaster has s—s 10
of 36, the lowest county ; in which Liverpool ratefore,
26. Human life in Devon is on the average, thereof'
29 years longer than in Lancaster, and 30 longer
in Liverpool.

BIRTHS. of Oa the 4th inst., Mrs. Groucoek, Dulwich, of a dalig 001
On the 6th inst., at Seal, Kent, the lady of R. S. Theni"
Esq., of a son. Our
On the 7th inst., at Bayswater, the lady of Aloes
band, Esq., of a daughter. street
On the 7th inst., Mrs. William Grimble, Albsur
Regent's-park, of a daughter. Aen,
944
...
On the Bth inst., the wife of Richard Edward .a.-
of Bedford-square and Gray's Inn, of a son. fO. *e'
On the sth inst., at Boath Hope, the lad, 0 , 6
kenzie, Esq., of a son and heir.
On the 7th inst., at Springfield, Upper Clapta°'
joix
Bunyard, of a daughter.
On the Bth inst., in Lawn place, North Brizterl, Ili* P -I.
Fraser, of a daughter.
On the Bth inst., in Stoke Newington-road, the
Robison of a daughter. Plec*
On the 9th inst., in Chester-street, Grosvenor-
lady of C. S. Grey, Esq., of a daughter. Se°'
On the 9th inst., Minories, Mrs. Taylor, of a so% °mg.,.
On the 9th inst., Mrs. Joseph Barber, of Corn ante, eP-
On the 9th inst., in Green-street, Grosvenor-eV— fT.
Robert Harris Valpy, of a son. toy o
On the 9th inst., in New Burlington-street, the
A ir°.
P. Chilver, Esq., of a son. «,e..,
On the 10th inst., at Dorset. terrace, Clephata"'-
rodamtvigdhtil3erodguitvueg,htsers4ol
Cunningham, of a son.
ine°
MARRIED.
On the 12th of May, 1844, at Hansi, north-west Pirfo'vedi_„egi
eosftßabelnisgharal,enM4artiobyFrNecifehritcaingEallele,nE,sqon.,&f the Best
Geurb-
P. Hurst, Esq.
On the 7th inst., at llutton Manse,
publisher, Fleet-street, London, to Alicia, second
street'
the Rev. John Edgar, minister of Hutton.
On the 10th inst., Mr. Charles Wilkinson,
London, to Mary Ann Corneck, only daughter of
Rev. S. Freeman, of Enfield, Middlesex•
ife ef
DIED. the If
llas, Ellen,
On the 9th inst., at Camden-road-villas,
, „isre, third
Charles B. Spaeth, Esq. Annie lie'.
On the 9th inst., in Hyde-park-street, _ ell'
ofColenieentio Ist.
daughter of William Frederick Gostling, M(17,,,,,re11 rely
On the 9th inst., Charlotte, the wife ot Jowl L v
cover,
Esq., of Quex-park, Thanet
Es q 0.7
otfhce
Camden
-town,
ge(l'il tor, Mr.
; f
CM the 10th inst., at Park-terrace, Is I g
n Julia, the ir"re o
Thomson, merchant.
On the 10th inst., at Clapham-common'
, le o
the //'
Robert Hudson, Esq. cei Ann,
On the 1 lth inst., at Camberwell-terra
.adlerseelxie,ta of
Mr. Timothy BeTington, aged 57. io.a, of
Sus
Tql: ).f
g'
Itlii?3!ate Jobuwiiiito
London: Printed and Published by ~us 0 face',
linty .-
No. 112, Strand, Printer, at T.i.e
ve3y, in to (A
Strand, in the Precinct of the NI 0
Middlesex, Tuesday, August 13,1844.

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