Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-19
THE GAZETTE.
MARVELLOUS GAME OF pool.
TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 10, 1859


] once Witnessed Il marvellous perform
ance mt pool. There were fifteen players,
the majority of them having two or three
lives: when "a Mr.. Lywis. Of Caius College
came into the room, aud Oh being asked by
some one to take a ball, acceded and joined
in the play. lie was. however. entitled to
only one life, the lowest number on the
marking board; that being the rule under
the circumstances | should presume, by
his mode ofproceeding, that this gentleman
had never handled a cue before, for when 1t
to his turn toplay, he hammered away
in the most awkward manner pusslble, and
several times missed the ball played on; bat
as luck would have il, his ball always re-
turned from the cushion, and striking the
object ball saved his solitary life. Thus he
KEEP. on till all the balls were dead but one,
and that one reduced to the last life. 1t was
the owner of this balls turn to play: and the
hazard to be made being very easy, every
one concluded that the striker had won the
whole pool. But here Mr.. LIS luck
brought him through; for the striker missed,
leaving him the recipient of the entire
amount of the pool. This was the most ex-
traordinary thing of the kind that ever cam
under my notice.
Another curious instance within my rccol-
lection, of the uncertainty OF billiards, shows
the folly of betting long odds. l was once
looking on, when two excellent players were
contending: the score Of one had reached
forty-eight, and his opponent stood at four
teen. They were playing fifty up: and
the odds were st. Paul's to a pigsty. Two
or three strokes were now played ON either
part before 4 score was made; when the
PLAYER. who was behind, got Il break. and
finished the game in good style. But the
most wonderful part ofthe business is, that
in the course Of the day a game was lost III
exactly the same manner by the party who
won in the first instance.
These facts should suffice to deter persons
from betting long odds. During my large
experience of billiards, | have not seen Il ten
stroke made in the regular course Of play more
than three times. | will now take leave
of this subject with Il general caution: never
play with strangers for money. There are
scores of men who 60 about assuming the
style and bearing of gentlemen, but are no
better than 'skittle sharps"; although have
known some who affected to hold their heads
pretty high.
Irecollect n very remarkable instance OF
sheer luck occurring at the game of ~cribbage,
in which, rs noticed in some earlier pages Of
these memoirs, | was once tolerably prof.
81 mt. This case arose while | was playing
with three others. We were playing five
card cribbage: and, it being my deal, our op-
ponents wanted four of the game; whilst our
peg stood within four holes of home. The
cards were played round without scoring a
fifteen, sequence, Or pair: and at the conclu-
10. -,$ ,,n. - tba f,nr hold a hole thpp
took UP the crib, which contained the exact
number required to win the game. This is.
i should think, the most wonderful incident
that ever happened at cribbage. Perhaps
Professor Babbage could inform us how long,
according to the law Of chances, 1t will be be-
fore the like can again take place. Gisan'n9s
from Lite's Harrest.
TIE DUKE AND THE BETToN-MAKER.
In the middle Of the battle of Waterloo the
Duke saw a man in plain clothes, ridlng about
on a cob horse in the thickest fire. During
a temporary lull, the Duke beekoned to him.
and he rode over. He asked him who he
was; what business he had there? He repli-
ed that he was an Englishman accidentally
mt Brussels: that he had never seen a hight
and he wanted to see one. The Duke told
him that he was in instant danger OF his life;
he said, Not more than your Grace and
they parted. But every now and then he saw
the cob man riding about in the smoke, and,
at last, having nobody to send to a regiment,
lie again beckoned to this little fellow. and
told him to 60 up to that regiment and order
them to charge, giving him some mark of au-
thority the Colonel would recognize. Away
he galloped, and in a few minutes the Duke
saw his order obeyed. The Duke asked him
for his card, and found. in the evening when
the card fell out of his sash. that he lived at
Birmingham. and was a button manufactur-
or. When at Birmingham, the Duke inquir-
ed of the firm. and found that he was their
traveller, and then in Ireland. When he re-
turned, at the Dukes request, he called on
him in London. The Duke was happy to see
him, and said he had Il vacancy in the mint
at $500 a year. The little cob man said it
would be exactly the thing, and the Duke H.
stalled him.-Liteo Of Hayden. the Painter.