The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-11-19
. The Ga me of Poker.
A LEGAL DECISION.

A LEGAL DECISION. ...
At that time, in Kentucky (said
the Hon. Mr.. Knott, M. c. the law
was very strict against what is term
ed ''galne of chance About a. do
zen of the boys were detected play
ing sssevA up or s.old sledge" for
money, and the grand jurpfound a
true bill lagainst them. Jim Stru-
gis was retained I'd defend them
when the case came up, ofcourse.
The more he studied over the matter
and looked into Che evidence, the
| palmer it was that lie MUST lose the
case at last-there was no getting
soundsthat painful fact. Those boys
had certainly been betting money ON
game of chance. Even public SYM
pathy had been aroused in behalf
of StNrgis. People said it was a
pity to see him mar his successful
career with a big prominent case like
this, which must go against him.
But after several restless nights
an inspired idea flashed upon Stur-
gis, and he sprang out Of bed de-
lighted. He thought he saw his
way through. The next day hewhis-
pered around a little among his eli
ents and a few friends, and then
wheA the case came up in court he
acknowledged the seven-rlp and the
betting, and, as his sole defence, had
the astounding effrontery to put in
the ple;, that old sledge. was not a
game Of chance! There was the
broadest sort Of a smile all over the
faces of that sophisticated audience.
The Judge smiled with the rest. But
! Sturgis maintained a countenance
whose earnestness was even severe.
The opposite counsel tried to ridicule
him out of his position, and did not
succeed The judge jested in a pom
derous judicial way about the thing,
but did not move him. The matter
was becoming grave. Thejudge lost
a little of his patience, and said the
Joke had gone far enough. Jim Stllr-
gis said he knew of no joke in the
matter--his clients could not'be pun
ished for indulging in what some
people chose to consider u game of
chance, until it was proven that it
was game of chance. Judge and
counsel said that would be an easy
matter, and forthwith called Dea-
cons Job, Peters, Burke and John
son, and Dominies Writ and Mig
giles, to testify; and they unanimous
| ly and with strong feeling put down
theslegal quibble of Sturgis, by pro-
nouneing that old sledge was a game
of chance. j.. -s4@ ass
'sWhat do you call it now 2" said
the judge.
i II call it a game of sciencen re-
torted Sturgis, land I'll prove it,
toow .-.- - .--s. ~
They saw his little game.
He brought in a cloud of witness
es, and produced an overwhelming
mass of testimony to prove that old
sledge was not a game of chance, but
game of science.
Instead of being the simplest case
in the world, it somehow turned out
to be an excessively knotty one. The
Judge scratched his head over it a
while, and said there was no way OF
coming to a. determination, because
just as many mon could be brought
into court who would testify on one
side as could be found to testify ON
the other. But he. said he was viii
ling to do the fair thing by all par
ties, and would act upon any sugges-
ton Mr.. Sturgis would make for the
solution of the difficulty.
Mr.. Sturgis was ON his feet in a
second
esImpanel a jury of six each. Luck
versus science. Give them candles
and couple of packs of cards, send
them into the juryroom, and just a.
bide by the result. p s
~ There was no disputing the fair
ness of the proposition. The four
deacons and the two dominies were
sworn I'm as the "chancen jurymen,
and six inveterate old seyen-up pro
fessors were chosen to represent the
science side of the issue. They reti-
red to the juryroom. ..<s.t.
In sabout two hours, Deacon Pc
tiers sent into court to borrow three
dollars from a friend. fSensa-
tion.l In about two hours more,
Dominic Miggles sent into court to
borrow q 9staken from friend.
(Sensation.] During the. next three
or four hours, the other dominic and
the other lleacens sent into court for
small loans. And still the packed
audience waited, for it was q prOdi.
gious occasion in Bulls Corner, and
one in which every father of a fami.
1 ly was necessarily interested.
| The rest of the story can be told
briefly. About daylight the jury
came in, and Deacon job, the fore.
man, read the following
gs4' &ss VERDICT. $50
/, We, the jury in, the ease of the
commonwealth of Kentucky against
tJohn Wheeler and others, have care
| fully considered the points of the
ease. and tested the merits of the
several theories advanced, and dc
hereby unanimously decide that the
game commonly known as old sledge
or;seyens up, il. eminentlyf q game q
Science and not OF chance. I'm de
tmonstration whereof it is hereby
and herein stated, iterated, reitera
| ted set forth and made manifest
that, during the entire night, tha
ssehancen men never won d game o.
ltarned d jack, although both feat