The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-01-24
A KENTUCKY STORY.
by MAYK TWAIN.

ed the "game Of chance" About dozen
of the boys were detected playing "seven
up" or =" old sledge" for money and the
grand jury found a true bill against them.
Jim Sturgis was retained to defend them
when the case came up, of course. The
more he studied over the matter and look
ed into the evidence, the palmer it was
that he must lose a case at last-there
was no getting around that painful fact.
Those boys had certainly been betting
money on game of chance. Even pub
lie sympathy was reused in behalf of Stur-
gis. People said it was 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 in
spired idea flashed upon Sturgis, and he
sprang out of bed delighted. He thought
he saw his way through. The next day
he whispered around little among his
clients and few friends, and then when
the case came up in court he acknowl-
edged the seven-up and the betting, and
as his sole defence, had the astounding
effrontery to put in the plea that old
sledge was not game of chance! There
was a broad smile over all the faces
of that sophisticated audience The Judge
smiled with the rest But Sturgis main
tanned 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 ponderous judicial way about the
thing, but did not move him. The mat
ter was becoming grave. The judge lost
little of his patience, and said the joke
had gone far enough, Jim Sturgis said
he knew of no joke in the matter--his
clients could not be punished for indul-
gng in what some people chose to consid-
er game of chance, until it was proven
that it was a game of chance.
Judge and counsel said that would be
an easy matter, and forthwith called Dea-
cons Job, Peters, Burke and johnson, and
Dominies Writ aud Miggles to testify;
and they unanimously, and with strong
feeling, put down the legal bubble Of
Sturgis, by pronouncing that sledge
was game of chance.
What doyou call it now?' said the judge.
Il call it game of science !" retorted
Sturgis; "and I'll prove it too"
They saw his little game.
He brought in cloud of witnesses, and
produced an overwhelming mass of testi-
mony, to show that old sledge was not a
game of chance, but game Of science.
Instead of being the simplest case in
the world, it had 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 de-
termination, because just as many men
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
willing to do the fair thing by all parties
and would act upon any suggestion Mr..
Sturgis would make for the solution of
the difficulty.
Mr.. Sturgis was on his feet in second:
"Impanel jury of six each, Luck vs..
Science--give them candles and couple
of decks of cards, send them into the
jury-room, and just abide by the result"
There was no disputing the fairness
of the proposition. The four deacons and
the two dominies were sworn in as the
chance" jurymen, and six inveterate
old seven-up professors were chosen to
represent the "scicnce" side of the issue.
They retired to the jury-room.
In about two hours, Deacon Peters sent
into court to borrow three dollars from
friend. (Sensation) In about two hours
the other dominic and the other deacons
sent into court for small loans. And still
the packed audience waited, for it was a
prodigious occasion in Bulls Corners, and
one in which every father of family
was necessarily interested
The rest of the story can be told brief
ly. About daylight the jury came in
and Deacon job, the foreman read the
following,
VERDICT.
We, the jury in the case of the Com
monwealth of Kentucky VS.. John Wheeler
et al, have carefully considered the
case, and tested the merits of the several
theories advanced, and do hereby unani-
mously decide that the game commonly
known as old sledge or seven-up is emf
nently game of science and mot of
chance. In demonstration whereof, it is
hereby and herein stated, iterated, and
reiterated, set forth, and made manifest
that, during the entire night, the
" chance" men never won game Of turn
ed jack, although both feats were com
mon and frequent to the opposition; and
furthermore, in support of this our ver-