Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-05
Wild English Gamblers.

AIGnOupn America, anu more par
ticularly the cities of New York and
Washington, have furnished many
noted gamblers, the amounts that have
been staked and lost or won at play on
this side of the Atlantic may be ga d to
be small in comparison with the ire
mendous ventures made abroad. Now
that gambling has fallen into disrepnte
in England and in some parts of the
Continent, the weather. classes and
sporting men of title ght rather shy of
the green cloth. But the private Gibbs
of London and the tables Of Monaco
and Baden Baden, st IL furnish their
quota of patrons who frequently make
ventures and take risks that arc aston
ishing, and upon which the success or
complete ruin of the player depends. !.
That ia Gus old london gambling
den, Cocoa Tree Club, st. James street,
had its origin IN Tory chocolate house
in Queen Anne's days, and assumed
the higher form of a club in Las.
Members of Parliament and persons
high in life belonged to this club. which,
it used to be said, exerc sed very Inn
portant influence on the course of poll
tics. In those days members of Parlia-
ment were not always above taking q
bride, and many of the Cocoa Tree gem
tleman were only too easily induced to
accept bank notes for t200 or f30o
each when the Ministry, hard pushed,
were obliged to resort to such device
to obtain support; and the peace %
Fontainebleau is alleged to have cost
the Government in this way t25, 90.
Gambling also went on to fearful ex-
tent at the Cocoa Tree. Horace Wal
pole relates. in 1850, that a Mr..
O'Birne, an Irishman, won f10O,00(
from young MIR. Harvey.
"fou can never pay me" said
O'Birne.
II cam replied the young fellow
"my estate will sell for the amount"
mo" said the Irishman, 81 will take
f10,000. and we will throw fol-, the ode
| ninety"
They did and Harvey won. At most
of the fashionable clubs OF the last cen.
fury gaming was carried on in the most
| reckless manner. In the club book o.
| Almack's there is this note:
mir. Flynne, having won only IL. 00t
guineas during the last two months. re-
tired in disgust March p, 1772.''
To lose tz0,0Oo in one eveninggwa:
| not unusual. Generally f10, 090v il
specie lay on the table. A curious ac
| count is given of the way these desper
ate gamblers used to equip themselves
for the sport. They took off Their EN-
broidefed coats, put on frieze garments
| prote ted their lace ruffles with pieces
| of leather, shaded their eyes with broad
| brimmed straw hats adorned will
| flowers and ribbons. and wore masks t.
conceal their emotions" That suicide
| was not an unfre0uent result of sucl
| high play can hardly be wondered at
Lord Mount ord, member of White's
where the gambling was fearful, got sc
| terribly involved that he, determined tx
ask Tor a Government appoint
ment, and failing that, K
| take his own life. He did fail
and after asking several persons wha
was the easiest mode of dying, invitee
some friends to dinner on New Year!
Day. having supped the evening befors
at Whites, where he played at whis
until one O'Clock in the morning 4
fellow member drinking to him happ,
New Year, '.he clapped his hands
| strangely to his eyes. In the morning
he sent for alawyer and three witnesses
made Iis.will with great deliberations
and then asked the lawyer if it woult
stand good though he were to shoe
himself. The answer being yes, q
| said: