The Portland daily press., 1888-03-01
QUEER wAcERs.
Strange Things That Have Hanged
Upon the Turn of Chance.

Men are frequently accused Of not having
pluck enough to back their opinions. and to
show pluck, as well as to support these opln-
ions will make wagers that seemingly have
very moderate chance Of success. Others
again have had the scheme fully made up in
their minds before the wager was made.
Some wagers stand out from the general run
very distinctly.
Lord BeresiOrd Of Condor fame was once
dining with some friends In London, and the
conversation turned on R0tt0n row. NOW
RottOn row Is confined TO pedestrians only
and such thing as driving down the row
never occurred TO anyone until the reckless
Irishman offered TO wager 4lOO ne would
drive down the row at II o'clock the follow
ing day, and at that hour punctually would
speak to his friends from the box seat and
claim the wager. At the given place ana
hour the friends were all assembled. Hun
dreds Of riders passed by, but not sign OF
Lord Charles. At few minutes before mid
day the watering cart which was engaged IN
sprinkling the row turned around, ana as u
passed the group OF friends the driver turned
the water on with such force that It splashed
all of them. A volley Of ,objurgations were were
fired at him, and he meekly responded: ''Pl
take a hundred 'sOvs., please. Lord
Charles had given the water man liver" TO
change places and clothes and thus won his
bet.
Capt Candy, once bosom friend Of James
Gordon Bennett was with party OF friends
dining at North Lodge, Melton, Eng
land. The conversation fell on the subject
of clever horses, and BILLY" Candy wagered
he had pony that would go up stairs and
down. The pony was sent Ior ana very read
declined TO come, and he would probably
have been there now II they had not pulled
out window and by means OF pulley and
tackle lowered the pony to the ground. Capt
Candy paid his wager.
name Kay, was noted for his extraordinary
wagers and from the fact that the more I'M
probable the wager the more certain ne was
Of winning it. When In India, brother
officer watched him counting row OF posts
outside the mess bungalow, and thinking
some wager was intended. sailed out and
dug up one Of the posts. That night at mess
Kay got the conversation on the posts and
wagered that there were IL. Inc wager was
made and an adjournment showed that 10
was the number. Kay yearned 10 retrieve
his loss and get even with his opponents. He
wagered the officer who had beaten him 3n
posts that he could not run to certain spot
In the mountains, distant two miles and back
in an hour. The only way to reach this spot
was by a narrow precipltols path, only wide
enough for one person. The wager was
made-and at the given hour the man started.
When he got to the path he found q herd 0t
goats being driven up 1t; and, after gieas
came up with a flock of sheep. Seeing that
he could not win his bet he returned and
paid. Not satisfied, be made wager with
Capt. Kay to carry him hundred yards In
fifteen seconds at given hour and given
place. The wager was accepted, and invita-
tions were sent t. all the ladies and officers
OF the regiment around. At the hour named
the runner appeared and Kay was also on
hand. Mr.. NJ requested Kay to remove
his clothes as he bad contracted to carry him
a oil IL nrf
before the ladies and had TO pay, but he did
it with a very bad grace.
One Of the widest wagers ever made was
that Of a notorious gamester OF the last CEN
tury, who, in playing with Lord Lorne, had
lost all his money. Juming p up from the
table he seized ahuge punch bow aRd dash
ing it against the wall, cried: NOW Tor once
I'll have an even chance of winning. Now,
he cried, ARE the pieces odd or eyen.
''Odd,' said Lord Lorne, and odd they
were. The gamester lost 100000 through II
cost him his estate TO pay II.
A still more extraordinary bet Is recorded.
A French banker named BulliOtt. being
firm believer in the saying that II ST, Swith-
ms day is wet 1t will continue to rain more
or less for 10 days otter, offered 10 back his
opinion 10 any amount. So many persons
were ready TO take up his challenge that the
terms were reduced to writing as follows.
II, dating from the 10th Of July, It rains
more OF little during 40 days saeeeissSyeiy aiSsS
SO confident was he that every cent he had
In the world was wagered, and he mOrtgaged
every piece Of property and article OIL value
possessed. For II days rain fell, but on the
22d the weather played him false, and not Q
drop OF rain fell. SO utterly was he ruined
that his creditors sued, ,and he ended his days
in a debtors prison..
Lord Hastings, in his palmy days, made
some wild wagers, but the largest wagers
made In wears were those Of the late LOrd
ha anlU mazda three bpt4 in his
life-One Of 10000, another Of 10000, ana
third of E25,OOO.
A wager Of silk hat once cost many lives.
It was in 1911. when Capt. Decatur OF the
United States navy, commanding the Irlya.e ..
United States, met Capt. Garden OF the Brit
ish navy, commanding the Macedonian. IL
was lust prior TO the War Of 1872 and whilst
talking about chances Garden said TO Deca-
tur; oa, altar bostuItiss
arc declared. IN bet you a silk hat that the
Macedonian wilt capture the United states.
s'I'Il bet you a silk hatyou don't, was tine
reply. a- ,e,o
and after a bloody fght the English dag was
Decatur fastened on board the prize and
Garden rendered his sword
"D-n your sword, Garden, said Decatur,
II bet YOU q silk hat, and as were long
way from halter. Ill take the one you
wear" The hat was given.
one of the apparently most crazy wagers
was that made by an Englishman some years
ago He wagered that he would visit every
town I'M England that had more than a GER
tain humber Of inhabitants. and subsist dur
ing his tour ON what he would make. He
was man Of means, and the wager was for
10000. He boaght fine mule and had a
special cart built. On this he placed hand
organ, and the mule being handsomely har-
messed the musician started on his way He
speedily became known, and his tour was a
triumphal progress from town 70 town.
Every one contributed, and a common sight
was to see the mendicent play a tune or two.
and while his groom, who was dressed IN
livery, held the mule make the round OF the
spectators, soliciting pence. His tour was 50
successful and such interest taken IN hlIn.
that at the end OF his journey he had not Only
paid all expenses out Of his collection. ou,
had substantial balance over OF several
Thousand pounds. This ne donated 10 char
ity, and contented himself with the money
earned by the wager