Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-12-20
CURIOUS WAGERS.
Rash Bets Made by Some Persons
in Days Gone By.
Absurd Chances Assumed by q Physician
Neat Way In Which a Prince
Won q Wager-BettinS ON the
Weather, Ugliest Person, Etc,

Neat Way In Which Prince
Won q Wager-BettinS on the
Weather, Ugliest Person, Etc.
So far as we can 60 back in the
worlds history, we find the rage for
making wagers prevalent. The Romans
had a great taste for wagers and bets;
and they had a conventional form of
ratifying these contracts. which consist
ed in taking from the finger the ring
which the higher classes invariably
wore, and giving it into the keeping of
some third party umpire. One of the
widest bets ever made was by a physi-
clan of the ancient world named
Asclepiades. He wagered against fort
une that he would never be i'll dur
ing his life, under penalty of losing
the reputation he had acquired of be-
ing the most famous physician of his
time. Absurd and impious as was this
presumption he won his wager, al
though he could not enjoy it, for. at
a very advanced period of life, he died
from the effects of fall.
The Romans were fobidden to bet
upon the success of an unlawful game,
or indeed of any games whatever, I'M
less they were trials of courage,
bodily strength, or skill.
The Parliament of Dole, in France,
was called upon to decide very
curious wager in the year 1854. 1t
was between two citizens of Pasmes,
one of whom had agreed, on considera-
ton Of his being paid the sum of
twenty-fOur francs, to furnish the
other with a quantity of grains of
millet, in proportion to the number of
children that should be born within a
certain extent of country during one
year. He was to hand over one grain
for the first child, two for the second,
four for the third. and so on, always
doubling the number of grains for each
successive birth. The number of chill
dren born within the specified time
was siXty-siX; and such an enormous
quantity of grains of millet had to be
supplied to meet the conditions of the
agreement, that the contracting party
demanded the canceling of the bet, on
the ground that it was founded upon
an impossible condition. The court
agreed at once that it was impossible
for the contract to be carried out; and
decided that the person who had re-
ceived the twenty-four francs should
repay them to his opponent, and
should give him an additional sum of
twenty-four francs. Surely this was
any thing but a just judgment, for
it was impossible that the gamer
could have lost. He made his calcu-
lations, and was betting upon the ig-
norance of the loser. ltwas therefore
a wager based upon bad faith, and
should have been annulled altogether.
A wager was made early in the last
He was a firm believer in the supersti-
ton that if rain falls on ST. Swithin's
day DULY 15), it will also fall. more
or less. for forty days after. St
Swithin's day in the year 1925 was
very wet; and so Bulliot offeret to bet
any one who chose to put down his
money that the next forty days would
be rainy. So many persons showed a
desire to take up this wager, that its
terms were reduced to writing as fol-
lows: If, dating from st. Swithin's
day, it rains more or little during
forty days successfully, Bulliot will be
considered to have gained; but if it
ceases to rain for only one day during
that time. Bulliot has lost" On these
terms, Bulliot bet against all who pre-
scented themselves. He was so conf
dent of success that he placed money
against articles of value of
every description. People brought
gold-headed canes, snuff-boxes. jew
els, even clothes, and Bulliot
wagered as much money against them
as he considered they were worth.
When his stock of cash came to an
end he issued notes and bills to such
an extent that it was said he had paper
money out to the amount of hundred
thousand crowns. All this naturally
excited great deal of public curiosity,
and the rash man found himself quite
fashionable for the time being. Verses
were made in his honor, a play was
produced which had him for its hero;
in a word, he attracted as much atten-
tion as if he had been a monarch or a
famous statesman. But unfortunate
" for Bulliot, St. Swithin was not true
to his character. For the first twenty
one days of the stipulated time more
or less rain :ell. The twenty-second
day, however, was bright and cloud
less, and night came on without there
being the slightest sign of rain. Bull
iot was ruined, and ruined SO COM