The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-24
CURIOUS FREAKS OF MEN.
Extraordinary Wagers Made by Some
Wealthy Beuters.
From the Ne,o York Press.

pluck enough TO back their opinions, and to
show pluck, as well as to support these
opinions will make wagers that seemingly
have a very moderate chance of success.
Others again are actuated by spirit of
deviltry and make wagers that apparently
are impossibilties and attempt to win them
either by dash or readiness. 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 Charles Beresford of Condor fame
was once dining with some friends in Lon
don, and the conversation turned on Rotten
row. Now Rotten row is confined to eques
TRANS only, and such a thing as driving
down the row never occurred to any one
until the reckless Irishman offered to wager
4100 he. would drive down the row at ~
O'Clock the following day, and at that hour
punctually WI ld speak to his friends from
the box seat and clam the wager At the
given place and hour the friends were all
assembled. Hundreds of riders passed by,
but not a sign of Lord Charles. AT few
minutes before midday the watering cart
which was engaged in SDrinklpg the row
turned around, and as it passed the group
of friends the driver turned the water on
with such force that it spashed all of them
A volley of objurgations were fired at him,
and he meekly responded: I'm take hun
bred 'sovs, please Lord Charles had
given the water man a FLYER" to change
places and clothes, anu thus won his bet
Capt. Candy, once a bosom friend of
James Gordon Bennett, was with a party
OF friends dining at North Lodge, Melton,
EnglaN d. The conversation fell on the sub
lect of clever horses, and "Billn Candy
wagered he had pony that would go up
stairs and down. The pony was sent for
and very readily walked up stairs. Down,
however, be declined to come, and he would
probably have been there now if they had
not pulled out a window and by means
of pulley and tackle lowered the pony
TO the ground. Capt. Candy paid his
wager.
A certain Captain in the English army,
by name Kay, was noted for his extraordl-
| nary wagers, and from the fact that the
more improbable the wager the more GER
tain he was of winning it. When in India,
a 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 conversa-
ton on these posts and wagered that there
were seventeen. The wager was made and
an adjournment showed that sixteen was
the number Kay yearned to retrieve his
loss and get even with his opponents. He
wagered the officer who had beaten him
on the posts that he could not run to a GER
| tain spot in the mountains, distant two
miles, and back in an hour. The only way
row, precipitous path, only wide
enough for one person. The
wager was made, and at the given hour the
man started. When be got to the path be
| found herd of goats being driven up it,
and, after great trouble, having succeeded
| in passing, he came up with flock of sheep.
Seeing that he could not win his bet he re-
turned and paid. Not satisfied. he made
wager with Captain Kay to carry him 100
| yards in fifteen seconds at a given hour and
| given place. The wager was accepted, and
| invitations were sent to all the ladies aud
| officers of the regiments around. At the
hour named the runner appeared and Kay
| was also on hand. Mr. M requested
| Kay to remove his clothes, as he had con-
tracted to carry him and not the clothes
| Kay could not undress before the ladies' and
had to pay, but he did it with very bad
| grace.
| One of the widest wagers ever made was
| that of a notorious gamester of the last CEN
| fury, who, in playing with Lord Lorne, had
lost all his money. Jumping up from the
| table he seized huge punch bowl, and
| dashing it against the wall, cried Now
| for once I'll have bet where I'll have an
even chance of winning. Now" he cried
''are the pieces odd or even?'
"Odd," said Lord Lorne, and odd they
were. The gamester lost $50 900, though il
| cost him his estate to pay it.
A still more extraordinary bet is recorded,
A French banker named Bulliott, being a
| firm believer in the saying that if st.
| Swithin's day is wet it will continue to rain
more or less for forty days after, offered to
back his opinion to any amount. So many
persons were ready to take up his challenge
| that the terms were reduced to writing. as
| follows:
If, dating from July Is, it rains more or
| little during forty days successfully Bullott
| will be considered to have gained.
So confident was he that every cent he
| had in the world was wagered, and he
| mortgaged every piece OF property and ar
| ticle of value he possessed. For twenty -one
| days rain fell but on the twenty-first the
weather played him false, and not drop
| of rain fell So utterly was he ruined that
his creditors sued, and ne ended his days in
a debtors prison.
| Lord Hastings, in his palmy days made
some wild wagers, but the largest wagers
made in years were those of the late Lord
| Dudley, who only made three bets in his
| life-one of 1000, another of EGO, 600 and
a third of EOS 900.
A wager of silk hat once cost many
lives. 1t was in 1871, when Capt Decatur
Of the United States Navy, commanding
the frigate United States, met Capt. Car
den, of the British Navy, commanding the
Macedonian. 1t was just prior TO the war
of 1912, and while talking about the chances
Garden said to Decatur:
"If you and | ever meet after hostilities
are declared, III bet you a silk hat that the
Macedonia will capture the United States "
"Ill bet you q silk hat you DON'T was the
reply.
The two frigates met on Oct. s. 1912,
and after bloody fight the English flag
lowered.
Decatur fastened on board the prize, and
Garden rendered his sword
damn your sword, Garden" said De-
catur Il bet you silk hat and as we're a
long way from halter, I'll take the one
You wear.n The hat was given
One Of the apparently most crazy wagers
was that made by an Englishman some
years ago lie wagered that he would
visit every town in England and Scotland
that had more than a certain number Of
inhabitants, and subsist during his tour on
what he would make. He was a man of
means. and the wager was for 10000 He
bought fine mule and had a special cart
built. On this he placed handsome hand
organ, and the mule being handsomely har-
messed the musician started on his way He
| speedily became known, and his tour was
triumphal progress from town to town.
! Every one contributed, and a common sight
was to see the mendicant play a tune or
xyhtIa NH,