The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-12

is willing to give the NEST tremendous odds
TO a friend. while such is his luck that he
never loses bet. He only took to play
ing horses" at the beginning of this season
and embarked upon the dangerous deeps OF
equine speculation without q particle OF
experience. Yet his winnings have been
phenomenal, aud those who know him de-
clare that since last April his gains have
amounted to sl6 600 OF $4,000. All OF his
spo4ls are devo ed TO the entertainment of
his friends, aud ii is easy TO tell when Mar
Gus is in town BY the brisk extra business
Immediately imposed upon DelmonlcoS and
the Hoffman house.
n But the latest exploit of this polygiot
nomad verst of San Francisco and now of
toe universe at large, easily places him at
the head of American gamesters when one
considers the character of his wager and
its Dimensions
About six weeks ago jim Williamson,
who used to be the juvenile comedian OF
Wallack's just after the war, and is now the
principal manager OF Australia" with a
bank account of at least half a million, sat
in a San Francisco club room with Mayer.
Their talk ran upon their plans for the. sum
mer Just on them.
81 can't leave Frisco" quoth Marcus,
until July 8, but expect to be in Paris on
the, oath"
That's rather a bold expectation on
Your part" said Williamson, Il know
things have changed good deal since my
clay, but | cont swallow that. From
Frisco to Paris in fifteen days! No, sir.
you'll never do IT."
Mayer rubbed his mustache with his
finger and thumb, bis usual expression of
confidence.
''Pll bet you anything you like he said,
''that do it."
Outsiders hearing the debate were drawn
into it, and when the wager was registered
and mutually accepted all round it took
this shape:
Williamson and twenty three friends
many of them theatrical celebrities ana all
OF them amply able to redeem their obi
gations-were to take fortnight's leave of
Mayer. On July "a, precisely at o'clock
p. m, the twenty-four gamesterS are to be
IN private room at the Cafe Anglais, in
Paris, awaiting dinner, the service of which
is to begin at $780, The cost of the dinner
is to be at the rate of $50 francs cover.
and there are to be twenty-five covers, one
held in reserve for Mayer.
Between and $50 o'clock Mayer is to
appear at the Cafe Anglais and take the
place reserved for him. Should he do this,
Williamson must pay for that particular
dinner, and on the following days the
twenty-three other bettors must each in
turn foot an equivalent bill. That is to say,
if Mayer reaches the Cafe Anglais in time,
Williamson and his twenty-thres brother
skeptics will have to provide, one after an
other, twentyfour dinners for twenty.four
diners. at cost for each dinner of $730.
On the other hand, if Marcus should fail
to make his entrance into the Cafe Anglais
between and $50 O'Clock D. m. on july a.
he will have to give twenty-four dinners to
twenty-four people, at an aggregate cost of
S12Ox24, which, as everybody knows will be
ST., $50.
Although it was not so stipulated in the
protocol, Mayer has declared his intention
to rely absolutely upon ordinary modes of
travel, and not employ special trains or
boats or any other extraordinary device
By general consent, his movements are to
be kept secret, and until he shall have ar
rived in Paris nobody will know the precise
moment of his departure from San Fran
cisco, or the name of the steamer On which
he Will sail from New York
Some of the party are already quartered
| In Paris, and large number of Americans,
actors and businessmen, aware of the bet
will undoubtedly swell Mayors triumph, if.
as most people who know him believe, he
makes his connections all right. Nat Good
| win, Donnelly and Girard, and other theat-
| rlcal people intend, if they can scover the
place of his arrival in Paris to whoop him
along in four-in-haud to the Cafe Anglais,
and celebrate his victory with a special
/ Notification of their own.
| A good deal of money will change hands
on the event, the friends of the audacous
cosmopolitan being willing to give long
odds.
The hero of the venture is good looking
| young man of about IS, of the middle
height, well developed, good dresser and a
genial companion. He has a keen aquiline
face, with laughing dark eyes and a chin
suggestive of indomitable resolution.
The steamers which leave New York for
| European ports on July Is are the CITY of
New York, the Germanic, the Gallia, the
Saale and the Rhynland. OF these the City
of New York and the Saae are the two
fastest, and in one of the two it is almost
certain Mr.. Mayer will have berth, under
an assumed name, on its sailing day There
is, of course, bare chance of his catching
the California to Hamburg on July Is but
even that would not add much to his
chances, which, as it looks now, altogether
depend on the City of New York making a
seven-day run to Liverpool