St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-05
QUEER CARD STORIES.
A Player Who Held a Remark
ably Unlucky Thirteen
Hand.
Henry Lord de Ros' Method Of
Marking Cards in
Whist.
Played for a Kingdom--A Gov
ernor's Famous Long
Game.
How Cards Gave Gen. Forrest
His Start--Houdin's
Trick.

At a social gathering few evenings
ago. the conversation turning upon luck
a gentleman remarked: "All this talk
about thirteen being an unlucky num-
Der is sheer nonsense. What. for III
stance is luckier than holding thirteen
trumps at whist?"
"Humph!" replied another gentle.
man,.I held thirteen-trump hand
once. and didn't make more than one
trick with it."
''How could that be-"
''Well, you see, my partner was some
what hot-tempered, and when
trumped his ace he jumped up and
fired me out of the rOOm.'
Disgrace and w itticisms.
Henry Lord de Ros was once said to
be one of the best whist players in
England. Subsequently, however, it
was discovered that he was in the habit
of aiding his skill by marking with his
nail the high lfonors of the pack so
that he might observe to whom they
were dealt.
During the scandal which followed
this discovery fop. who had never
UCCH duIIlttCu W nlS
drawled out. II would leave my card at
his house. but l fear he would mark
it,"
"That would depend" remarked a
gentleman present, ION whether he
considered it high honor"
De Ros did not long survive the dis
graceful exposure, and Theodore Hook
is said to have embalmed his memory III
the following punning epitaph:
Here lies the premier baron of England
patiently awaiting the last trump.
Lord LyttOn's Prejudice.
Lord Lytton was extremely fond of
whist and belonged to the well-known
Portland club, in which were to be
found many celebrated PLAYERS. There
was one member of the club, a very
harmless, noffensive man of the name
of TOWnend. for whom LyttOn enter
tanned a peculiar antipathy, and would
never play while that gentleman was
in the room. He firmly believed that
Townend brought him bad lnck.
One afternoon, when Lord Lytton
was playing and had enjoyed an unin-
terrupted run of luck, it suddenly
turned, upon which he exclaimed, 81
am sure that Mr.. Townend has come
into the clnb"
Some two minutes after, just time
enough to ascend the stairs, in walked
this unlucky parsonage. Lord LyttOn
left the table as soon as the rubber was
over and did not renew the play.
A Coffin for a Table.
Swift alludes to whist as favorite
pastime for clergymen, and Hayward
tells us that about the beginning of the
century there was in country town in
Somersetshire whist club, composed
mostly of clergymen, that met for play
every Sunday evening in the back par
lor of barber.
9 ION one occasion, when four members
of this club were acting as lpall-bearers
at the funeral OF reverend brother,
some delay occurred from the grave not
being ready, and the coffin was set
down in the chancel. BY way Of Will
ing away the time, one of them pro-
duced pack of cards from his pocket
and proposed a rubber. The rest gladly
aSSented, and they were deep in the
game, using the coffin as table, when
the sexton came to announce that every
thing was ready.
Playing on Their Death Beds.
Goldsmith somewhere tells of an old
lady who, lying sick unto death. played
cards with the curate to pass away the
time, and after winning all his money
had just proposed to play for her
funeral expenses when she expired.
MazarIn also played cards on his
death bed, and while he was so weak
that he had to have some one hold his
cards for him.
He Saw Through the Game.
cot IN hic fret
game of double dummy he lost a large
sum to member of the Paris club. He
paid the money with the best grace i'm
aginable, and merely remarked that he
thought he saw through the game, and
that it might not be such bad invest
ment after all. The next night he met
the same antagonist, played high and
steadily for several hours, and rose from
the table richer man by Sl50,000.
Card Game Ends Campaign.
Still larger were the winnings of Els
partero from his foe Marcia. if the
truth is told about them. The story
runs that they agreed to meet privately
IN lone farm house at Bergara to ar
range a truce between their respective
forces. No sooner did Espartero enter
the room than the Carlist chief chal
lenged him to game of tresSilio, chal-
lenge the Christine commander ac-
cepted with alacrity. Espartero first
won all Marota's money, then his own
conditions for truce. article by article,
and finally the entire submission of the
Carllst army. Within twenty-four
hours Marcia had paid the debt, and
the first Carlist war was at an end.
The Usual Game.
A traveller in New Zealand, spend.
ing the night in a squatter's hut, was
invited to cut in for rubber of whist
As he took his seat he inquired, whats
points?"
"Whyw said his partner in tone in
dicating surprise at such question
'sthe usual game, OF cOurSe-SheeI
points and bullock on the rubber"
Death Was the Stakes.
Perhaps the most remarkable wager
ever made was brought to light in ar
investigation which took place in Bow
street in 1912. The police officer re
ported that he had seen two men on {
wall on Hampstead road, one of them
hanging by his neck from a lamp post
having just been tied up by the other
1t came out that they had played al
day, fist for money, then for clothes
and. finally, which of the two should
hang the other. The larger-man of the
twain lost, and was actually paying the
penalty when the police officer inter
yened and saved his life.
Business of State Delayed.
Z Anent Lord Granvllle's devotion tc
whist, there is the following well
authenticated story:
One afternoon. intending to set out
for Paris, he ordered his carriage al
Graham's at 4. When it came around
he was playing whist. At 10 o'clock he
sent out to say that he should not be
ready for an hour or two yet, and that
the horses had better be changed.