Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-04-03

QC<lS Out Ills Stfu AlhG Il
prince of Arabian Nights, Count Barant-
tzotf of the club AngalS. st. Petersburg,
is one of the boldest betters in Europe.
His largest known bet was %, 900 rubb.es on
the eSult of last year s imperial Yacht race.
He won. The Baron Delvig is credited
with. perhaps, the most CHASTITY bet on
record The baron has already taken an
interest in the question of capital punish
ment, being opposed to the penalty. Tue
Prince Volkouskoy holds the other and
conservative view. A dispute arose be
tween them a few years ago as to whether
the Spanish garrote or the English gallows
did its work the quicker. The dispute led
TO bet, and it was agreed by the pair to
witness, If possible. an execution of each
kind. In Spain this was easy enough, as
garroting is performed in public. In
England It vas not so easy. as mere spec
tators are not admitted. The testimony of
the attending physician was therefore ac-
cepted. The Spanish method proved to
be quicker in point of time; but the baron.
who had bet in favor of the garrote, re-
fused to accept his opponents money on
theground that the Spanish execution was
more horrible and inhuman THAI he had
imagined.
Betting is not confined in Russia to the
wealthy, but is INDUCED in by ali classes,
and has great deal of responsibility for
the wretched condition to which many of
the Door are reduced. In the times when
serfdom prevailed men often gambled
away their liberty, and even now
they gamble away their own
children, especially daughters, TO fate of
wretchedn2Ss. Then, when reduced to
utter misery, they lay the blame on the
Jews as convenient scapegoats. A news
paper at khapkov told story recently of Il
mouiik who gambled away his sheepSkin
jacket. and had to remain under shelter
until his wife borrowed a garment for her
husband to go to work in. In this case
both the winner and loser were arrested by
the police and admonished with a few
blows of the knout. not to gamble to that
extreme in the future.
General Vladimir Daehn is the cham
pion sport of the Warsaw Cercle DIES ChaS.
Seurs, and he has a worthy mate in Count
August Potocki. These two gentlemen
are the most noted patrons of the racetrack
IN Poland. and are always ready to hack
their favorites with ruhlpS General Ylad-
lmlr has been peculiarly fortunate. win
ming In one yerr $4,000 rubles. a good
share of which came out of the pockets of
the count. On the whole. however. the
Count Potorki is believed to be a loser.
Horseracing is still the leading sport of
Poland, whose national assemblies years
ago used to be held in the saddle. and all
of the noble families that rnmain and
can afford it take pride in their stables.
Count Joseph KrasinSki has a stable that
can vie with that Of anv European mon
arch, and one that the Gar on his visits to
his great summer estate in Poland. the
only place in Europe, by the way, where
the wild bison survive. has more than once
admired. The count does not permit his
favorite steeds to run for money. but some
times backs up their speed with a substan-
tial bet
The licensed lotteries which exist both
in Germany and italy gather in a large
proportion of tho earnings of the people of
those countries. 1t is stated that one of
these lotteries. with headquarters at
Hamburg, divided 5000, 900 marks last
wear as profit among the proprietors. and
that lottery at Frankford was at least
equally profitable. These and other for.
elgn lotteries also enjoved a considerable
harvest in America until the rpcant pas
sage of the law in congress absolutely de-
bearing lotteries from the use of the mails.
Gambling has not the hold upon the peO-
pie of Germany that it has in some other
countries, and even imperial patronage
has not made horSeracing truly proper
sport But the magnates Of Germany.
prominent among whom are the prince of
Pless, with whom the emperor has lately
enjoyed several days shooting. and the
duke De Rlti5Or. include many fine sports
men. The stables of the prince of Pless on
his great estate IN Silesla contain splendid
specimens of bGrsehesh. and the Baron
De Brann and the Baron De Grisewald
also deserve TO be named among friends of
the turf, and strong hackers with purse
and patronage. The immense fortune of
the prince of Pless has been somewhat
diminished by unsuccessful betting, but
the prince bears his losses like lord.
Berlin society has not been free from
scandals of the card table similar to those
which have sometimes shocked society in
London, and a sensational suicide last
summer was attributed to a discovery of
this kind. In Germany an army officer
accused of dishOnorable conduct, and with
no plausible defense, Is expected to COM
NIT suicide, and major whose mysterious
success at gambling was at last explained
In way that admitted of no doubt as to
his sCOnndrelism escaped the disgrace of
court-martial by taking his own life. The
soldiers In the German army are strictly
forbidden to play cards for money. but the
rule Is frequently evaded.
Spain IS still the gamblers paradise,
most of the people not having got over the
idea that it is better to take the chance of
earning peso than to be sure of a real.
All sorts OF gambling finds ready prey in
that country, and the betting on bull
fights is carried on with an ardor that al
most equals the ferocity of the spectacle.
As the bull energies into the arena, money
Is promptly LAID for or against his prowess
and even the lives of the human beings
who take part in the sanguinary sport are
made the subject of betters, In their ex-
element, lean over and at times almost
leap within the bounds The amounts
staked are usually not large, but quite
enough to add zest to the exhibition of
brutal courage and mans daring and
cruelty. 1t is worth knowing that while
S pain is the most hourishing country In
Europe in schemes and games of chance, it
is also The most backward in point of ma
terlal prosperity.
The new Argentine Pacific railroad from
Buenos Ayres to the foot of the Andes, has
what is probably the longest tangent in
the world. This is 211 miles without a
curve. In this distance there is a single
bridge and no opening larger than an
culvert, no cut greater than one
meter in length, and no ELL of a height ex-
ceeding one meter.
According to San Francisco dentist
California railroad millionaire has four
large diamonds set in the crown Of ono Of
his teeth. The dentist got 81 800 for the
work.
Madame comes home and finds Minna
(the servantl sitting in the kitchen reading
a book by the light OF two candles. She is
very naturally annoyed at the girls ex-
travagance. why, Nina, actually read
ing novels with two candles burning?"
% Not at all, ma am, was the cool reply,
that's only one candlel | Just cut it IN
two half an hour ago!'
One Of the best safeguards against
dry season is to use land plaster in the
hills of corn. A very small amount of
plaster will answer. Put it on the hills
after covering the seed. 1t attracts moist
ure and Is of itself fertilizer
N