The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-25
CHEATING AT CARD TABLES.
INCIDENTS IN BRITISH HIGH LIFE.
The Prince OF Wales Visit to Doncastsr-
What Really Occurred at the Card.Ta.
ble-A Revival OF Memory of
Similar Incidents.

Mrs. Wilson's country seat, Tranby Croft,
last autumn. The visit was a most IN
lucky one from the very outset, says the
New York World, and although both his
host and hostess exerted themselves to the
utmost to please their rOya guest, every
thing went wrong, and the princes MEM
Dries of the DOncaster race week OF 1890
can scarcely be of a very agreeable nature.
In the first place the prince had arranged
10 spend the week in question at another
country seat in the neighbornoOd, but on
his sending the list of friends whom he
wished TO be asked to meet him exception
was taken by his would-be entertainer to
pne of the ladies named therein, and in
consequence thereof the royal visit was
abandoned. The objection to the lady
vas based solely on the ground Of the
rather too marked attentions paid TO her
by the prince during last season, which
had gwen rise to some gossip and much
jealousy The lady in question was the
beautiful Lady Brooke, wife of the heir to
the earldom OF Warwick and one OF the
wealthiest heiresses of the peerage. Mrs.
Wilson, who is the wife of one OF the part
ners of the well-known Wilson steamship
company at Hull, having signitied her
readiness to invite whomsoever the prince
wished to meet, he determined TO honor
her beautiful country place at Tranby
Croft with his presence during the race
week. On the day before his arrival how
ever, the earl of RO-siyn, who was Lady
Brooke's steDfather, died. and neither she
nor her husband was, therefore, able to
come. On the third day OF the visit the
unpleasantness with Sir William Gordon.
Cumming took place, and on the fourth
morning, while at breakfast. news was re-
ceived OF the sudden death OF the only
brother of the hostess, which led TO the
immediate breakup of the house party,
the prince transferring himself and his
suite to his sons quarters in the barracks
Of the Tenth hussar regiment at York, din
ing in the evening with Lord and Lady
Brooke, whom be happened to find at the
hotel there.
The unpleasantness at the card-table at
Tranbv Croft is entirely different from the
version published in the newspapers. and
the charge made In print that Sir William
was caught in the act OF surreptitiOuslv
tamperiDg with the stakes is devoid OF
truth. What occurred was this: Sir Will
liam had On the table before him silver
cigarette case with an exceedingly highly
pOlished surface, on which were reflected
the faces OF the cards az he dealt them.
Whether this was intentional on his part
or not is question that has given rise 10
much discussion. 1t Is probable, however,
that no one would have given any atten-
ton TO the matter had not Sir William
been winning very heavily. So few men
know how to lose at cards without betray-
ing signs of ill-numor, and one of the I'M
fortunate ones, more crusty than the rest
and searching for some peg on which
10 hang his ill-temper, caught sight
of the cigarette box and gruffly sug-
gested its removal. Sir William, who
bas hitherto been known as man
of unblemished character and of
great gaIlantry. is not blessed with par
ticularly patient or enduring character,
and a full-fledged scrimmage was only
sverted by the presence OK the prince. At
the suggestion OF the latter the matter was
submitted to the arbitration OF three we'll
known clubmen present, who decided the
matter by acquitting the barOnet OF taking
any unfair advantage. Conscious, how
ever. of the disagreeable position in which
the fact of his having been a large winner
that evening bad placed him, he took an
before the arbitrators had announced
their decision, never TO touch a card again.
Sir William, who is a lieutensnt-coonelo of
the Scots guards, and who distinguished
himself greatly in the Afghan, Zulu,
Egyptian, and Nile campaigns, is not a
particularly popular man, and inasmuch
as one or two OF the men present were in
discreet enough to tell their wives of the
incident the matter was soon bruited
about in all the country houses and Lon
don clubs in considerably exaggerated
form. Sir William has succeeded in trac-
ing his two fellOw-guests at Tranby Croft
TO whose indisCreiion he is indebted for
the present rumors affecting his honor and
has commenced libel suits against them,
subpenaing the prince as witness in his
behalf. 1t is these lawsuits that are now
in the act of being settled out of court by
abjec. apologies on the part of the defend
ants in the two suits.
The scandal has, however, served TO re-
yive memories of similar incidents which
have occurred in late years. The most
notable cases are those of George Russell
and Walter HarboId. Each of them was
the son-in-law OF duke and each of them
a particular friend and crony of the prince.
George Russell, who is a first cousin of the
late duke of Bedford, and whose wife was
the charming udupuleI OF the duke OF f6OX-
burghe, was formerly one OF the best
known and most popular men about town.
He held the lucrative government post of
secretary of the public works department,
and as such controlled all the government
parks. This privilege he made use OF to
convert the pretty park-keeper lodges in
Hyde park and st. James park into so
many gambling-hells, luxuriOusly fur
nished at the expense of his department
Not content with the profits obtained as
the runner" of these hells, he set 10 work
20 cheat, and was finally caught in the act
at the Turf club. There was one person
10 whom the news OF his disgrace did not,
however, eo--s in the light of a surprise.
II was the duchess tnow dowager) of Man.
chester. An acquaintance entering her
drawing-room on the evening of the dis
covery of RusselPs dishonor, exclaimed:
'You will never guess, duchess, who IL
Is that has been caught cheating at
cards"
Eyes, can" replied she, jotting down
q name on a piece of paper and covering
q with her hand now tell me-"
at is George Russell"
'I knew it," replied the duchess.
look You will see that l have written
his name down here before you mentioned
il. | saw him in the act OF cheating while
he was staying at Kimbolton the duchess
country seat But as it was during the