Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-02-21
Curious Bets.


The Romans had great tasts for wagers
and bets, and there WAS a conventional
form among them of ratifying this species
of contract by taking from the finger the
ring which the higher classes wore, and
consigning 1t to the custody of third
party or umpire. contract thus ratified
was obligatory and gave right of action
at law to enforce payment. One of the
widest and most audacious bets ever Of
fered was that of phyaic!an named Aso-
tepiades, who wsgered that he would never
be Ill in his whole life. Absurd as 1t may
seem, he gained his bet, though, of course,
he was unable to enjoy it. he lived to an
advanced age, and met his death suddenly
in consequence of a fall down stairs. A
practice was for long time prevalent in
Genoa, and from it, in all probability, the
old system of lotteries originated. The
Eve senators who, with the D5gs, gov
erned the republic, we're chosen by lot
from those mobiles who wers qualified, to
the number of hundred aud ten. On
the result of the selection great variety
of bets was based. The Gums risked were
enormous, for the populscs wagered upon
the chance Of its governors with the came
svidity as ihe wealthy. In the year 1884
the parliament of Dole in France was
called upon to decide an extraordinary
wager bstween two inhabitants of Pasmes.
One of the two had agreed that IL the
other would pay him twenty four francs in
hand be would furnish him with a certain
number of grains of millet in proportion
to the number of children who should be
born within e certain extent of country
and be baptized during one year. For ths
first child he was to furnish one grain,
two for the second. four for the third, and
SO on, always doubling the number of
grains for each successive birth. The
number of children born was thirty six,
and the proportion of grains to be Sup
piled was 30 enormous that that party
bound by the bet demanded the cspcelling
of the contract as being founded upon an
impracticable condition. The court deci-
ded, after having made the necessary cal
culation, that the wager was naturally i'm
possible to be fulfilled, and 1t consequent
| ly decreed that the party who had received
| the twenty four francs on condition of an
event which he declared himself unable to
meet, should return that sum to his op-
ponent and should pay an additional sum
| of twenty four francs, which was the only
| chance of loss incurred by the winner II
| the millet had been furnished.
| The Count de Saillant made q bet with
| the Prince de Conde that he would ride
twice from the gate of st Denis to Chan
tilly at full gallop and return to his start,
| ing place in the space of ak hours, the
| distance between the two points being
thirty miles. The stake was ten thousand
/ crowns, and the bets on both sides exceed.
ed a million of francs. The count
equipped himself with a tight belt round
the waist and his body was swathed with
strips of flannel, while he carried lesden
bullet in his mouth. Relays of horses
were stationed on tho road; everything
that could, in the slightest manner, OBJ
| struct the course was carefully removed
and a clock was fixed to the gate of st
Denis to mark the precise instant of start
ing and return. The count accomplished
his task with eighteen minutes to spare, In
which time he offered to ride to Versailles
further distance of eleven miles. Th,
year 1725 was extremely wet, and 4 bank el
named Bulliot, noticing that 1t rained OF
St Gervsis' (the French st. Swithin) day
offered to support the popular supersti
ton by bet that it would be wet for for
ty consecutive days. Several persons tool
him, and the wager WIS reduced to wri
ting In these terms: '1f, dating from st
Gervsis' day, it rains more or less durinl
forty days successively, Bulliot will b
| COusluSIcu u nave Satucu, IL II ccaSo q
rain for only one day during that time Bull
liot has lost" On these terms Bulliot bet
ted against all oomers, and on that day b
deposited q very large sum of money, 70
Decides what he had lodged In the hands o
the umpires, he took gold-hesded canes
snuff-hoxes srd jewelry of every kind
whose value was appraised, and sgains
which he staked money. The affair cause,
great excitement at the time, and, as tn
chsuces were decidedly against Bullioi
many people were eager to get on the goo
, thing last the banker, having depo.
. tied all his cash, was forced to give tn
| Stockholders notes and bills of exchange
and as his credit was well established, b
! WAS enabled to issue paper to the amour
} of fifty thousand crowns 1t will readu
, be conceived that the hero of this wage
, became quite fashionable. Wherever
+ appeared he attracted attention. But, III
t fortunately, Saint Gervsis was not true |
/ his reputation, and 1t ceased raining b
4 fore the expiration of the allotted tim
f Bulliot was ruined, and 30 completely tn
8 he could not honor the notes and bills
exchange which he had given. The hol
ers tried to enforce payment, and as Il
existing law did not recognize debts
this character, they endeavored to pa
u themselves off as bona fde creditors wi
4 had taken Bulliot's notes for other consi
!. erstions than the wager, and that tn
( ought to be paid or compounded for; b
Z the assignses made 1t appear by the dat
d and other evidence that all the moi
formed part Of tho wager. They w