The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-26
SOME VERY QUEER BETS.
An Ancient Physician Who Wagered
He Would Never Be Sick
in His Life.
He Lived to Old Age and Won
It by Falling Down
Stairs.
4 Gamble That tho Loser WINS Unable
to Pay Which Had 10 10 Taken
to Court.


to Court.
(Trom the London Standard.)
The Romans had a great taste for wagers
and bets, and there was q conventional
form among them of ratifyinR this species
OF contract by taking from the finger the
ring which the higher clauses wore. and
consigning il to the custody OF a third
party or umpire. A contract thus ratified
was obligatory aud gave a right of action at
law to enforce payment. One of the Wild
est and most audacious bets ever offered
was that of a physician named Asotepiades,
who wagered that he would never be Ill in
his whole life. Absurd as it may seem. he
gained his bet. though. Of course. he was
unable TO enjoy IL. He lived to an ad-
vanced age md met his death suddenly in
consequence OF a fall downstairs. A prac-
tice was for a long time prevalent in Genoa,
and from il, in all probability. the old srs-
tenn of lotteries originated. The five senu-
tors who. with the doge. governed the re-
public, were chosen by lot from those
mobiles who were qualified, to the number
Of ITO. On tho result of the selection a
great variety Of bets were based.
The sums risked were enor-
nous. for the populaoe wagerad upon the
chances of its governors with the Same
avidity as the wealthy. In the year 1854
the parliament OF Dole in France was
called upon TO decide an extraordinary
One of the two had agreed that if the
other would pay him ~ francs in hand he
would furnish him with a certain number
OF grains of millet in proportion to the
number Of children who should be born
within q certain extent Of country and be
baptized during one year. For tho first
child he was to furnish one grain. two for
the second. four the third and 80 on. always
doubling the number OF grains for each
successive birth. The number of children
born was sixty-six, and the proportion of
grains to be supplied was SO enormous that
the party bound BY the bet demanded the
cancslling OF the contract as being founded
upon 81 impracticable condition. The
cour. decided. after having made the ncces.
sary calculation, that the wager was natur-
ally impossible to be fulfilled, and it con-
%seQuently decreed that the patty who had
received the "a francs on condition of an
event which he declared himself unable to
IEoG6, BIOulu E0tUEn tuAt SUI" 10 AIS DIDO
nsnt and should pay m additional sum of
"a francs. which was the only chance Of
loss incurred by the winner il the millet
had been furnished.
The Count dc Saillant made a bet with
tho Prince de Condo thas 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 six hours. ths dis
tanoe between the two points being thirty
miles. The stake WAS 10000 crowns, and
the bets on both sides exceeded a million
francs. The count equipped himself with
tight belt round the waist and his body
was swathed with strips OF flannel, while he
carried q leaden bullet in his mouth. Re-
lays of ho,ses were stationed on the road;
everything that could. IN the slightest man
ner. obstruot tho course WAS carefully re-
moved; and q clock was fixed to the gate of
81. Denis to mark the precise instant of
starting and return. The count accom-
plished his sask with eighteen minutes to
spare, In which time he offered to ride to
Versailles, "a further distance of eleven
miles. The year 1925 was extremely wet,
= banker named Bullion, noticing that
it rained on ST. Gsfvais' (the French
st Within) Day. offered to sup
20 B9I > b., tine sns it vo pHpp bs w.. fo superstition 4o',n sdna
seoutive days. Several persons took him,
and the g was reduced to writing in
these terms: 'If, dating from st. Geivais'
day. it rains more or less for forty DAYS
consecutively, Bulliot will be considered to
have gained; if it ceases to rain TO. only one
day during that timo Bulliot mas lost" On
these terms Bulliot betted against all
corners. and on that day he deposited a very
large sum of money. for besides what he
had lodged in the hands of the umpirss, he
took Rold-headed canes. snuff boxes and
jewslry of eyeIy kind. whose value was ap-
praised, and against which he staked money,
VhN n n Nnv,aAr{ --Nnk -
N and, as the chances were decidedly
against Bulliot, many people were eager to
get on the good thing. At last the banker,
having deposited all his cash, was forced to
give tho Shareholders notes and bills o. ex-
change, and as his credit vas we'll estab-
lished, he was enabled to issue paper to
the amount of 30, 600 crowds. 1t will readily
be conceived that the hero of this wager be-
came quite fashionable. Wherever he ap-
peared he attracted attention. But, unfo.-
tunately, TT. Gsrvais was not true to his
reputation, and it ceased raining before the
expiration OF the allotted time. Bnlliot was
ruined, and 30 completely that he could rot
honor the notes and bills of exchange which
he had given. The holders tried to enforce
payment. and as the existing law did not re-
cognize debts of this character, they endes-
vosed to pass Themselves of as bona-fde
creditors who had taken Bulliot's notes for
other considerations than the wager, and
suhs tuoJ Ouput W Do pHlQ OF compounded
for, but the %nssignees made it appear by the
dates and other evidence that all the notes
formed part OF the wager. They were there
fore nonsuited, and the debts declared ire
covernble.
Previous to the passing of the betting
acts. actions used to be allowed in this
country, and Lord Mansfield tried several,
One was where two spendthrift young
noblemen wagered which of their two
fathers would die first. and the verdict was
given for Lord March. mother famous
case WAS that of the Chevalier d'Eon, the
point at iEsue being whsther the chevaiier,
who. though a military officer, was of
ettemlnate appearance. YVES n man or q
woman. The casa was heard before Lore
Mansfield, and the verdict given that he
wasa woman. Although the verdict was
afterwards set aside on legal grounds il
was allowed to settle many other bets laid
on the same question. According to a con-
temporary authority, thisd decision was in
strumental in retaining in Shis country nc
less q sun- than 5e75, 600, which would other.
wise have been transmitted to Paris. The
chevailer, after declaring that she Cor hs)
had no interest Whatever i'll these bets upon
the question of sex, left England for France,
and assuming female attire. enjoyed q PEN
sion from the French government, tor hay
ing been long a spy of Louis ~, till the
breaking out of the revolution in 1890. He
then came to England. and. being in great
distress. lived with a lady of reputation, as
her companion. but on his death, in 1910
he was found, on post-mortcm
ton. to be a man, some fifty years agc
John Sloman, tho actor. who was Their
manager of the five theatres comprised in
what Was called tho Kent cirnpjt ,n,ao i,