Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-02-21
therefore nonsuited and the debts declared

therefore nonsuited and the debts declared
irrecoversble.
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 no.
ers would die first, and the verdict was
given for Lord March. Another famous
case was that of the Chevalier d'Eon, the
point at Issue being whether the chevslier.
who, though military officer, was of eff
Terminate appearance, was q man or a wo-
man. The case was heard before Lord
Mansfield, and the verdict given that he
was q woman. Although the verdict was
afterwards set aside on legal grounds. II
was allowed to settle many other bets laid
on the same question. According to a
contemporary authority, this decision was
instrumental in retaining In this country
no less q sum than eeventy-fve thousand
pounds, which would otherwise have been
transmitted to Paris. The chevalier, after
declaring that she Tor he) had no interest
whatever In these bets upon the question
of sex, left England for France, and as
suming female attire, enjoyed q pension
from the French government. for having
been long a spy of Louis XIV, till the
breaking out of the revolution in 1890
He then came to England, and being In
great distress, lived with lady of rsputa-
ton as her companion, but on his death In
1910 he was found, on poet-mortem exam
ination, to be a man. Some Fifty years
ago John Slomsn, the actor, who was then
manager of the five theaters comprised In
what was called the Kent circuit made
bet of one hundred pounds that he would
act the part of Tom in tho interluds of
Intrigue" and sing comic cong at three
of his theaters on the same night between
the hours of seven and eleven. The thea
tiers selected were those Of Canterbury,
Rochester and Maidstone between which
places there was at that time no railway
communication. On the appointed even
ing the curtain rose st the Canterbury
house exactly at seven; Sloman went
through his part and sang s comic song,
then jumped into a postchaise and made
for Rochester as fact as four good horses
could take him, covering the distance
twenty-six miles-in an hour and forty
minutes, changing horses at Sittingbourne.
Part of the company had been sent on In
advance, and they were ready to commence
directly the manager arrived. The inter
lude WAS played. the song sung, and Slo-
man posted to Maidstone, a distance of
eight miles, in forty-four minutes Here
he was welcomed by house crammed
from pit to gallery, and accomplished his
esek Win niteen minutes 10 spare a SIN
gular case arising out of bet once came
before county oourt, the subject of the
wager being the judge himself coun-
trymsn asserted that a county court Judge
WAS not a judge in equity, and backed his
opinion with q sovereign. 1t was prompt
ly covered by an opponent, and the money
handed to a farmer who consented to act
as stakeholder. This worthy told the
court, at wor consulted and brought in
that yer wonna a equiter judge, SO 1 gen
the money to James" The opponent, not
satisfied with this decision, sued the far
mer for his sovereign. The judge in
formed the parties that he was a common
law judge, judge in bankruptcy. and
judge in equity, but decided in favor of
the defendant. remsrking that in his opin-
ion such transactions ought TO be declared
criminal