The Yellowstone journal., 1894-12-10
4 IORTUNE.A.. CAnuo.
IT WAS WON BY JOHN SCOTT, TIE
"GeNTlEMAN GAMBLER"

His Winnings at whites, In London, IL
the Last Century Exceeded &5,oOo.O0D.
Though Iiliterate. He Was a Man of tile
Most Precise Methods.
OF all the gentlemen gamblers of the
close of the eighteenth century in Eng
land single one is noted for the i'm
mensity and the regularity of his win.
nings. This was John Scott, who. be
ginning as penniless captain, wound
up his career as millionaire general
On the subject of the campaigns he cor
Quoted history is silent, but contempo
rary London was full Of talk of his mar
velous luck with dice and cards, ami
the marital misfortunes of his later life
gave moro material tor the gossips.
Writing to Richard Bentley, from
Arlington street, on Feb 25, 1913,
Horace Walpole says
The great event is the catastrophe
Of Sir Ioha Bland, vino has tiirtod away
his whole fortune at hazard. He t'other
night exceeded what was lost 10y the
ate Duke of Bedford, having at one pc
riod of the night Though he recovered
the greatest part of il lost f32, 600.
The citizens put ON their double chan
neled pumps and trudge To st. James
street in exrectation Of seeing ludsmcut
ON Whites - angels, with flaming
swords, and devils flying away with
dicoboxes like the prints in Sadler's
hermits Sir John lost this immense
sum to Captain Scott, who at present
has nothing but few debts and his
commission.
Sir john Bland, TO conclude here the
history of that luckless dicer, shot him
sci dead after losing the last of his for
tune in tippax park.
CAPTAIN John Scott was of that branch
Of the numerous Scott family of which
Sir Walter was member, and his an
cestor in the thirteenth century was that
famous chemist. Michael Scott, who
won the name of Wizard. \ later Scott
distinguished himself in the time of
Charles IL by marrying when he was
himself only / 4 years old, a lady who
was three years his junior. The bride
was Mary, countess of Buccleuch. i'll
her own right the richest heiress in Scot
land. The marriage was secret one,
and none of the friends and few of her
family were informed of il until the
day after The youthful bridegroom did
not profit greatly by this match, for his
bride died at l3 Her sister Anne. who
succeeded to her titles and estates. made
a marriage with the pet son of Charles
III, Monmouth, and had a numeroul
family.
It was so years later, or about 1850,
that young John Scott, son of the Laird
of Scots Tarvet. entered King George $
army Two years later he was in Lon
don and in the midst of the most reck-
less set Of spendthrifts, rskes and game
sters that English society has ever
known. Sir John Bland was only one
of thousand rich young Englishmen
who threw away his fortune over the
gaming table at Whites The one his
toric loser Of that era was Charles james
Fox, Pitts rival Fox gambled away,
all told. no less than -. 600, 600. Scott
was the very antipodes of Fox. When
he died. at a ripe old age, he left for.
tune as great as that with which FOA
had begun, and every penny of it had
been won at the gaming table. Fox Wa,
a ripe scholar Scott was almost illit.
crate Fox said that losing was the next
greatest pleasure To winning. Scott
never lost, or so rarely that il did NOT
affect thr serenity Of his career a. a
winner Fox would 90 home in thC
morning after a night i9 which he had
gambled away go, 600 or geo, 600 and
immediat IL lose himself in study OF
Sophocles or -Fschylus. Scott, like tht
sensible fellow he was, would button
his coat over the portemonnaie IN which
he carried away winnings of an equal
or even greater amount and immediate
ly 20 TO bod 80 as to be fresh for play
il the evening
When scott found himself in London,
and amid the wild young men of his
era, he determined that gaming wa'
his only chance of getting money. Whei
he engaged himself to throw a series o!
mains with Sir John Bland he had, a.
Horace Walpole puts it, nothing 'bur
few debts and his commission " Hi
shrewdness taught him that there wa:
nothing in di &. at which stupi6
man has "a good a chance as brigh
one, and so ne speedily gave up hazart
and applied himself to whist, at which
game heaven fights on the side Of th,
sI,illful PLAYER Never in the history o
play did men gamble for such higf
stakes as Scott and his victims did a
White's between 1853 and 1880. Scott
system was an exceedingly simple one
He gave himself the best of il in ev
erv possihle WAY He never went to thl
gaming table unless his head and hi
stomach were in the very best order
He never lost his composure or his goof
nature for an instant, He played per
fectly fair and honorable game, and a
first he made it a rule never to play fo
moro than fixed sum, which he coult
afford to lose. He won so steadily tina
il wasn't long before he was prepare'
to risk any sum which even the wealth
lest or the most reckless of his adver