The Yellowstone journal., 1894-12-21
A FORTUNE AT CARDS.
" WAS WON sI JOHN SCOTT, TIE
"GeNTlEMAN GAMBLER"

His Winnings At Whites, In London. II
the Last Century Exceeded g, 100000
Most Precise Methods.
OF all the gentlemen gamblers of tt
close Of the eighteenth century in Enc.
land a 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 con
ducted history is silent, but contemp5
rary London was full of talk of his ma
velous luck with dice and cards, al
gave more material for the gossips.
Writing to Richard Bentley, from
Arlington street, on Feb. 25, 1865,
Horace Walpole says:
"The great event is the catastrophe
of Sir john Bland, who has fiirted away
his whole fortune at hazard. He t'other
night exceeded what was lost by the
late Duke of Bedford, having at one pc
riod of the night (though he recovered
the greatest part of it lost e32, 600.
The citizens put on their double chaD
neled pumps and trudge 10 St. jaime
street in expectation of seeing judgment
on Whites - angels, with flaming
swords, and devils flying away with
diceboxe~, like the prints i'll Sadler's
hermits. Sir John lost this immense
sum to Captain Scott, who at present
has nothing but a 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 Kippax park.
Captain John Scott was of that branch
of the numerous Scott family of which
Sir Walter was o member, and his an
cestor in the thirt zenith century was thar
famous chemist Michael Scott, WHO
won the name o. Wizard. A later Scott
distinguished himself in the time of
Charles II by marrying, when he was
himself only years old, lady who
was three years his junior The bride
was Mary. countess of Buccleuch, in
her own right the richest heiress in Scot
land The marriage was a secret one,
and none of the friends and few of her
family were informed of it 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
q marriage with the pet son of Charles
knl
family.
1t was 60 years later, or about 1850,
that young John Scott, son of the Laird
Of Scots Tarvet, entered King Georges
army. Two years later he was in Lon
don and in the midst of the most reck
less set of spendthrifts, rakes and game
sters that English society has ever
known Sir John Bland was only one
of a 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 s., 900, 900. 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 Fox
had begun. and every penny of it had
been won at the g.aming table. Fox was
a ripe scholar. Scott was almost illit
crate. Fox said that losing was the next
greatest pleaS.re TO winning Scott
never lost. or 20 rarely that it did not
affect the serenity of his career as a
winner. Fox would go home in the
morning aftei a night in which he had
gambled away e10, 900 or $50, 900 and
Immediately lose himself in study of
Sophocles OF Eschylus. Scott, like the
sensible fellow he was, would button
his coat over 'he portsmonnaie in which
he carried away winnings Of an equal
or even greater amount ana immediate
ly go to bed 80 as to be fresh for play
in the evening.
When Scott found himself in London,
and amid the wild young men of his
era, he determined that gaming was
his only chance of getting none, When
he engaged himself to throw a series of
mains with Sir John Bland, he had, as
Horace Walpole puts it, nothing "but
few debts and his commission His
shrewdness taught him that there was
nothing in dicing. at which a stupid
man has as good a chance a. q bright
one. and 50 he speedily gave up hazard
and applied himself to whist. at which
game heaven fights ON the side Of the
skillful -,'ayer Never in the history of
play d.. men gamble for such hig
stakes a. Scott and his victims did a
Whites between 1853 and 1880. Scott's
system was an exceedingly simple one
He gave himself the best Of it in ev
cry possible way. He never went to the
gaming table unless his head and his
stomach were in the very best order.
He never lost his composure or his good
oature for an instant He played per
fectly fair and honorable game, and at
first he made it a rule never to play for
more than a fixed sum, which he could
afford to lose He won so steadily that
IL wasn's long before he was prepared
to risk any sum which even the wealth
lest or the most reckless of his adver