Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-01-24


ways of depicting his purse, and her
high play continued until 1852, when
she lost sums amounting to more than
a million dollars at ''hoca"
Louis Nv. INDUCED his favorites, as
his Predecessors had done. On June
%. 1865, the Due de Richelieu UNDER
took to teach the famous and infam-
Gus Nine. Du Barry lansquenet in her
boudoir, and in 4 few minutes the fair
one had eased the dukes pocket of
25,O00 louis der (S125. O0O). much to the
kings amusement and delight, for he
was watching the game and was
pleased at his favorite's success. The
beautiful Nine. de Pompadour, another
favorite, also won and lost enormous
sums.
In the next reign female gamblers.
though perhaps not more extravagant
than before, yet caused more scandal
The coach Of state was going down
hill to the revolution. and seemed to
increase in velocity as it neared the
bottom of the decline The princes of
the blood and courtiers who instilled
into the Queen Marie Antoinette the
unfeminine and unroyal passion for
horses and horse-racing induced her
also to engage in high play and pro-
hlblted games of chance.
Faro was played in the queens
apartments at very high stakes. Both
she and the Comte d'Armun lost
enormous sums, and many of the
courtiers were entirely ruined. Public
rumor exaggerated these losses and
they excited the greater indignation,
as the losers did not pay their lawful
debts. The scandal was the greater as
faro was strictly forbidden, even to
princes and princesses of the blood.
1t was, nevertheless, played at the
houses of Nine. de Guemenee, the
Princess de Lamballe and in the
queens rooms
At last no one would play at court
for fear of being ruined, and to find
partners and opponents the queen was
soon led to admit the worst society.
Her card parties consequently became
tumultuous and scandalous. Marie An
toinette'S salon was open to all black
guards who were introduced, and one
was arrested who gave one of the
bankers a rouleau of chips instead of
louis. Some of the queens gambling
companions picked Count Dillon's
pocket and got louis dor ($2,5O0).
In England things had been nearly
as bad. Elizabeth was no gambler,
but when the Stuarts assembled the
throne play ran high. Henrietta Marie,
the wife of Charles the first, inherited
the gambling tastes of her father, the
amorous and pleasure-loving Henri
w. and when Bassompierre, also an
in 1926, he and the queen
arrant sport" was in England on an
and Buckingham sat at a window in
Cheapside playing pramero for stakes
while waiting for procession to pass.
When Charles the Second was re-
stored the pleasures and manners Of
his court We're practically Identical
with the French court, and his beauti-
full favorites, the duchess of Mazarin,
the duchess of Cleveland, the duchess
of Portsmouth, Nell Gwynne, and her
CullIcu Uo
before unknown in England. The
duchess of Mazarin, a niece of the
cardinal, lost more than a million louis
dor ($5,0OO,O0O, and ended her life in
beggary. Nell Gwynne lost 5000
($25,0OO to her rival, the duchess of
Cleveland, at one sitting, and the i'm
mense fortune of the latter was
at the baSset table.
In 1896 Chief Justice Kenyon deliv-
cred a charge in which he dwelt ON
this scandal and threatened to send
even the first ladies of the land to the
pillory if they were convicted of play
at faro before him. Gilray, the fam
Gus caricarturist, made an imaginary
picture of the most conspicuous of
tenders standing in the pillory, calling
them "Pharaoh's, or Faro's Daugh-
ters.''
In 1897 Lady Buckinghamshire,
very notorious gambler, got into trou-
BILE with the city authorities, being con-
victed with Lady Lutterel1 and Mrs.
Stl1rt at the police court and fined
ESQ $3.50 for playing at faro. Henry
Martindale was also fined 1000 Isl, 000)
for keeping the faro table at Lady
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and the same lady
slept with q blunderbusS and a pair
Of pistols at her side every night in
order to protect her faro bank. Enough
has been said to show that when
woman once acquires a fondness for
gaming it soon amounts to d mania,
and while few will follow the example
Of the lady in Goldsmith's story,
who, being given up by her physician,
called in her chosen undertaken and
played cards with him for the ex-
penses of her funeral, nearly every
female adept will have sympathy with
the lady, who went to her priest to
confess her fondness to play. The
worthy father lamented the waste of
time in such a pursuit. eyes" she
replied, chat is exactly what vexes
me-so much time is lost in shuffiing
the cards."
Luxury, sensuality, plenty gorged
with itself, but of the earth so very
earthly, with the dull clay showing
through.
Poverty, clearness of mind, beauty
of character, with garment of purity
over it all, with tenderness and love,
and hope and joy.
The wild cat, with shining eyes,
thinking of prey; the serpent with
scales brilliant and horrible, with eye
dreading and fascinating.
The dove with olive branch in beak