Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-09-15
SOME QUEER WAGERs.
Extraordinary Bets Made BY All
Sorts of Persons.
sir Walter Raleigh Won n Novel Wager
from Queen EilIabcth-A Fortune
Stak"G on the Shape or
n Mans Leg.

bhS"Aio ~ ~ "ukSIlDR Vi
money on sporting events. In all ages.
common to settle points Of difference
by Il wager or to accomplish great fcats
under the penalty of the loss of u given
sum. There's q man down in Kentucky
who vowed never TO cut his beard until
Henry Clay was elected president. This
yvas really n VOW, but IL was also II bet.
The man bet against fate and fate won.
\ rash young Harvard graduate recent.
~ wen around the world without Il
cent of money in his pockets when he
ptarted. 1t was given out that he had
laid a wager of five thousand dollars
that he could make the trip without
money. II has since turned out that
he WAS simply the agent of n widely
advertised article. Election bets are
sometimes made which require the
loser to wheel the winner in n barrow
over Il certain distance. a famous
Yale football player once laid u wager
that he could eat two dozen eggs ut
one sitting. lie ate them. Bridge.
jumpers have riskcd their lives for II
wager. The old English law forced
bcttors to- pay their debts. 4 rcinarka.
bic action was brought in 1879 by Rev.
= ~ ShiilD on tilh VI.
sykes. The baronct at II dinner party
III his own house, in the course of a
conversation of the hazard TO which
the life of Bonnparte was exposed,
offered, on receiving one hundred
E%uincas. to pay II guinea n day as long
as Napoleon should remain alive. Mr..
Gilbert closed with Sir Mark. and sen,
the II hundred Euincas, and the lat
! Ter continued In IN Il. ia. an. ,,,tn,. q.
day for nearly three years. At last he
declined to pay any longer and an ac-
zion was brought to enforce the pay
.lcnt. 1t was contcndcd by the de-
t-udant that lac had been surprised into
The bet by the c~lcrgyman's husty ac-
ccptancc OF IL, and that the transaction
was an Illegal one, seeing that Mr. Gil
bert, having Il beneficial intcrcs, in the
iiir Of lionapartc. might, in the event
II an invasion, use all his means for
thcp preservation of the life Of AN enemy
81 his country. The jury Loyalty
brought in Il verdict for the defend.
ant.
Another queer wager Is the one pol-
nlarly believed to have been wou bv
sir Walter Raleigh from Queen Eliza
beth ON the dcbatablc question of how
- III ~ 'NlI III
tobacco. \ pound Of the article was
weighed, burned and weighed again in
ashes, and the question was held To bo
satisfactorily settled by determining the
weight OF the smoke AS exactly that Of
the tobacco before being burned. minus
the ashes. The fact of the ashes hay.
ing received an additional weight by
combination with the Oxygen OF the ut.
| inDSnlerI NynG nth,t,nbt ~ H.. mi.
beth and the knight. An amusing be,
for the small sum OF five shillings was
laid in 1900 in the castle yard. York,
between Thoinns Ilodgson M Samuel
Whitehead as to which should succeed
in assuming the most original chnrnc.
ter. llodgSon appeared decorated with
tcn.guinca, iivc-guinca and guinea
notes al over his coat and waistcoat
and II row Of fivc-guinca notes around
his hat, while to his back was fastened
the words 'John Bull" Whitehead
appeared like n woman on one side,
onc'hnlf OF his face painted, one silk
stocking and slipper, while the other
side represented n negro in mans dress,
with boots and spurs. John Bull
won the wager.
a gentleman Of the last century laid
u wager to- Il great amount hat he
could stand for u whole day on London
bridge with Il tray full OF sovcrcigna
fresh from the mint md he unable To
find Il purchaser for them at u penny
apiece. Not ono was disposed Of.
WngcTs have sometimes taken u grim
form. II Is crcditably recorded that Ia
the last century II wager was laid for
one OF n party of gay jewellers to enter
Westminster Abbey at the hour OF mid
night. He was to enter one OF the
vaults beneath the abbey; in proof of
his having been there he was To stick u
fork into II coffin which had been re-
Gently deposited there. lie accom-
plishcd his object, and was returning in
triumph, when he felt himself suddenly
caught, and was SO o"vcrpowcrcd by
terror that he fell In u swoon. Ills
companions not being able to account
for his absence found him In this condi.
ton. The fork which he had fastened
into the coffin had caught and pinned
his clonk and SO occasioncd II fit OF ter.
ror which nearly proved fatal.
Sir John %Paltington, called Lustv
Pnltington, and by Queen Elizabeth
"My Temperance" laid n wager Of
thirty thousand pounds sterling to
swim against three noble cOurticrs
from Westminster bridge to Green.
wich, but her majesty i]ntcrposcd to
prevent any further procedure on the
bet. a gentleman named Corbct. of
distinguished family near Shrewsbury,
bet his leg vas the hnndsomcst IN tie
country or Kingdom, md s,alscd estates
worth eighty thousand pounds sterling
on tho subject. lie won tho wager, and
u picture Is still preserved I'm the family
mansion representing tho process of
measuring the legs Of tho different con.
tCstants.
or tho queer recent wngcrs, one has
just come to light OF n New York bust,
ness man who made n bet sixteen years
ago that he would not look at himself
In II mirror for twenty years. lie has
kept up his end OF tho bet, which has
still four years to run.