Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-12-06
WAGERS WON AND LOST.
Some Peculiar Bets Made by People on
Both Continents.


Both Continents.
Betting is human weakness by no
means confined to the wagering of
money on sporting events. In all ages,
says the Chicago Record, it has been
common to settle points of difference
by a wager, or to accomplish great
feats under the penalty Of the loss of a
given sum.
There's man down in Kentucky
who vowed never to cut his beard un-
til Henry Clay was elected president.
This was really vow, but it was also
bet. The man bet against fate, and
fate won. A rash young Harvard
graduate recently went around the
world without cent of money in his
pockets when he started. 1t was
given out that he had laid a wager of
s., 900 that he could make the trip
without money. 1t has since turned
out that he was simply the agent of a
widely advertised article.
The old English law forced bettors
to pay their debts. A remarkable ac-
ton was brought in 1872 by Rev. Mr..
Gilbert against Sir Mark NJ. Sykes.
The baronet, at dinner party at his
own house, in the course of a conver-
sation of the hazard to which the life re-
Bonaparte was exposed, offered on re-
ceiving 100 guineas, to pay one guinea
a day as long as Napoleon should re-
main alive. Mr.. Gilbert closed with
Sir Mark and sent the 100 guineas, and
the later continued to pay the one
guinea day for nearly three years.
At last he declined to pay any longer,
and an action was brought to enforce
the payment. 1t was contended by the
defendant that he had been surprised
into the bet by the clergymans hasty
acceptance of it, and that the trans
action was an illegal one, seeing that
Mr.. Gilbert, having beneficial inter-
est in the life of Bonaparte, might, in
the event of an invasion, use all his
means for the preservation of the life
of an enemy of his country. The jury
Loyalty brought in verdict for the de-
fendant.
Another queer wager is the one pop
ularly believed to have been won by
Sir Walter Raleigh from Queen Eliza
beth on the debatahle question of how
much smoke was contained in a pound
of tobacco. A pound of the article
was weighed, burned and weighed
again in ashes, and the question was
held to be satisfactorily settled by de-
termining the weight of the smoke as
exactly that of the tobacco before be-
ing burned, minus the ashes. The fact
Of the ashes having received an addi-
tional weight by combination with the
oxygen of the atmosphere was un-
thought ofby Elizabeth and the knight.
An amusing bet for the small sum of
IS was laid in 1906 in the castle yard,
York, between Thomas Hodgson and
Samuel Whitehead as to which should
succeed in assuming the most original
character. Hodgson appeared decor
ated with 10-guinea, 5 guinea and
guinea notes all over his coat and
waistcoat, and row of 5 guinea notes
around his hat, while to his back was
fastened the words "John Bull"
Whitehead appeared like woman on
one side, one-half of his face painted,
one silk stocking and slipper, while the
other side represented Negro in mans
dress, with boots and spurs. "John
Bull" won the wager.
A gentleman of the last century laid
a wager to great amount that he could
stand for whole day on London bridge