The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-20
ECCENTRIC WAGERS.
CURIOUS BETS MADE BY PROMINENT
MEN IN OLD LONDON.
A Contest In Masquerading Which Went
TO the Wrong Man--Bets ON Eating and
Drinking-But Lord Lorne Won the Best
of All These Wagers.

of All These wsgers.
So far as we can go back into the
worlds history, we find the rage for
making wagers prevalent. The Romans
had great inclination for betting, and
they had conventional form of ratify-
ing their contracts, which consisted in
taking from their finger the ring, which
the higher classes invariably wore, and
giving it to the keeping of some third
party. In the old days some very ex-
traordinary bets were made. Thomas
Hodgson and Samuel Whitehead wager
ed in tho castle yard, York, as TO which
should assume the most original char
acter. Umpires were selected. whose
duty it was to decide upon the compare
tive absurdity of the costumes in which
the two gentlemen appeared. On the
appointed day Hodgson came before the
umpires decorated with bank notes of
various value on his coat and waistcoat,
row OF o guinea notes and q long net
ted purse of gold around his head, while
piece of paper bearing the words
"John Bull" was attached to his back
Whitehead was dressed like a woman
OH ono side; one half of his face was
painted, and he wore silk stocking
| and slipper on one leg. The other half
of his face was blackened to resemble
that Of q negro. On the corresponding
| side of his body he wore gaudy long
tailed linen coat, and his leg was cased
with leather breeohes, with boot and
| spur. Much to the establishment of the
| crowd, the stakes were awarded to
John Bull.
The Duke Of Queensbury laid a sim
| gular wager with Sir Charles Bunbury
about the end of the last century. The
former was to produce a man who was
| to walk from his grace house in Pic
cadilly, London, to the ten mile stone
beyond Hounslow in the space Of three
hours, advancing four steps and at ev-
cry fourth step retiring one step back
| ward. The bet was for Ell, 1000 Most
| probably the Duke of Queensbury had.
borrowed the hint from circumstance
recorded in the history of Catherine
Medicis. This celebrated and beautiful
queen made vow that if an enterprise
of consequence in which she was en-
gagged should terminate successfully she
would send a pilgrim to Jerusalem,
! travelling on foot in the manner de-
scribed. Having succeeded in her first
point, it remained to discover man
| with vigor and patience enough to un-
dertake the journey. A citizen of Yer
berris, Picardy, presented himself and
/ en-,
plish the vow. He fulfilled his engage
ment with great precision, of which the
queen was well assured by those whom
she had appointed to travel by his side
and watch his motions.
There was n notorious gambler at the
end of the last century who ruined him
self finally by very extraordinary bet.
He had been playing with Lord Lorne.
Their stakes had been very high, and
luck had gone steadily against him. Elk
asperated at his losses, he jumped up
from the card table, and seizing large
punch bowl said: For once I'll have a
bet when I've got chance of winning !
ODD or even for $4,000 guineas!"
"Odd, " replied the peer calmly. The
| DOWl WAS tOsBtii df-SlAoo WIZ htiis NhN'
on the pieces being counted there proved
to be an odd one.
The rash gambler paid his Is, 200
guineas; bus if tradition be correct, it
was only by selling the last of his es-
tates that he was enabled TO do so.
| Here is record of another wager: a
member of parliament bet gentleman
| ON fhn fI1pf flint "A
should go from London to Edinburgh in
any mode he chose while another made
million of dots with a pen and ink
upon writing paper.
Eating and drinking have at all times
been the subject of bets, and we hear OF
courier, by name Aristocratic Tom Oh
the Old Lion, London, for the trifling
bet of shilling undertook to drink
three gills of lamp oil of the most ran
cid and nauseous quality that could be
procured, which no performed with as
much gusto and relish as If it had been
the most delicious cordial. The money
he had won was Immediately converted
into strong beer, which, with penny
loaf soaked in another portion of oil, he
likewise swallowed About two hours
after this repast for another wager he
swallowed 90 oggs with the shells in 20
minutes, but the last having young
chicken in it he complained it spoiled
his stomach.
Feats of strength, too have been a
fruitful source Of wagering. In 1892 a
wager for $50 was made between Mr.
Hopkins and Mr.. Dalton that the
latter could not carry 500 sacks OF flour
weighing 90 stone 90 yards in IL hours
Mr. Dalton began the undertaking, but
there not being sufficient number OF
sacks in the town he used but one weigh
ing 30 stone s pounds, which he carried
ESQ times each way Q yards, and. not
withstanding he carried above the
weight and the distance one yard more
than agreed upon, the feat was per-
formed with great ease in seven hours
and 25 minutes. Chicago Tribune.
Surprised, but Equal to IL.
The marshal in western town had
| --.-.:.... a. .rxoc< fo,,r mr. five uOlv citi.