The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-12-17
DANES WHO GAMBLE.
FAMOUS WOMEN IN HISTORY
WHO WON AND LOST.
punishment of Fine LadIes-Lady Buck
insham and Lady Luttren Fined $500
for Playing Faro-The Evil Became
One of Enormous Proportions.

OF women, queens and slaves
alike, in whom the passion of gam
bling has gained a complete mastery,
says the Philadelphia Telegram. These
women seem to lose all restraint over
themselves they become transformed
and in the end, when all their finer
instincts have deserted them they sink
into the uttermost degradation. 1t is
notorious that English women are
fond of betting. With the majority
Of course this is merely a harmless
amusement. Others have been known
to lose everything that they possessed,
and finally to have gambled their souls
to the highest bidder and then to have
crept away and put an end to their
wretched lives. Goldsmith's story OF
the old woman who, knowing that h
had not long to live, played cards with
her undertaken for her funeral expen-
ses is well known. Parallels are to be
found in everyday life. The women
of France, perhaps on account of their
warmer blood, were at one time the
most ardent gamblers in the world.
In Louis XIV.'s reign so many fami-
ate love of the mothers and daughters
for a game known as "hoca" that it
was forbidden by law on pain of death.
At Versailles an exception was made
to this rule and here the queen herself
frequently lost large sums of money.
The frenzied gambling Of Madame
de Montespan has become proverbial
IN Franc as lie Jeu de la Monte
span" At Basset she would play for as
much as $500, 600, and would grumble
dared to cover her stakes. One Christ
mas evening she lost an immense for
tune, but recovered with three cards
$500 900. Three months later she lost
$640 900, but won it back Immediately
In 1852 the crash came. At "hoca'
alone she had played away as much IS
$500, 900.
In Louis XV.'s time matters were in
much the same state. On June 25,1765
for instance, the due de Richelieu I'm
dertook to teach Nine. de Barry lans
quenet in her boudoir. Within a few
minutes, however, he had lost no les!
than $100, 900. This immensely anus
ed II king, WhC was looking on ar
who al delighted with his favorite'
good luck. Nine. de Pompadour,
will be remembered, gambled for en-
ormous stakes.
In Charles rs time women playe'
freely. That they had few scruple
about so doing is shown from the fac
that the Kings wife. Henrietta Maria
Bassompierre, a well-known Sport
and Buckingham, in 1926, played TO
stakes in a window overlooking Cheap
side, while they waited for a process
sion to pass.
In Charles lis time, however, won
en- gambled to an extent hitherto I'll
known in English history. In thos
dissolute days the pleasures of tn
English court were not far differen
from those of the French. TIL
Duchess de Mazarin, for instance,
piece of the famous cardinal, lost NOR
than a million pounds and ended he
days in beggary. Nell Gwynne los
500, 1000 to her rival, the duchess {
Cleveland, and this at one sitting. TIL
latter, in her turn, squandered an in
mense fortune at the basset table.
So fast was the evil spreading thu
in 1896 Chief Justice Kenyon threa'
ened to send any lady to the pillor,
however high in rank she might
who should be convicted before hil
Of playing faro. This provoked frol
Gilray, the well-known caricaturist, a
imaginary picture of the first ladies
the land standing in the pillory. B,
meath was the inscription: Daughter
of Pharaoh"
During the following year many |;
dies were heavily punished for refu
ing to comply with the law. Lao
Buckingham, for instance, togeth,
with Lady Luttrell and Mrs. Stur
were fined 5000 for playing faro. L;
dies at the present day do not openl
gamble for stakes which amount
thousands Of pounds. 1t rests on.
with their consciences to say no
much they lose at Monte Carlo and
~nriyate deals during the cOursa NJ III