The Philipsburg mail., 1898-12-09
DANES WHO GAMBLE.
FAMOUS WOMEN IN HISTORY
WHO WON AND LOST.
fnoisnoaent OF Fine Iahics-Lady Buck
lrShsm and Lady Luttreil Fined $500
foT Playing Faro-Tbc EVIL Bcca me
ono OF Enormous Proportions.

ONO OF Enormous Proportions.
History is found to contain many
instances OF women, queens and slaves
alike. in whom the passion of gam
bling has gained 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
d course this Is merely 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 she
had not long to live, played cards with
her undertaken for her funeral expen-
ses is we'll 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 x1V.'s reign SO many fami-
lies were ruined through the passion
ate love OF the mothers and daughters
for q 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 France as lie Jeu de la Monte
span." At Basset she would play FOR as
much as 100000, and would grumble
heartily, and the king also, If no one
dared to cover her stakes. One Christ
mas evening she lost an immense for
tune, but recovered with three cards
$3OO,0OO Three months later she lost
$64O. 900. but won it back immed lately.
In 1852 the crash came. At "hoca"
alone she had played away as much as
100000.
In Louis XV.'s time matters we're in
much the same state. On June 25,1765,
for instance, the due de Richelieu un-
dertook to teach Nine. de Barry lans-
Quenet in her boudoir Within a few
minutes, however, he had lost no less
than 100000. This immensely anus
cd the king, who was looking on and
who was delighted with his favorite's
10
will be remembered, gambled for en-
ormous stakes.
In Charles is time women played
freely. That they had few scruples
about SO doing is shown from the fact
that the kings wife, Henrietta Maria,
Bassompierre. well-known sport"
and Buckingham, in 1926, played for
stakes in a window overlooking Cheap
side, while they waited for process
sion to pass.
In Charles lis time, however, wom-
en- gambled to an extent hitherto un-
known in English history. In those
dissolute days the pleasures Of the
English court were not far different
frtm those OF the French. The
Duchess de Mazarin, for instance, a
piece Of the famous cardinal, lost more
than million pounds and ended her
days in beggary. Nell Gwynne lost
100000 to her rival, the duchess of
Cleveland, and this at one sitting. The
latter, in her turn, squandered an i'm
mense fortune at the basset table.
So fast was the evil spreading that
in 1895 Chief Justice Kenyon threat
ened to send any lady to the pillory,
however high in rank she might be
who should be convicted before him
OF playing faro. This provoked from
Gilray, the well-known caricaturist, an
imaginary picture OF the first ladies of
the land standing in the pillory. Be-
meath was the inscription: Daughters
of Pharaoh"
During the following year many la
dies were heavily punished for refus-
ing to comply with the law. Lady
Buckingham, for instance, together
with Lady Luttrell and Mrs. Sturt,
were fined 5000 for playing faro. La
dies at the present day do not openly
gamble for stakes which amount to
thousands of pounds. 1t rests only
with their consciences to say how
much they lose at Monte Carlo and in
private deals during the course Of the
year.