The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-12-07
A MANIA FOR GAMING
GETTING RUNS MAD IN THE NORTH
OF ENGLAND.

Copper, silver and Gold Rinss In
which Money Is Rapidly Won and
Lost ON ne Flip OF . Coin-How the
Law and strangers Are Evaded.
Among the lower classes of the north
of England gambling has ceased to be a
'pastime. 1t has become a mania. No
matter what race is to be run, even if 1t
be but hen race, the golfers must have
their bit on" and no game can be played
without the miners backing their fancy.
The favorite haunt of the gambler is
the grounds where sparrow sweeps, pi.
Similar sports are held. There Is nothing
unlawful about the sporting. and matters
are generally SO well arranged that al
Though the police are aware Of the ex-
astence of the gambling, yet they are
powerless to prevent it. The presence Of
ia stranger usually puts check to pro-
ceedings. As description of one OF
these pocket editions Of Monte Carlo.
(which are so numerous in the populous
portions of the north, might prove inter
esting, the writer visited one Of the best
known.
The grounds are situated on the out
skirts of one of the large manufacturing
towns of Lancashire and are much fire.
Quented by the inhabitants Of the sur
rounding villages. The way ia rather
ldesolate, but in the lanes several men
were lounging about. These men are
called the scouts" and their duty is to
see that no suspicious person, police or
otherwise, enters surreptitiously. The
grounds consist of several large fields,
which are well screened from observa-
ton, Admission is gained by very mar
ROW winding passage, which opens out
upon the pay box and pavilion. When
the writer entered, the place looked quite
respectable. At the bottom was large
number of spectators watching a rabbit
coursing match. A man ran some dis
tance down the field with two rabbits in
his hands, and when he released them
two dogs were sent after them. The
dogs rapidly gained on the rabbits and
soon caught thenAr but two men in racing
costume. who had run after them, caused
the dogs to drop their trembling prey.
The dogs were splendid looking animals.
1t was quite evident that the visitor
had created diversion. for the men
crowded round the stranger" eying him
suspciorlSly. 1t took him some little time
to convince them that he was not an
agent of the police. When this was done,
the crowd surgcd away, and an altera-
ton was soon effected in the scene. Some
of the men We're now playing quoits,
Others cards and various other games,
but the majority had formed themselves
into groups or "rings," These rings"
are called gold rings, silver rings or cop
per rings, according to the coins gambled
for.
There were three large rings and sew
eral smaller ones. The writer looked at
one Of the large silver rings. 1t consist
ed of about 40 persons. and in its center
was the man who did the tossing by
throwing up two half pennies. If they
came down with tails up. the men who
had backed tails won; if heads, then
heads won. Two men armed with sticks
kept the ring from decreasing in size by
striking out right and left and hitting the
legs of the gamblers as they pressed in.
The persons forming the ring were of all
ages and sizes, some well dressed some
in rags and tatters, some laughing, some
swearing. but all with the same greedy,
covetous look upon their faces. They all,
young and old, pressed eagerly forward
until the blows of the men inside drove
them back.
No one seemed to be angry at the blows
received. The place became pandemO-
nium, the noise grew deafening. The
dogs barked, howled and yelped, while
the men shouted themselves hoarse. The
gambling itself was very simple One of
the men would throw down On the gravel
at his feet Il shilling piece and call out:
"IIeads n crown. Heads a crown! Heads
crown" Another man would drop an
other coin AZ his feet and say, Tails
crown" The cries were sometimes va.
ried to "Heads crown. Who'll take
heads n CROWN The man in the mid
die, who was neutral, put two half pen
MES upon the palm of his hand and threw
them up. Now all was nearly silent, and
the gamblers eyes followed the spinning
coins as they went into the air and then
fell tinkling to see the faces of the half
pennies
Again the noise grew as the cry
Tails" was shouted. The hackers Of
tails stopped down and picked up the
coins they had won. The losers either
pulled more money out of their pockets,
or, if they were nearly "banked," went
ITO the copper ring again to court fortune.
Nov the cries of Heads crown" and
Tails n CROWN arose, and the same
procedure was gone through, and it was
astonishing to see the amount of money
won and lost at this simple game. Some
ia b. it1r nd