The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-06-03
GAMBLING In BRITAIN
Mania for Betting Extends Into the
Most Select Circles.
Any Problem or Proposition Afford'
an Opportunity for a Wager
--How Young Women Lose
Their Allowances,

Their Allowances,
Gambling in fashionable society APP 4
pears to be exciting heated comment |
In England as well as on this side OF l
the water. Many family quarrels have
arisen there over bridge debts.
One young woman in London lost
her whole quarters allowance in one
evenings play at the house OF a friend.
| She hadn't the courage to confess to
her father, and cooked up story oil
street robbery; but the truth came out
later and the young plunger was sent
to the country. Another young wom'
an is seriously i'll with nervous pros.
tration and her losses at bridge, and
her inability to make them good are
responsible for her illness, says the
New York Sun.
i One college boy of good family
forged his fathers name In order to
pay large sum lost in playing bridge
with society women. The father et
another young fellow settled a note
for 81 800 which the boy had given to
his hostess in payment of gambling
debts contracted during four days
, visit at her country house.
1t is q question whether Americans
{ have ever taken up the problem bet
, ting, of which writer in one OF the
, recent English magazines tells. lie
l.. prefaces his story by saying that the
y pastime, as fad, has given place TO
: other fads; but that itwas much in
]. vogue few years ago and is still pop
n ular in some country houses. AS an
i illustration of the principle of the
q pame, he tells an incident OF his own
Is experience.
n At a dinner in private house one
n of the guests happened to express
s, wonder as to the height of the dinner
r table. Immediately the problem was
st taken up and a pool made, with fiVe'
in pound shares. Every diner made
,e guess at the height of the table nnt
We wrote the guess on piece OF paper
v. After dinner the tables height wa:
so measured and the pool went to the per
r. son who had made the best guess.
This problem gambling became
TX mania. There was never time or
no place when it Wasn't practicable, an
an thousands of pounds were lost and wo
We on the pools. The practice fell int
nv discredit, however, when it was foun
ct that it opened the door to trickery, an
a that many social lights of considerable
by brilliancy were not too scrupulous I
nd add to their income by the tricks.
ire One old gentleman, so says til
he writer, measured the number OF yard
lat of wire in the net of French syphol
IRE The sight Of a syphon always led hi
Did to wonder how many yards of vii
nd were in 1t. That usually started pc
and the old gentleman, who was mo
md respectable business man of eNcellel
Cd reputation, invariably pocketed Il
eep pool
cry Another story told by this chro
hat icler of problem gambling concerns
md willy old man of much wealth and fan
not He was staying at house in the we
OF country, near which narrow windl
lane led, between high perpendicul
banks, to the top of small hill. I
IN. other guests in the house were you
and aggressive, and the old gentlem
te grew tired of the staggering n
reckless drinking and betting of you
England One day he looked from
billiard room window toward the Ia
to and remarked carelessly that m
but could not gallop from the bottom
con- the top in less than 20 minutes.
IN The young men laughed him
lger .oorn. and with some contempt
helI conservative age, offered to bet i
hat! anr rnoney that II could be done in
are minutes. The mild-mannered old n
we took all bets, and one of the yol
ana men agreed to undertake the ride
con- the next afternoon. The entire no
ints party met to see the start. All
\ 10 Youngsters felt sorry for the poor
up duffer, and plunged recklessly.
100 The rider started. Five hund
I'M wards up-the lane he met flock
H. n, sheep and was delayed. AZ the
'', IN turn he was wedged in drove OF
~ driven by a small boy. quarter
mem, mile further herd of cows filled
OVER lane. When half dozen loose hol
serve met him he grasped the situation.
,'ine "I'd like to know what he paid tn
and stupiua law bo
.ous" SADLY, to his friends, after the sin
y, old gentleman had pocketed the p
-, lem profits.
- - The writer also has things to
~ ~ about famous jockey who was, Sc
~ 80 ~ tale goes, entertained last year
- - many of the famous country no
s.;,a whose owners had sporting proc
= a., ties. The jockey appreciated the h
ot;oa, and paid high for it. Betting was
"a and among players who couldaffol
,rtasn lose. The jockey was determine
80 ride a winner and plunged absul
On one occasion he lost during we
visit $4,000, and on his last Wis
,,;o,n an English country place he pa
with G17,O0O. "The play" says
teller of this tale, "was strictly ol
dafar. square,; and, if the loser had not
an idiot, he would not have lost ]
- than few hundred pounds"
e has u rh.u.h Married.
m fhe