The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-29

wary by every art known to the pro-
fession.
1T is told OF the italian gamester,
Pimetal, who ftourished at the end of
the sixteenth century and the begin
ming of the seventeenth, that in 1868,
hearing that humor of play reisned
at the French court he caused great
number of false dice to be made and
secretly conveyed to Paris he only
knowing the secret. He then by means
of emissaries bought up all the dice IN
the market and supplied his own in
their stead. This done he obtained an
introduction at court and gambled to
such good purpose that he cleaned out
a great part of the nobility's pockets.
Lord de Ros, one of the most respecta-
bic of the gambling element in Eng
land under the Georges, was accused
of practicing a certain trick at whist.
When in 1897 the matter came up for
trial it was proved that he cheated
habitualIy and that some of his noble
associates, knowing this, prudently
played with him rather than against
him. The noble lord did not long sur
vive his disgrace. After his death Theo-
dore Hook proposed as his epitaph:
Here lies E;ngland's premier baron,
patiently awaiting the last trump"
But to return to the older records to
show what a hold gambling has had
upon men from the highest to the low
est, in all ages, it may be mentioned
that Caius Caligula once converted his
magnificent palace into gambling
house, where, the chroniclers tell us,
he fieeced the young nobility of his
times, and it is we'll known that Nero
was the most infatuated gambler of
his days. Plutarch records that the
Romans matched quails for wagers
q nd nrfh Ant Ia mo N
fore the battle of Actium, as though
his genius covered before that of his
adversary, that the quail of Augustus
were superior to his.
If dice have gained an evil repute
because of their associations cards sur
pass them in the minds Of many. And
yet the modern playing cards were in
vented by the monks of the fourteenth
century and were used, as they may
be now, in the playing of very inno-
cent games. But they had not long
been introduced before gambling with
them became the rage. At the begin
ming of the fifteenth century we read
that this passion was so prevalent in
France that persons who were adj
dicted to it endeavored to restrain and
guard themselves by voluntary bonds,
with the exception, however, that there
was penalty for breaking the pledge.
Illustrated manuscripts of that period
show not only that women played, but
that the players stood instead of sit
ting around the table
Henry Cheney, created by Queen
Elizabeth Baron of Tudlington, played
at dice once with Henry ii of France
and won from him a diamond of great
price, at one cast. When the King
asked what he would have done had
he lost he replied with true British
brag: 81 have Sleeps tails enough
in Kent with their wool to buy a bet
ter diamond than this
But 1t was not the French court
alone that was possessed of the gam
bling rage" In England as early as
the reign of John Lakeland. the
changes of the dice constituted the
chief amusement of the great. Mat
thew Paris reproached the barons who
wrested magma charta from King John
for spending their time in luxury and
gambling with dice when their pres
ence was required in the field. Later
the young Englishmen of fashion were
in the habit of losing f5, 900. 10000 and
E15,000 an evening at Almack's. Lord
| Stavordale, not then of age, lost ill.,
900 in one night, but won it all back
at one throw of the dice. He there
upon swore a great oath: Now, if
had been playing deep 1 might have
won millionsl" And one evening the
marquis of Hartford said to the Group
Ter at Whites: Pay 1850 to Lord
-" the loss on one rubber at whist.
Toward the closenof the eighteenth
century the gaming-houses of London
known to the general public as clubs
and to the gamesters as hells-were
fitted up in most extraordinary style.
| Fishmongers' hall cost 100000 to fur
nish. The expense. however, does not
seem so great when it is known that
the proprietor netted In one year f150,
900. The law prohibited the opening
of such houses, but the PROPRIETOR of
| Fishmongers' boasted that he was in
no danger, as he counted. among his
patrons most Of the men who made the
law.
| At this time. too, it became the fash
ion in England for titled ladies to have
shares in the principal gaming tables
and faro banks in London. The grand
sons of the Duchess of Marlborough
| had a rule never to dirty their fin
gers with silver" and when they went
to the gaming clubs were In the habit
Of throwing guinea to the chairman
to be fought for. The passion for fire.
quenting these houses brought about
some singlar social anomalies in Eng
land