The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-11
HOW LAWRENCEvlLLE
BOYS GAMBLED.
story of the "PIay" Explained by
Head Master,

story of the "PIay' Explained by
Head Master.
The story Of gambling by the boys
at Lawrencevllle School. which has
been read all over the country, had a
particular interest in Savannah be-
cause a number of Savannah boys are
at the school.
The head master of the school, Mr..
s. ]. Mcpherson, has sent out a let
ter giving an explanation of the at
fair as follows:
'In view of many perverted and ex-
aggerated reports which have been
published in regard to recent gambling
in the Upper House, it seems right
that the patrons of Lawrenceville
School should know the exact facts. 1t
is true that there was sort of gam
bling, at frequent intervals, confined
to period between Wednesday noon,
Jan. 26, and the following evening, at
about s o'clock. 1t was not premedi-
tated. 1t was begun by two or three
boys who were idly spinning a piece
Of pasteboard
1T suddenly occurred to bystanders
to bet scent pieces on the spins. Dur
ing the remainder of Wednesday and
were used. The regular amount of
bet was cents. Two bows think they
each won about "a; another, about
$1.50; a few won or lost about 81 each
and the others, sums varying from so
to cents. A boy that, lost would be
jeered hilariously A boy that won
usually took the losers to 1.-The jigger
shop" and spent his winnings by treat
ing them to ice cream or some other
hn rnn Of fINo
boys do not know just how much they
won or lost; they only know that their
change has been transferred from their
pockets to the cash box of the Jig
ger shop They did not play to make
money, but to cater to distorted idea
of fun. With that modification, and
only to the extent of time and money
indicated, it was gambling; and it was
bad.
when the senior house-master dis
covered the first indication of it. he
had the whole matter frankly explain
ed to him: and the play instantly and
finally stopped. He called a meeting
of the student directors of the house,
and they decreed that they themselves
should bear the punishment for not
stopping or preventing the petty gam
bling. Two days before any publish
ed report of the affair appeared, he
talked TO tue nOuSe dDOuI their 1OOl-
ishness and wrong-doing; and without
any threat in case they took no ac-
ton, and without any promise of i'm
munity, the boys by themselves drew
up written confession and apology to
the senior house master the head-mas-
ter, and the school,. and all OF them
that had taken any part in the gam
bling voluntarily signed the paper.
THE directors are now undergoing
their self-assigned punishment All
that participated in the play deeply
regret what they have done. At the
same time they are Indignant over the
false, if not malignant. reports which
have gone out. But they lament most
OF all the injury which their course and
the misleading accounts of it may do to
their own school. They acted wrongly
and thoughtlessly, as all boys, and in
deed all men. may do: but they re-
covered themselves quickly and, in
their recovery of themselves they have
nobly done what they could to make
amends. They are boys, but they are
not bad boys. We still claim the priv
ilege to like them, to think well OF
them, and to cherish comfortable hope
fulness about them.
This is the kernel of the whole story.
But certain corrections to. published
reports may be addaf The Attain did
not begin before JAM a26, 1884, Nc
regular gambling 'paraphernalia' was
purchased, or on hand. No outside
gambling joint or establishment was
opened or managed by Lawrenceville
boys. No large sums were won or lost
The sums drawn from the Bursar were
not unusual. And no attempts to Warl
the truth about this matter have been
made by the school authorities.