The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-07-08
AMERICANS MERE PlKERs.
Plungers in This Country Are Small
Compared with highlands
Big Betters.

LN Zh = ~
remarked a visiting Englishman, relates
the Chicago Tribune, during a discus
sion Of the sizes OF wagers made by the
heavy pllpgsTs on the turf, when COM
pared with the nerve displayed by the
s~peculatively inclined in my ownSeoun-
try. The report that has been going
the round of the newspapers lately that a
certain young nobleman lost $50, 600 in
a single nights card play is but an in
stance that the days of high play in
England}are not yet i've
But such plhngers as Lord Barry
more, Sir Richard Gargraye, and Col.
Mellish, who fiourished and gambled
some. generations ago, would have made
light of losing even $55, 900 in a few
hours play. There Is, we believe, still
preserved at Blythe, near Doncaster, the
card table at which Mellisha is said tn
have lost 100000 at one sitting to the
prince regent; the earl of Barrymore
~squandered a million and a half$in four
mad years, chiefly at cards, and Sir Rich
ard Gargraye dissipated one Of the
finest estates in the north of England
IN the same way.
Surely no n ever threw his money
away quite SO recklessly as Col. Mellish,
who is said to have lost $500, 900 at a
sitting, and to have staked and lost $780,
600 on a single throw of the dice. He
mad, however, no NEAR rival in Mr..
George Payne, who started life on an
income. of 100000 agar, and dtssipated
1t all and two later fortunes on cards
and the turf For moreethan half a
century he spent several hours a day
at the card table, and n of many ira
dltions Of his gambling is that he and
Lord Albert Denison sat up the whole.
of one night at Limmer's hotel. and did
not separate until the morning, when
Lord Albert was due at st. Georges
church. Hanover square, to we'd his first
wife. Lord Albert rose from the table
Sl5O,000 poorer than when he sat down.
On another occasion, when Payne
was travelling in a post chaise fromLon-
don to the New Forest, he spent every
moment of the hong %sourney5in playing
ecarte. with $500 staked on each game.
Probably Lord Granville, who was
n OF our ambassadors at Paris. and
who died close on 60 years ago, could
not have told how many scores of thou
sands OF dollars he had lost at the card
table. When8he was inaParis he would
make frequent excursions to London,
spend a few days and nights gambling
at Crockford's or Whites, and return to
his duties with light heart and a light
pocket He was one Of the four peers
the others were Lords Chesterfield,
Seton and Foley-who lost half mil
lion dollars between sunset and dawn.
George ", when prince of Wales, is
said to have lost $4,000, 900, principally
at cards, before he was 81; and he was
compelled to marry the unhappy Caro-
line as a condition ofShaYing his gam
bling debts paid. William III. was a
gambler, ard lost enormous
sums atithe basset table. st one sitting
he paid over SIC, 900, which SO disturbed
his mental balance that on the follow
ing morning, when a gentleman rode in
front of him, on the background, he
slashed at him with his whip-the only
blow a satirist said, that he had
struck for supremacy in his kingdom.
Henry VIII. was such an~5infatuated
gamester that he sgambled away the IA
nous Jesus Campanile bell at st. Paul's,
with the great folkmote bell that sum-
moaed the-assemblies of the citizens,
with a throw of the dice athazard, to Sir
Miles Partridge who pulled 1T down.,
Henry Nv. of France was a ninyeterate
and unlucky card player as the follow
ing extract from his letters to Snlly in
dicate: I have lost atplay $4,000 pistoles
(22o,O0O livres3 / beg you to pay them
directly to Faidean, that he may dis
tribute them to the persons to whom
them. And again: Pay M. Ed
Guard, Portuguese. $1,000 livres on ac-
count Of what I owe him at play,
Volumes might be written az royal
gamblers, their winnings and losings,
but these, after all, are eclipsed by those
OF muchsless important personages. Mr..
John Bland squandered an enormousfor-
tune at hazard, losing 100000 ina few
hours at London gaming house;
Charles James Fox ruined himself TAI
mack's club before he was 80; for years
Lord Thanet's losses atcards averaged
soc, 900 every IL months; while John
Mytton, after throwing 81, 500, 1000 away
at the card table. dieda debtor In Kings
Bench prison before he had reached his
fortieth year.
Lord Hastings, whose career was SO
meteoric and tragic, and who, 1t will
be remembered, dropped 100000 over.
q single race, used to amuse himself IN
the hours he could spare from the turf
BY cutting cards for $1,000 a cut and
throwing dice for $50 a time IN later
days q man who made himself notorious
BY gettipggsthrough d large fortune IN an
Incredibly short time lost $4,000 In q
single nights play at Goodwood; and I'M
tes minutes he nee paid over $4,000
At chemin-de-fer.
But. after All, the palm 81 inyet-
crate gambling must beyshared between
Mazarin. who played on his death
Af[A 49, ". &NA -Et22 EGN N-H& 4E En