The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-04-03
A FAMOUS CANISTER,
Amazing Skill Of Captain John
Scott at Whist.
HIS RAPID ROAD TO WEALTH.

close Of the sigstseath esssury IN Eng-
land a single one IL noted tor the i'm.
mensity and tAs rssuisHty sf hls win.
Dings. rhh wac John Seek. who, be-
ginning m q psnsAess eapssn. wound
up his career 40 q nislie~sFs general.
On the subject Of the campaigns be
conaDsted histsry 10 alsst. but con
temporary I0saea was fai Of saik Of
his marvellous hack VITA nee and cards.
and the marital misf~hssss Of bis later
NE gave more matesial for the sossips.
Writing 10 Richard BENTLEY from Ar
liDgton street on Feb 2b, i71. Horace
walpoIe says:
"The great event Ia the catastrophe
OF Sir John Bland, whs has fllrssd
away his whole fortuns at hazard. lie
fother night lost In reckless play an
immense sum to Captain Scott who
at present has nothing bnt few debts
and bis commission"
Sir John Bland. 10 conclude here the
history Of bat luckleas deer, shot
himself dead, after losing tho Inst Of
his fortune, In kippax park.
Captain John Scott was OF that
branch OF tho numerous Scott family
OF which Sir Walter was member,
and his ancestor in tho thirteenth cen.
tury was that famous chemist. Michael
Scott. who won the name Of wizard. A
Inter Scott distinguished himself In the
time OF Charles ii. by marrying, when
he was himself only fourteen years
old, a lady who was three years his
junior. The bride was Mary, countess
OF Buccleuch, In her own right the
richest heiress In Scotland, The mar
rlage was secret one. and none OF the
friends and few Of her family were In
formed OF 1t until the day after. The
youthful bridegroom did not profit
greatly by this match. for his bride died
at thirteen. Her sister Anne, who sue
ceeded 10 her titles and estates. made
a marriage with the pet son Of Charles
H., Monmouth, and had numerous
| family.
II was sixty years later. or about 100
that young Scott, son OF the laird OF
scott's Tarvet. entered King Georges
army. Two years later he was In Lon.
don and In the midst OF the most reck.
less set OF spendthrfts. rakes and
gamestcrs that English society has ever
known. Sir John Bland was only one
Of a thousand rich young EngLishmen
who threw away fortunes over the
gaming table at Whites, The one his.
toric loser OF that era was Charles
James Fox. Pitts rival. Fox gambied
away, all told. no less than 5000, 900.
Scott was the very antlpodes Of Fox.
When he died. at a ripe old age. be left
q fortune Us great as that with which
Fox had begun, and every penny Of II
had been won at the gaming table.
Fox was ripe scholar, Scott was al.
most illiterate. Fox said that losing
was the next greatest pleasure to win.
ming. Scott never lost or so rarely that
II did not affect the serenity OF his ca
reer as winner. Fox would 60 home
In the morning after 4 night In which
he had gambled away 10000 or f20,.
600 and Immediately lose himself In a
study OF sophocles or Eschylus. Scott,
like the sensible fellow be was, would
button his coat over the portemonnaie
In which he carried away winnings Of
an equal or even greater amount and
Immediately 30 to bed SO as to be fresh
for play In tho evening.
When Scott found himself in London
and amid the wild young men of his
era, he determined that gaming was
his only chance Of getting money.
When he engaged himself to throw a
series OF mains with Sir John Bland,
no had, Us Horace Walpole puts II,
nothing "but few debts and his com.
mission" His shrewdness taught him
that there was nothing In dicing, at
which stupid man has us good
chance as q bright one, and so he
speedily gave up hazard and applied
himself to whist, at which game for
tune fights on the side OF the skillful
player. Never In the history of play
did men gamble for such high stakes
as Scott and his victims did at Whites
between 1853 and 1880 SCOTS system
was an exceedingly simple one. He
gave himself the best Of 1t In every
possible way. He never went to the
gaming table unless his head and his
stomach were In the very best order.
He never lost his composure or his
good nature for an instant He played
a perfectly fair and honorable game.
and at first he made 1t rule never to
play for more than fixed sum- which
he could afford to lose. He won SO
steadily that 1t wasn't long before he
was prepared to risk any sum which
even the wealthiest or the most reck-
less of his adversaries would venture
to propose.
A story which illustrates capitally
Scott's patience In the face Of hard
luck has been preserved. One night
while he was at the card table news
was brought to him that his wife, the
first Mrs Scott, had given birth to a
girl
"Ah," he said, II shall have to dou.
BILE my stakes to make a fortune for
this young lady"
But In a few hours he was $4,000 to