The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-11-16
THE GAMING PASSION
gacidents In Actual Life That
0utstrip Fiction.
e COLD BLooDEO MONARCH.

S'ed on Her posthbed--Lord Deni-
SENS Play While His Brido wnitod
- che Alter.
n the full story OF fLe card table
rould be written It would surely be
eile snost startling revelation Of human
cupidIty ever published. and almost
oyery page OF 1t would be marked by
some Incident which would outstrip
slctlon
When Louis XIV. was at the caro-
sshlei the fascination of the game made
him absolutely dead to all externals
and eTen TO decency and humanity
Or one occasion when he was playing
for lesgvy stakes one OF his opponents.
overcome by excitement. collapsed IN
his chair IN a at OF apoplexy His
majesty affected 20 ignore the incident
until some one exclaimed. IN. de Chan
veiin Is ili!' "Illy retorted the king,
casting a careless glance at the strsck.
on man. ''he is dead. Take him away.
Spades are trumps. gentlemenw
Equally weird Is a story Goldsmith
tclIs when the clergyman arrived to
prepare lady parlshioner who had
passion for gambling for her approach
ing death the lady after listening for
abort time to his exhortatlon cxclaim-
ed: "Thht's enough Now LET us have
game OF cards" To humor her the
parson consented to play The dying
woman won all his money and had
just suggested playing for her funeral
fee when she fell back and expired
In the early years Of last century
whist club composed largely OF clergy
men used to meet IN the back room of
i BARRIERS shop In a soiuersetshirc
town. On one occasion, so the story
runs when four OF the club members
were acting as pallbehrers at the fu-
neral ofia reverend brother, some delay
occurred. and the coffin was set down
tn the chancel. One of them produced
a;pzck OF cards and suggested n rub
ber. The coffin served the purpose Of
a table. and the players were deeply
immersed IN the game when the sex
ton arrived TO announce that every
shing was at last ready.
Mazarin's passion for gambling was
so strong even IN death that he played
cards to the very end. when he was so
weak that they had to be held for
him. aud the "merry monarch" spent
his last Sunday on earth playing at
basset round large table with his
great courtiers and other dissolute
persons and with bank OF at least
$1,000 before him.
The curious fascination cards possesa
for their devotees is Illustrated by the
following story OF Lord Granville, st
the time ambassador to France. One
afternoon when he was about 10 re-
turn to Paris he repaired TO GrahamE
20 have a farewell game of whist, or
deFing his carriage to be at the door at
& When it arrived he was much too
deep Ia the game 20 be disturbed. At
10 o'clock he sent out to say that he
was not ready and that the horses had
better be changed. six hours later the
same message was sent out, and twice
more the waiting horses were changed
before he consented to leave the table
after losing 100000.
An equally remarkable story ia TOLD
pf George Payne, the great turf plum
ger OF seventy years ago. On one occa-
sion he sat down at I.immer's hotel 70
play cards with Lord Albert Deniaon.
later the Hrst Lord Londesborough.
Hour after hour passed. The game
proceeded all through the night and
long after day dawned, and 1t was not
until an urgent message came to tell
Lord Albert that his bride was waiting
9ss him at the altar OF ST. Georges.
Hanover squire, that the cards were
at last flung down II waa Lord Al
bert's wedding day. and be met his
bride f3oo00 poorer than when he left
her on the previous day.
One Of the most romantic OF gam
bling stories is told by Mr. Thiselton-
Dyer of a plainly dressed stronger who
oncc took his seat AZ faro table and
after an extraordinary run of luck
aasceedosi IN hreaking the bank.
Heavens" exclaimed an old lndrm
Austrian officer who had sat nezt 60
the stranger. "the twentieth part OF
your gains woul6 make nee the hspp'-
eas man 10 the VERDI "tou shell
AeNt ~ tiifif4 NtNNffAA NNf FAthhNff
&c he left the room
a servant speedily resmned aud pre-
se.5ed tne ctacer With the twentieth
pals OF the bank asdlas "Niy master.
ait. requires no answcr" Tho success
flll stranger was soHn discovered % be
the king Of Prussia 90 disguise
The most costly glme ~ cards on
roSnrd was pgebahlg lhlt 81 which the
Iaft GeosEr aicC1llnch chairman Of
the Broken Hnl Proprietary company.
oas1 took part 4 syndicate ~ seven
had been formed 20 finance the IA.
nous Broken IIiH silver mine. ana Mr.
McOullogh was one of the seven One
day. while sitting Ia a shanty at the
Soff; os the hill MeCulloeh offered a
pcnrteenth share ~ the mine TO
yorng man named Cox for 500.
Crx would only offer fl20 and after
zach hasgliug u was decided 10 sat
ale the dispute by game Of euehrs.
u Cox proved fbe winner he was 10
aaxo the share RcJ fl2o II he losf be
was 70 pay fls0 for A. Tie won ana
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