Fort Pierce news. (Fort Pierce, Fla.) 190?-1920, 1909-01-22
THE GAMING PASSION
incidents In Actual Life That
0utStrip Fiction.
A COLD FLOODED MONARCH.


at the Altar.
II the full story Of the card table
could be written 1t would surely be
the most startling revelation Of human
cupidity ever published, and almost
every page Of 1t would be marked by
some incident which would outstrip
fiction. w.. Ns 4
When Louis XIV. was at the card
table the fascination of the game made
him absolutely dead to all externals
and even to decency and humanity.
On one occasion when he was playing
for heavy stakes one of 1is opponents,
overcome by excitement. collapsed in
his chair In at Of apoplexy. His
majesty affected to ignore the incident
until some one exclaimed, an. de Chau-
velin Is MR. "nlHv retorted the king,
casting careless glance at the Btrick-
en- man; ''he is dead. Take him away.
Spades are trumps, gentlemen
Equally weird Is q story Goldsmith,
tells. When the clergyman arrived to
prepare lady perishioner who had
passion for gambting for her Wpproach-
ing death the lady after listening for
short time to his exhortation exclaim-
ed THAT'S enoughI Now let us have
game Of cards" TO hurnor her the
parson consented TO play. The dying
woman won ali his money and had
Just suggested playing for her funeral
fee when she fell back and expired.
In the early years of last century a
whist club composed largely Of clergy
men used to meet In the back room OF
a BARRIERS shop In Somersetshire
town. On one occasion. so the story
runs, when four Of the club members
were acting as palIbearers at the fu-
neral Of a reverend brother, some delay
occurred, and the coffin was set down
In the chancel. One Of them produced
a pack OF cards and suggested rub
Der. The conn served the purpose Of
a table. and the players were deeply
immersed in the game when the sex
ton arrived to announce that every
thing was at last ready.
Mazarin's passion for gambling was
30 strong even In death that be played
cards to the very end, when he was so
weak that they had to be held for
him, and 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 a bank Of at least
$1,000 before him. 3ss
The curious fascination cards possess
for their devetees is illustrated by the
following story Of Lord Granville, at
the time ambassador to France. One
afternoon when he was about to re-
turn to Paris he repaired to Graham's
90 have a farewell game Of whist or
dering his carriage to be at the door at
4. When It arrived he was much too
deep in the game to 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 10000.
An equally remarkapie story Is TOTO
OF George Payne, the great TURF pun
ger OF seventy years ago On one occa-
SION ne SAT down az l-immer notel 70
play CARDS with LORD Albert Denlson'
later the nrst Lord LondesDorougn'
Hour after hour passed. Inc game
proceeded al through tne night ano
long after DAY dawned, ana II was NOT
unth an urEent lrnessage came 20 teii
Lord Albert that his bride was waiting
nor him az tne altar OF &c. Georges
Hanover square. that the cards were /