CHEATING AT CARDS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 134, 29 February 1908, Page 11

CHEATING AT CARDS.

MARKED PACKS IN COURT. TRICKS EXPLAINED. The Cambridge card caso was brought to a conclusion, so far as the indictment proceedings are concerned, when, in a court crowded with undergraduates, Vernon Cecil Ellingham Musgravo was placed on trial at tho Cambridgo Assizes before the Lord Chief Justice on a chargo of having defrauded Alan Graeme Agnew, an undergraduate,, of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, of the sum of £8 15s. by cheating at cards on April 27 last. .Mr. St. J. Raikes conducted the prosecution, and Mr. Marshall Hall, K.C., and Mr. Huntly Jenkins defended. Tho undergraduates ' listened intently to tho 'oft-repeated story of tho appearanco of Musgrave at Cambridgo with Mr. and Mrs. •Collinge, which led to a resumption of an acquaintance which,\had .been formed between Musgravo and Mr. K. T. Caldwell, a Trinity Hall undergraduate, on a voyage in the Mediterranean, and how this gave rise to dinners and teas at which bridge, poker, and banker wero played, various undergraduates losing sums of nioney of varying amounts. MARKED CARDS DISCOVERED. Although some remarks were made as to tho wonderful luck .Musgrave and Collinge 'appeared to have on several occasions, no suspicion of unfairness was entertained until another' undergraduate at present in India, named Tate, entering Musgrave's rooms at his hotel during his absence, picked up a pack of cards which..he recognised, or thought he recognised, as those .they had-been playing with on tho previous evening, and discovered that thoy were marked. ;. " Tho police .wore communicated with, and Musgravo and Collinge were arrested., Musgrave, on being arrested, pooh-poohed tho whole/thing, but'on liis rooms being searched a number of gaming instruments were found, and also a second ;pack of cards .which was found to"bb marked.-. , ; Musgravo arid Collingo were committed by tho magistrates, but Musgravo absconded on being admitted to bail. ; Collinge stood his .trial at tile summer assizes arid was iacquitted. Musgravo-; now appeared on extradition, having been arrested in Switzerland. . \ . In charging tho 'grand jury tho Lord Chief Justice said that after examining the papers on which tho warrant for extradition was obtained, ho found that only ono chargo could bo proceeded, .with, -as the warrant only cited tliis one' charge. ' ' Mr. Raikes described the packs of cards which were used in tho, play. One pack was known as the "cyclist" pack, and tho cards were so printed on tho backs that with a slight knowledge it was possible ,to pick out any'individual card by looking at smal! birds which were over the cyclist arid shadings under, tho- cycle wheels., Another pack used-was .printed, with tho arms of Cam-: bridge colleges, and tho corners of the court cards wero creased. \ : ' - .;

Mr. Agnew was.called, and picked out various, Cards from tho packs. ,

. UNDERGRADUATE'S FACILITY: . ' Mr.; Caldwell was able to pick out by the various ; markings any card from the "cyc-list"-pack,-and he selected several for the inspection of tho judge and jury.' In dealing with tho "college anus" pack Mr. Caldwell causcd much interest by • tho rapidity with which ho selected tho )threo highest cards. . In cross-examination Mr. Caldwell said ho was absolutely certain tho shading of tho "cyclist'.' pack was'put on by hand. . With tho aid of a magnifying glass be detected ink of a different colour. v Musgrave,' giving evidence on his own behalf, admitted that his nanio was Georgo Ulcicer.' Tho packs of cards-tho integrity of which had been questioned ho acknowledged to '• liavo been his. Tho "cyclist", pack of cards wero[ trick cards much used by. American undergraduates, and were bought by him jin Now: York. Ho maintained they wero inever used iir the games -at Cambridge. •• . Tho' "university arms" pack' v wero; not .marked whon['used' by';*the undergraduates, •but afterwards, when ho was showing Sirs. ■Cpllinge how 'they, could.'bo distinguished by ■the feel when playijig at'.tho American,gamo of Montana, ,'y He did not cheat tho undergraduates,' but played perfectly fairly'with tliem. Ho\.absconded on arrest because ho lost his | head.Ho now recognised how foolish;he had been. . , .

MEMBER OF NEW YORK YACHT CLUB,

In cross-examination, Musgravo said that in tho autumn of 1906 ho travelled twico to New York and back in company with Alee Hssscll, who was connected with Tod Sloan. Ho denied that on ono trip ho won aboilt £2000 from a Mr.' Beaumont, of. Philadelphia. 'At New York, on December 30, 1906, lie was. mado an honorary member of tho New York Yacht Club, at the instance of Mr. Livingstone, but admitted that wh'ile ho-was at Cambridge ho received .a letter frbm Mr. Livingstono asking for a' settlement of the account which was owing to tho Club. In.'the same ,year ho went -to.- Harrogato and opened an account with a Harrogate bank. / He was miide a member of a Harrogato club, where ho denied'that ho won-£4OO at one sitting, and vigorously denied that ho was asked not to come into t.ho club again' on that \ day. Ho ■ was acquainted with Charles Mitchell, tho pugilist, and a racing man known as "Squeaker" Kemp. : ■ Tho jury returned a Verdict of guilty. Tho police said that Musgravo. had' three times been convicted for offences against tho common law. The judge sentenced' him'to uino months' imprisonment; with; hard labour, which ho said; ho "would'have mado twelve but for the prisoner having been four months in custody. \ ;

, Mr. Marshall Hall renewed his application regarding the validity of, the trial, and tho Lord Chief Justice decided to hear an application for an appeal within a week, and if ho discovered chat ho was wrong he would be quite Willing to state'a case. ■ • ' ■