Before Gambling was Made Illegal.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 7496, 20 April 1899, Page 4

Before Gambling was Made Illegal.

AN AMUSING CASE. (Standard.) Everybody knows that the Gambling Act of 1545 put an end to actions at law with respect to wagers. It Wis, however, many yeare previous to the Act becoming law that the great ca3e of Gilbert against Sykes arose. The Gilbert in this affiir was the Rev. B. Gilbert, and the J-ykes was Sir Mark J>ykea, who loved his little wager as weH as most people. The Rev. Mr Gilbert, aho, was not above accepting a sporting wager. Matters fell ou r > on this wise. The Rev. Mr Gilbert was dining with Sir Mark when the talk was of Bonaparte, and the risks of his adventurous life, and Sir Mark offered to lay a gainea for every day B-ua-pirte should live, against a hunared guineas down. This was in 1809, when the ii'mperor was campaigning against Austria. The Rev. Mr Gilbert, calculating that Napoleon Bonaparte had only to live for fourteen weeks and two days for him to get his money back, accepted the wager, and clinched it on his return home by sending Sir Mark a hundred guineas. Unfortunately for Sir Mark, the conqueror of Wagram had no notion of giving up the ghost, or anything else, aS the early age of 40. So Sir Mark punctually paid to the Rev. Mr Gilbert a guinea a day for nearly three years. Then he Btruck, and refused to pay any more. The Rev. Mr Gilbert went to law, Pir Mark's lawyer argued that the agreement was illegal, inasmuch as it gave' he )r ev. Mr Gilbert an interest in prolonging the life of an enemy of the State. • There was, indeed, a great display of ingenuity and wit on both sides. Theend of ittjbat the clergyman lost his case, so Sir Mark got out> of his wager for a thousand guineas or so.J