Fight with Gamblers on a Cunarder.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 5, 29 July 1908, Page 41

Fight with Gamblers on a Cunarder.

A fierce fight between passengers and alleged dice sharpers in the smokingroom of the Mauretania was described in the Jefferson Market Police Court, New York, recently, when three men were charged with swindling. A dice game for heavy stakes began early in the voyage. Among the players were three men who seemed to know each other, and whose success was remarkable, One of the passengers, an English merchant, lost first £lO in cash and then £lOO, for which he gave an lOU. On Sunday night the holder of the lOU demanded payment in a manner which was regarded as insulting, and the Englishman replied that he did not know whether he ought to pay or not, as he suspected that the game had not been fair.

Another passenger accused the man of being a sharper, and a fight began at once. One of the passengers threw a glass at the alleged gambler, cutting his lip, and the man replied with a heavy Cuspidor, which just missed the passenger’s head and made a deep dent in one of the walnut pillars. In a few minutes everyone in the smoking-room was taking a hand in the figiit, and practically everything movable was used as a missile. The fittings were badly damaged by the time the crew arrived and cleared the fighters out on the deck, where they continued the battle. Finally, the three alleged sharpers Were taken to their cabins and placed under guard. One of the passengers sent * wireless telegram to the Cunard line

office in New York, and when the liner docked the three men were arrested. Several of the passengers asked Captain Pritchard of the Mauretania to charge the men, but he refused, saying he had no knowledge of any cheating, and informing the passengers that what had happened served them right for gambling with strangers. None of the passengers appeared at the police court, and the men were discharged. JX Jt