TWO POKER PLAYERS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1993, 25 February 1914, Page 7

TWO POKER PLAYERS.

CAUGHT ON MAIN TRUNK TRAIN.

, (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) . Auckland, February 24. Two travellers by the' Main Trunk express • to' Auckland. yesterday afterliopn were whilirig the'time away by a quiet game of poker, when, two strangers: stepped into the train at Newmarket, and evinced .a sociable interest in the game. One of,the players vouchsafed that they were "doing no harm," as he had already won six shillings. On receiving this,information' the strangers revealed themselves as Sergeant -Dale and'. Constable Wales, on plain clothes duty, and informed the two young men that : they .would be brought before a magistrate for a breach of the Police Offences Act. : The men appeared in ' court'.' to-day charged with playing a game of chance by way .of . gaming. Inspector M'Grath asked lcajf) r 'te ir 'jmejid in the ;infqr,mp,tion and 'substitute .a. charge underj'Sefction 25,.0f, the Railway,' as the charge/first laid'.was. intended, 'to, deal' with'rogues ahd..ragahQ;rids,.whe , r£ap,tHe present defendants..were, perfectly' de- ! cent .young fellows.. The, charge was accordingly amended tip one of gambling on a train- in breach of the Railway Regulations. Mr. Singer, for defendants, entered a ple.a of guilty. , Counsel said' that his clients'had been having, 'as many did i daily, a pame of cards on a railway ■ tnSiii coming to Auckland; .Inspector M'Gratlv. For money. His Worship remarked that' in his travels ho frequently saw people playing cards on trains, but he very rarely saw money passing. Mr. Singer: Tliey can't play poker without a' "chip," arid your Worship iriay ; have noticed that .players often use' matches. The present'defendants bought the,.cards on one of the station platforms. V

His Worship remarked that the seller of the cards could not presume that the purchasers were going to gamble with them! There was a-serious objection to playing for money, in a. 'railway carriage, and the railway regulation against it was a good one, as. a" person sometifnes came across some •.smart- gentleman" who induced someono from the country to play for the purpose of taking the latter down. In this'case the defendants were friends, who were play-, jug" each other, and evidently-not of the fraternity of tricky/gentlemen referred t-o. 'The matter was consequently not iftrimie: and the defendants would be fined 10s., and os. 6d. costs each.