A GAME OF POKER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 203, 25 February 1914, Page 2

A GAME OF POKER.

| (JUEAGJI OF RAILWAY KEUULAj Tl.OXil. j By Telegraph—Press Association. I Auckland, Last Night. | Two travellers by tin- ilaiu Trunk ex- , press to Auckland yesterday afternoon were whiiing time away by a quiet game of poker, when two strangers stepped into tin- train at Newmarket ami evinced a sociably interest in the game. One of the players vouchsafed that they were "doing m > harm," as he had already won (is. On receiving this information the strangers revealed themselves as Sergeant Dale and Constable Wales, on plain clotli.es duty, and informed the two young men that they would be brought before the Magistrate for -\ breach of the Police Offences Act. The .'ini'ii appeared in Court to-Uay, ehargtd with playing a game of chance bv way of gaming with instruments of gamin" Inspector Mctlrath asked leave to amend the information and substitute a charge under section 23 of the Railway Regulations, as the charge first laid was intended to deal with rogues and vagabonds, whereas the present defendants were perfectly decent young fellows. The charge was amended to one of gamblin" on a tram i„ l m .. cU .|, 0 f the Railway Regulations, and .Mr Singer (for defendants/ entered a plea of guilty. They were having, counsel said, as manv did ii game of cards on the railway "train coming to Auckland.

Inspector McCrath: Kor money His Worship remarked that' in his tunels he frequently saw people play"if! cards on the train, but he very rarely saw nionev passin" Mr Singer: They c »i?t play poker vthout a chip, and your Worship may >;ive noticed (hat players used matches. I lie present defendants bought cards 0 n one of the station platforms. 1 is Worship remarked that the seller "I the cards could not presume that tho purchasers were goto? to -amble-with them. There was a serious objection to playing for money in a railway carriage ami the railway regulation against it vva» a good one, as a person sometimes game across some smart gentlemen who induced men from the country to join '>• * S«me for the purpose of taking' the latter down. In this case the defendants were friends who were pkyi„„ other, and evidently not of tie fraternity o tricky gentlemen referred to. in,, matter was consequently not seri--2'",,' ,U ' tM » 1,,n «*wo..Wi;e fined 10s ■urn os fid costs each.