Card Playing at Denaby

May 1887

Mexborough and Swinton Times May 27, 1887

Card Playing at Denaby

Edward Oakley and David Faraday were charged with playing at cards for money at Denaby on the seventh inst.

Police Constable Midgley said on Saturday, the seventh of the present month he was in his station at Denaby a little after 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when from what was said to him, he went upstairs and looked out of his bedroom.

He saw a lot of young men on the waste piece of ground, and the defendants were gaming. They had a right on the ground, but it was a pleasure ground, a public thoroughfare.

Witness watched them play for a short time, then went round by Doncaster Road and up Cliff View. When he got to the end of the building adjoining the ground there was a man there watching, and he told the defendants, and they stopped playing and ran away.

Witness got the two defendants, however, and got the card (produced) from one of them. He said that he had just bought the cards from his companion, and that they were going to play at “snap,” but that they had not started yet.

Oakley said he was “agin Slaters” when the Constable came out of his house.

Witness: I saw you out of my bedroom window, and you were giving change. Oakley said there was some gambling going on against his house, and he was going towards them at the same time as the constable. The Constable never saw him toss or anything.

Faraday asked how far it was from the ground to the policeman’s window.

Witness: 300 yards.

Faraday: And you can swear to a man 300 yards off ?

Witness: Yes

Faraday: Well you have got good eyesight then.

A fine of 10 shillings each including costs was imposed, and Oakley as he left the court remarked that “it was a bit of good.”