Teaching Boys To Gamble – Charge Against a Conisborough Shopkeeper

April 1896

Mexborough & Swinton Times, April 3, 1896

Teaching Boys To Gamble.
Charge Against a Conisborough Shopkeeper

Charles Dickenson, shopkeeper, Conisborough, was charged with keeping a gaming house at Conisborough, on March 20th. In reply to the Bench, the defendant said he wished to have the case dealt with summarily.

Frederick Thomas Brown said that on Friday, March 13th, he went to the defendant’s house. The defendant kept a small shop, in which oranges, chip potatoes, fish and tripe were sold. There was a partition in the shop, and behind this were two tables at one of which the defendant, Dickenson, sat playing at cards with three boys. They were playing ‘all fours.’

At the other table four young men were playing. A lad named, Wood, won the game, in which Dickenson was playing, and received a ticket and two oranges. The losers should have paid a penny each, but as they did not pay, the defendant’s daughter put their names down on a slate, with a stroke against them, to indicate they owed for one game.

At the other table, they played four games at ‘all fours,’ while he was present, and they paid money to the winner, who called Dickenson’s daughter, and bought tickets from her. Some of those, who got tickets, called for a pennyworth of fish, and gave the tickets for it, instead of money. The lad, Wood, who had won the game, in which Dickenson had played, afterwards joined the other young men, and they played a game at ‘all fours.’ Wood won it, and the others paid him with some tickets, and Wood got two tickets and a pennyworth of cigarettes from Dickenson’s daughter.

Witness, continuing, said he again went to the defendant’s house, on March 20th, and saw five young men playing at ‘all fours.’ Dickenson came in with a new pack of cards, and said they would all have a pay a penny to play with them. Four of the players paid a penny, and the fifth gave a ticket. A game was proceeded with, but was not completed, when the police came in. Witness had altogether been in the house seven times, and had seen card playing on each occasion. Money passed between players. He had never played himself, but the defendant’s son once gave him a ticket, and he got a pennyworth of fish for it.

Defendant: Have you ever played cards yourself. – No.
Can you play? – No.
You can’t? – No.
You say you once had a ticket? – Yes, your Charlie gave me one.
But you can’t play cards? – No.
Defendant: Well, if you say you can’t play at cards I have no more to ask you.

Thomas John Brown corroborated the evidence of the previous witness, as to what took place on the 13th of March. He saw five games played at one table, and four at the other. Money being paid for tickets after at the other. Money being paid for tickets after each game. He again went to the to the defendant’s house on March 20th, and heard the defendant say that all who wanted to play with the new pack of cards, would have to pay towards them. Five of the players paid with money, and another with tickets. A game was begun, but was interrupted by the police coming. He had frequently seen card-players obtain fish and tripe for the tickets they had won at cards.

The defendant: Who sent you to my house?

Witness did not answer, and the defendant repeated the question.
Superintendent Blake: You can tell him,
Witness: Mr. Blake did.
Defendant: That’s all I have to ask.

Horace Windle said he had been in the habit of going to Dickenson’s house for about a year.