Yorkshire Evening Press – Saturday 05 November 1898
The Betting Bye-Law
At Doncaster this morning William Gough, William O’Brien, Moses Gibbons, and Michael Dalton, bookmakers, of New Conisborough,’ were charged with frequenting Conisbro’, for the purposes of betting on the and 26th October.
Evidence was given of the defendant Gough receiving money from men, women, and children, and then making entries in a book, on the 25th of October. The next day all the defendants pursued the same course.
In reply to Mr. Baddiley, for the defendants, it was stated that the defendants were here on the footpath, not on a waste piece land. Mr. Baddiley said it was not for him say whether betting was right or wrong. But as long England stood, notwithstandng the bylaw betting would continue. Men had been driven out of the public house and into the street, and now the attempt to drive them out of the street was begetting bogus clubs.
The defendants admitted the charge, and would promise it should not occur again.