They stick to it rarely.' Sunday was the grand day. He
had seen more than 40 persons at a time there, and they
frequently offered half-a-crown for a seat. Wine and suppers
were furnished gratis. Some looked over the backs of others and
betted. A Mr Smith, the very man who had pawned his coat,
confirmed the above evidence. Miller was convicted, and the
judge, Lord Kenyon, made the following solemn observations before
passing sentence:--
'Gaming is a crime of greater enormity, and of more destructive
consequences to society, than many which the laws of the country
have made capital. What is the crime of stealing a sheep, or
picking a pocket of a handkerchief, when placed in comparison
with this crime, traced through all its consequences?
'With regard to those in the higher walks of life, experience
tells us it often leads to self-murder and duelling, about
gambling debts, which terminate in the total ruin of families
once opulent, and reduce to beggary their innocent and helpless
children; and as for those in a lower sphere of life, when they
have lost their money, they often betake themselves to
housebreaking and the highway, in order to replenish their
coffers, and at last end their lives by the hand of justice.
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