§ Viscount CURZONasked the Home Secretary whether the police recently took action against a club called the Cleveland Club for playing the game of poker; whether the police had any complaint against the club; in what way the Cleveland Club infringed the law upon the subject; and in what way the game as played in this club failed to comply with the law?
§ Sir J. BAIRDThe answer to the first two questions is in the affirmative. As regards the third and fourth, the allegation of the prosecution was that in this1124W club poker was played as part of the conduct of the establishment, and that the chairman and secretary of the club were thus guilty of an offence against Section 4 of the Gaming House Act, 1854, and to this the defendants pleaded guilty. In consequence of the plea of guilty, the magistrate was not called on to determine the questions of law and fact on which, had the case been fought, his decision would have depended.