Gambling Memorabilia

1832 Poker Playing Indictment and Associated Documents. Being a handwritten grand jury indictment from the State of Ohio, Pike County, to one James Enitt (or Emmitt; spelling varies), dated June 21, 1832. Signed by the prosecuting attorney, and written on two counts, one for playing Poker, the other for playing the card game of Loo. Playing these games was illegal at the time in Ohio. The text states, in part, “…on the twentieth of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty one at the Township of Pee Pee in the county of Pike aforesaid and within the jurisdiction of this court, with force and arms did unlawfully play with one Eli Harrison then and there being at a certain game with cards which said game is commonly called Poker for a certain sum of money, to wit, for the sum of one dollar contrary to the form of the statue in such cases made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the State of Ohio.” Enitt pled guilty to the charges and paid a fine of $3.00 for his crime. Included are the partially-printed summons on behalf of plaintiff Alexander Osborn; and the partially-printed order of appearance before the judges of the court of common pleas. The latter blindstamped with a State seal, the former printed with the heading “Office of the Western Times – Portsmouth.” The indictment on one legal-size page, text to recto and verso, with old folds. This document’s significance is in its date, as it precedes the publication of Hildreth’s book (see lot 80), the first work in English to describe the game of poker, by four years.