The New York herald., 1872-11-05
POLITICAL POOL SELLING.

O'Brien First, Havemeyor Second, Law.
renee Third-Ths Crowds At JOhnson's
and Thompson's-No Fun and All
Seriousness.
II spirited pool selling and big crowds OF people
indication OF interest Ia an election the con-
test to-day excites the keenest anxiety, not only
among politicians but among the sporting frater.
nifty. At JOhnsons saloon, Twenty-elghth street
and Broadway, last evening, the greatest excite
ment prevailed The saloon was filled with people,
ALL TALKING SELECTION,
and anxious TO draw conclusions favorable to Gheir
friends from the manner in which betting was
going on. 1t was almost impossible to get standing
room in the neighborhood Of the auctioneer
so closely was the crowd packed together.
Those on the outskirts were pushing man.
fully to get chance of "elbowingn their
way into some place OF relief near
the PLATFORM while those "in possession, we're as
sturdily holding their ground and repelng the
continued pressure. well-known faces Of
politicians were here and there seen momentarily
In the crush and soon again voices fromthe centre
OF the mass would yell ont 'bid'' that would stop
the proceedings that 1.-THE name or the gentleman''
might be found out. The greater part Of the even.
ing was occupied with selling on the Mayoralty,
this being the sale that caused
THE LIvELIEsT COMPETITION
and the most genuine anxiety OBrien, Have
and even though some of these were not betting
men and were evidently unwilling TO risk their
that the weakest candidate OF the three had q
friend to say good word for him. There was not.
much fun at the pool selling, Mr. Johnson being In
too much earnest to "make hay while
the the sun n. was shining" and, therefore. to
was just as spirited, however, as ever
the auctiOneer could desire, and one pool was
scarcely recorded when another was fairly under
the hammer. From first to last O'BrieR was easily
the iavorite, his friends being present in large
numbers, and all the sporting men gladly 'staklng
him with any reasonable odds. Havemeyer was
the second favorite all through, while Lawrence
Jagged very feebly and tardiy behind. An average
OF the pools would be $40 for OBren $50 for Have
ly fell below this for the first hour or sO hut
A REINFORCEMENT OF "sTAMPs'
came up, and he was thus pushed little higher.
U'Brlen, however easily held "big Lead" 'Thc
cess from first to last, and was always very dis
c0uraging, even to his warmest adherents. A gen
tleman who had been buying heavily asked
MI. johnson "if one Of the men withdrew how
assured him that it would be Just the
same with hOrses-if the horse did not run there
was no loss OF money. An even hundred or five
hundred, repeatedly offered, that Lawrence would
be last IN the race, was not taken mp. More than
once 500 to SIS was taken that Havemcyer would
withdraw, though the auctiOneer stated positively
that Havemcyer was sure to run. One spirited
young man, deep in the body OF the crowd, called
$1,000 TO 500 JIMMY Is NEXT MAYOR"
but to many inquiries there no response.
mild gentleman with very white hair, who was
hovering about the outside OF the main body, as
sured severa gentlemen on entering that he would
meyer or Lawrence, and late at night the sensi-
BILE old man assured a small crowd that he was
going home perfectly tisgusted, owing to the lack
OF spirit manifested by persons calling themselves
republicans This was the only gentleman, far
as could be seen, who had any genuine humor in
him.