The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-08-05
RUNNING RACES.
THE McGRATH AND WILKES QUAR-
REL.

BIERS As HORSE eWNEks-THE CHAkdb
OF THROWING RACEs-PRicE McGRATH.
An interesting letter is written from Sara
togo % the Philadelphia Times by Gath:
The attack made few days ago by Price
McGr4th, OF Kentucky, upon George
wilkes. editor of a sporting paper founded
by him in 1856, was in itself trivial incident.
The ettsck was slight, the resistance was
more elective than the attack, bOth men
walked away unscratched and the principal
bruises were in the unpleasant
nOtoriety, for Saratoga Is well-bred
summer resort. Drunkenness is almost
unknown, fighting is quite unknown. It is
the issue between professional gaming men
and the rich amateurs OF the turf that is in
cidept Ally to be pressed on this fight wherein
is CONSEQUENCES. The turf in America has
been twice or thrice in a fiourishing condi-
ton, but Invariably an incursion OF gam
blers has robbed it of responsibility. They
broke up racing AZ Berkeley, the Sweet and
other Virginia springs; they made disrepu-
table the Washington race course, Wnere Or
Charles and Eclipse brought together the
greatest crowd ever seen In America In the
time of John Quincy Adams; they closed the
great careers of Flora Temple and George
NJ. Patchen by ssssiling the latter horse on
Suffolk track Philadelphia: they have dis
graced the Long Island courses and nave well
nigh exJinguisned the reputation OF Mon
mouth Park already. Racing without bet
attached a prize to every race from the time
of the OlYmpisn games; no law can be
framed to prevent collateral private wager
ing; The introduction OF pool selling and OF
ssmutual pOols," on the French plan, has
been in the interests of order rather than
of disorder. Field pools were first sold at
Lexi Igton by DIR. Underwood to prevent
fight Dg over the adjudication of stakes held
bv private parties, nor have we ever had
fighting over pools in America; the auction
block has superseded hallooing and bag
Cling, and the tender of odds or even in
sight OF the audience. The fight between
wilkes and McGrath is the fruit OF
THE FIRST PUBLIC CHARGE
yet made tina. the horses, not the pools, are
manipulated by the owners, and that the
owners of such horses having been public
faro gamblers, are just as apt to rob with
horses as with dice. Wilkes charges that
Mc5rath, with the best stable in America,
ran his horses VIGOROUSLY all the fore part
o. a season in order TO have his horses
backed by the multitude, and that he then
arranged for them to lose in order to rake in
the odds. He privately charges that Tom
Bowling was weighted with bucket of wa
ter two years ago and made 10 lose, and that
Aristides, fortnight ago, was docLored in
the same way, ana her owner, betting pri-
vately against her, won enormous sums OF
money in the pools. Mr.. Wilkes sdduces no
evidence Tor either charge, except his belief,
which he POUNDS upon the previous reputa-
ton of McGrath as a faro gambler. Men of
the turf do not generally endorse Wilkes's
opinion, and ascribe 1t to an old contention
between Wilkes and MeGrsth's ex. associate,
the we'll known gambler, Chamberlain.
But the charge is annoying TO the rich turf
amateurs like Belmont, LOrillard, SANFORD
and boswell, VINO have expended and lost
large sums in improving the thoroughbred
10 o1o In,
return than fair racing season. All these men
back their horses literally; they can not be
cheated, as their steeds must be beaten to
make them lose; il the best horse is CON-
PEELED to lose by manipulation the great
rabble of betting gentry is depleted in
poeket-that motley crowd of liverymeD,
young heirs, jockeys and "sports" which
follows the auctioneer and bids on the
pools. But the amateur gentry apprehend
that they are approaching the place where
they must Investigate the limitations OF
gambling as it is related to the turf. will
go back few years TO explain the compli-
cations of McGrath's assault on Wilkes.
The American turf was almost extinct
ATTHE CLOSE OF THE WAR.
There were some good colts and sires in the
country, but all the fine animals had been
killed or run down In the conflict. A num-
Der OF gentlemen in New York, chief OF
and Belmont, began to import thorough
breds and establish breeding farms. This
horse stock grows rapidly, and the higher
demands OF agriculture made 1t very valua-
BILE. From caprice, or taste, or commerce,
Island, Northern New Jersey, Eastern
Pennsylvania, and the blue grass region OF
Kentucky we're sprinkled with training
courses, brood mare stables, and stock
NJ palp hna rnnVaf N1r,
q private track alone. The sum of $4,000
has frequently been paid for a race horse in
the past ten years. Kentuckians, Virgin
ians, New Workers, Missourians, aud Ala
bamians compete together upon the annual
summer courses of the North, at jerome
vile, and Long Branch, and 1t Is claimed
that 81 600, 600 were invested last year in
pools at Saratoga, while the premiums and
sweepstakes amounted TO $4,000. A great
winner Is put in the stud soon as he is
disabled, aud made new source of profit,
80 that there are three chances on the turf:
the prize, betting and breeding. You will find
in the same coterie on race day at SsraTogs
the banker, Belmont; the cotton manufac-
turer, Ssndford; the hemp merchant
McGrath; the ex-slave dealer. Mcdaniel
the tobacco merchant, Lorillard; Morgan,
the brother of the guerilla: the SON OF
General Harvey; Cammack, the broker, and
two or three regular gamesters. Jerome
Park is the great metropolitan course Of the
North; it was preceded in point OF time by
the Saratoga Park, of which John Morrissey
and the broker Travers-s son-in-lsw OF
Reverdy Johnson-got control. Morrissey''
rival as a gamester was Chamberlain, who
made. a rival course at Long Branch
These men were inimical to each other
During the war, when the profits
of gambling were enormous,
MoRRIsEY, CHAMBERLAINE AND M'GRATH
had been partners; after the war they sepa
rated, and McGrsth went into business
with Chamberlain. Morrisssy erected {
great hotsl club at Saratoga, kept off The
turf personally, gained the confidence o
the resident people, and prospered. Cham
berIaine erected a similar club at Lone
Branch, took control of the course and wen
on the turf, which he knew nothing about