The daily gazette., 1878-06-14
Sports of the Turf.

lively trot this afternoon" large crowd
of persons, numbering over 1000, wended
their way to the Schuetzen Park, yester
day afternoon, to witness the performan.
ces of the pretty little Chincoteague
mare, who is fast becoming n real favorite
in Wilmington sporting circles. Consid
cradle uncertainty was felt during the
morning, as to whether Wednesday.
races would be finished or the 2:26 race
trotted, but the doubt was apparently
settled by the hand bills scattered broad
cast through the city, announcing that
"the big race will positively come Off"
But people were not long on tn
grounds before they began to suspec
pretty strongly that the 2:26 race would
not come of at all, or if it did start, woulG
not be finished; and the result proved
that the latter supposition was correct
The trottlDg commenced about 23O o.
clock, with the 2:40 class--carried over
from Wednesday afternoon-which was
contested by Robin Hood. Mamie, Black
Douglass and Annie. Five heats were
| trotted, most of them being prettily con.
tested. Three heats and the race wore
taking two heats and Annie third.
Time, 2474, 2:4Sl, 2:45, 454 and 2:47.
The second race was the 2:30 class, also
carried over from Wednesday afternoon,
the entries being Lady Blessington
Mollie, Sorrel Top and James II. The
first heat was won by Lady Blessington,
but the next three were easily won by
Mollie, who was driven in q mastery
| manner by w. III. Doble, Jr. Time,
1851, 2:36, 2:35i, and 2:t6.
These two races consumed most of the
afternoon, anu it was after five o'clock
before the horses for the 226 race were
even brought out upon the track Mean
while, though the trots attracted consid-
cradle attention, the spectators wander
ed around in search of other attractions,
with which to while away the time until
the big race should come off. In the
dancing pavilion beer flowed in abund-
| ance, and about the middle of the after
noon there was a lively little racket,
which drew quite crowd, and filed the
track so full of people crossing over, as
to Interfere seriously for awhile with one
of the heats that was about to be started.
The fight, however, soon subsidized, with
out any serious results.
Within the track, the gamblers piled
their vocation in various ways. Betting
men eagerly planked their stakes Wher-
voice of the pool-seller was heard in the
air. Ten dollars in the pool, gentle
men," rang out his melodious voice "and
all the field to choose against one horse;
what have bid?" To the right of the
pool tent was the wheel of fortune, the
proprietor of which sat quietly in his
little chair, making money at the rate of
about twenty-five cents minute. His
apparatus consisted of a wheel on the
| rim of which twelve horses were painted
and named. Cards bearing the names
of these horses were sold at 25 cents
apiece, after which the wheel was given
| "A turn, when the horse which stopped
under an indicator at the top of the
wheel won the heat, and the pool, minus
| the dealers percentage, was awarded to
| the party holding the winning card This
| amusement was highly popular with the
audience, and was largely patromzed
during the afternoon.
Another quiet little game was conduct
| ed by "Prof" Rogers, of this city, In the
shape of little dice throwing. The
player bet on the throw being overs seven
or under seven, just as he chose, or if he
desired to bet ON an even seven, he could
do SO by Offering three to one. The
"Professor" was decidedly lucky in his
little game, one man losing three dollars
in two throws on cover seven," when
| The dice turned up even seven each
time.
THE DEMI MONDE ON A SPREE.
The biggest attraction of the afternoon
was the performances of the de,ni monde,
| in the persons of four inmates of n Ship
ley street rancho, who came out inspank-
| ing style in large barouche. They
soon became gloriouSly drunk, and after
parading around the grounds for awhile
they held high court in their barouche
| for nearly an hour, surrounded by mot
| ley crowd of admirers Towards the last
the familiarities of the courtiers evident
ly became annoying to the boss huzzy,
| as she suddenly seized the whip and
laid around vigorously among the crowd.
| Her efforts were received with shouts
! of laughter, and only had the effect of
| increasing the crowd that had gathered
| around the disgusting spectacle. Finally
| they drove of, and one of the number,
drunker than the rest, insisted sn get
ting out after the vehicle had started, but
| no sooner had her foot touched the
ground than she fell sprawling upon the
grass and narrowly escaped being run
over. Three inmates of another we'll
known disreputable house were also on
| the grounds, but they conducted them
| selves quietly and decorously during the
afternoon.
THE 225 RACE.
Finally, when the hour of six O'Clock
was drawing nigh, the 2:26 race was star
| ted, with Sadie Bell, Gen. Howard, Lady
Killdeer and Lady Daniels on the track.
The first heat was easily won by Sadie
Bell, with Gen. Howard second and Lady
Killdeer third, Lady Daniels was dis
| tanced on the first half mile. After a
| half-hour's delay, the second heat was
| trotted, when Sadly Bells sulky very con
veniently broke and the mare came in
behind This heat was very exciting be-
tween Gen. Howard and Lady Kildeer,
the latter coming in about half length
ahead.
BY this time it was drawing on TO sew
Ell O'clock, and most of the audience de-
parted, seeing that the usual dodge to
draw another crowd would be practised,
and the race "finished" next day. A
great many were completely disgusted,
and denounced the whole affair as n
swindle. They came out purposely to
see the 226 race, and felt that it should
have come off first, us they had no par
| ticular interest in the other races, and
would not have cared had they been
postponed indefinitely. Hundreds. of
people would not have come out at all
had not the 2:26 race been so positively
announced, and they felt that they were
most completely humbugged.