The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-07-02
wEsToN's SECRET.
How He Contrlyed TO Win the Champion
Belt and a Fortune.

| uun ne tUutTlNcu W WIN " thahhpioh
Belt and a Fortune.
From the New York sunday Mercury.
ut is now generally believed That
Weston's extraordinary feat is the re-
suit of a long.cherished determination
on his part to regain his lost laurels,"
observed a well-known wealthy gentle
man of sporting proclivities to a Mer-
curry representative. SIN a measure it
is. But there is more than that in it.
/ know to an absolute certainly that it
is II of the best laid and carried out
plans to scoop a big winning that was
ever concocted. / dare not give you
names; but l will tell you a story, for
the truth of which in its minutest de-
tails l pledge you my honor.
"a friend of mine, a club man a pas
sionate sportsman, wa a heavy hacker
of O'Leary against Rowell in the in
ternational match at Gilmore's garden.
Even when things looked darkest and
most desperate for his man he stuck
manfully by him. The consequence
was that he came out the loser of over
$4,000. His bets were private ones in
most cases, and except for a few heavy
outside ones, his losses remained un-
known to the general public.
"My friend went to England OH bust
ness Immediately after the match. He
there met Weston, whom lie had known
before. Weston expressed himself
warmly in regard to Americas losing
the belt, and said: IF / had a couple of
months training | believe l could win
it back My friend became convinced
| by his enthusiasm that he did not over
estimate himself, and suggested to him
to try it. After some talk Weston
agreed to go INTO training at once. Then
the idea struck my friend to recover
his losses. Previous to that he had, as
he told me himself, been only actuated
by a desire to see the belt returned to
America.
"Weston's popularity as a walker
was deep in a decline, and the betting
in any match lie entered for was sure to
be against him. If he was known to
have been in training it might be more
favorable; but if his preparations were
kept secret betting men would regulate
their investments by his old record.
Any one backing him under these cir
cumstance could get long odds, and my
friend, firmly convinced that the vete-
ran walker could win, determined to in
dorse his convictions. His losses on
O'Leary had seriously crippled him. He
deliberately and at no little sacrifice
raised S150,000 in cash, mortgaging a
quantity of his real estate in this city to
do SO. Every dollar of this money he
applied to the one purpose. The vic
him or nearly absolute ruin, and he
told Weston so without reserve. i am
putting nearly every cent l own on
you, he said; ''if you win, half of what
| gain is yours. | only ask two things
of you-one isto keep quiet with your
training, the other to do your best.
weston did so. No soul outside of
the plot knew that the ex-champion
was laying himself out for a big victory
and fortune by rigorous training. When
he went on his pedestrian tour through
England people spoke of it as a show
mans dodge. 1t vas really a part of
his preparation for the contest on
which he and his hacker rested their
hopes. My friend meanwhile went
quietly to work laying out his S150,000
where it would do the most good. He
worked so quietly that scarcely any one
knew what he was about. Every one
thought that Weston in the went match
with no preparatory training. 1t was
not until he began to show up in the
match That people began to think that
he had been preparing himself for the
task, and to find out that some one had
quietly been putting up money on
him all along, and held nineteenth of
the bets laid against Weston in the
race. l don't know how much the
thing has Melted him, but it is safe to
say that the scheme has cleared a big
profit. There isn't a sporting gentle
man in London who is not bit to a
greater or less extent, for my friend is
hand-in-gloves with all of them, and
bets booked with all. He has called
twice with his brother, each time Civ
ing the amounts of his books,
"Half of this money, of course, goes
to Weston?"
"My friend has promised it. He is
well known as a man who never breaks
his word"
1t is a happily established fact that
Fellows Compound Syrup of Hypophos-