, 1880-03-07

Colutuouate m nss0CtA1Ou WHICH, ILLS A0seA beeA
| popular with horsemen. and which has never let
| Slip nn opportunity to get the best OF them. It
may be argued by some that the new Club will
avoid tho mistakes made by its defnnct predc-
ccssor but this il not likely, since 1t Is freely
alleged that the new concern is simply second
edition of the dead and disgraced one under
another name.l =
This may seem q bold statement to make, but
1t Is one that will be- ooncurred III by nearly a@l
the horsemen Of this city, and others who have
taken the trouble to look into the matter. 1t Is
well known that, the original Jockey Club
was composed; Of. some very high-toned
young mcn-descendants of the bost (which
means the wcalthiesp families of st. Louis
They went about the business Of organizing and
conducting a race track with great flourish Of
trumpets, and ended, as such young sprigs gen
orally do, by making themselves and the Asso-
citation unpopular with uetlrly every person WHO
was so unfortunate Us to have deAl1ngs with
thcm. When Il losing season came, instead OF
paving their obligations Hike men, or confGssing
their inability to do SO, they resorted TO trick
which perhaps showed their true colors more
fully than any other course could hnve done.
When 1t became necessary for the Club to bor-
row money In order that its obligations miHht
he met, several OF the more prominent neu-
Ders of the organization furnished Sl2,000, and
took It's security for the stt1ne q mortgage
upon the race truck and buildings Last season s
Wns another disastrous one, and no pnft Of the
money was rcpnid. III the lneantiiue severnl
small clnims amounting in tho aggregate to
perhaps s2,uUo. had accumulated, and IN uddi-
ton to these the mortgage fell due, was not
paid. and the trustees gave notice that tho
Truck would'be sold Jau. Is. as the ground and
thought tie property would certainly bring
enough to satisfy tho mortgage, pay the small
claims above alluded to, aud lenve little some-
thing for the stockholders, many Ut Wh!m we're
men Of small means who hnd been induced to
invest in the enterprise by the sight Of such
apparently powerful ra1nes At TIE head Of the
nc fftfaa atn yf1Na
what the big Stockholders Who had loaned the
Sl.000 wished to avoid. Their islen WIS to freeze
out the i te fe}lows 81 IT. thG % tok for the
devils who were not in the ring whistle for their
monsy. II such was the c.se, they have sue
cccded admirably. When tho day on which the
track was to bc sold arrived it was suddenly dis
covered that ono Of the trustees. was out Ut
town, although what business called MIN away
been discovered. a largo number Of turfmcn
hud assembled from yarious points, many
having come with the express determination of
no doSbt hit had the sac st, as SUD avertsed
the bids would have run up to at least <30,O00.
When the announcoment was g made that there
something wits in the wind, and went to their
respective homes firmly convinced that there
would be no sale aslong US any outsiders were On
When Feb, 10 arrived the sale took place,
but the only nun present who appeared
to- ,,.u wnnt :a the property was Sum Eckers,
an eating and drinking place hero
nnd bus been more or less connected with tho
running and trotting turf for u number Of years.
Up to tile dny Of the sale even his most intimate
ncHunfntances had not suspected Mr. Eckrrs Of
having such surplus OF wealth rs to be willing
invest In az IA a6adonsd r M ana M
with the assurance Of Vanderbilt, a1ld It be- /
came bis. This amount IVY was just about suif-
cracd Interest, and ID II, rs people say, the Stock M
holders who loaned that money were anxious to |
get the properly for the amount OF their claim.
and had put Eckers forward to do the work for |
them, they succeeded admirably.
:, one effect OF the transfer was to wipe out all
Il Of the otd Club, among them being the
posted with the high-toncd officers OF the de-
funct organization to be forwarded to Secretary
VAIL that " . official having wrongly suspended
having fulted to send out notice Of their rein-
Had the St Louis people been
ctal honor there would have been no trouble
about this 800, but instead Of sending
+ to Mr. Vail, or retaining it until the question
somewhere tnobody can tell the exact spot) and
when called upon for it, simply sud they had
spent It, aud would not make the amount good.
1t was disgraccful act, aud go characterized by
every paper I'll tho country which referred tothe
subject, but this kind Of talk made no impress
sion upon the toush-hided Representatives Of
money in trust and thon failed to either return |
it or Account for its whereabouts.
j; Eekers, INC story goes WIS put forward by the
secured the corpse, it became necessary for him
20 get some pall-benrers. But when business
men were talked to nhout becoming officers Of
:he new organtzatfon. they naturally fought
'hy Of the scho;ne, aud 1t was not Until Eckers
1nd furnished them with an inaemnlfying bond
hat they consented to lct US tigureheads.
1t Is Il sad and dlsgrnceful story, this ono Of
he St: Louis Jockey and Trotting Club, and has
'laGed & the ETY. IN position towards
8 built by men Of known honor. INs1DER~