Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-27
A BETTING TERROR.

| i DIX TcCOIuS SlA
BETTING TERROR
Extraordinary Career of Theodore Wol-
ton-HSs Enormous Winnings in Wdgers
on Horse Races
l"Gath'' in Cincinnati Enquirer.1
New YORK, Nov. 15.---The most nationa
character we now possess is Theodore Walton
proprietor of the st. James hotel on Broad
way, and the biggest winner on the
or kept at home. Almost everybody
predicts that Walton will ultimately ego
broke" to use the grammar of the turf
but he has shown remarkable resources up to
this time. He belongs to family in the
northern part of Philadelphia county, probab-
" Quaker originally, but several of them
were avern-keepers on the turnpike roads
leading to towns. Fifteen or twenty years
ago Walton kept a tavern for farmers on
North Second street. He had quick wits, and
believed in the use of money. He always
found men more grateful for money than for
ANYTHING he possessed. He always felt more
| grateful himself for money than anything.
Reasoning on the ground floor of himself,
| Walton said: "A man must have some money
and put it out, and then he will make more
money" He put out his first money to be
elected to one of the city offices. It was to his
great advantage that he was called The" if
he had ever been called Theodore it would
have ruined him in Philadelphia politics.
There man must have his back slapped be-
| fore he passes muster as true son of the peo-
pie Walton put up well, and was elected to
one of the city-hall offices. The
usual income of one of the ring offices
in Philadelphia is 100000. There are
half dozen or more of such offices. Walton
learned to speculate in Office. He is naturally
sporting and fast, and wants to know how
Tom Scott, and George Bliss, and Tony Drexel
got so much money. He paid about 100000
TO know how Tom Scott made his, by going
into Wall street on point that he got right
from the Office, discharging his salary as 81
broker. A suit his clerks brought against
Walton for the final months of their salary, is
attributable to to his earnest desire to investi-
gate the Pennsylvania railroad.
Walton's office was something like register
of wills, or recorder of deeds, it makes no
difference which. When he went out of it,
he organized a company which should
sell the inquest of title cheaper
than the beautiful city would give
it to its own citizens. To hunt title in the
regular office required q small fortune; but
Walton'S company proposed to do the hunt
ing, and give the anxious inquirer title for
about $40. Of course, a charter was obtained
for this company at Harrisburg, that CON-
pendious source of dead mems insurance CON-
panies, credit mobilier, etc. Walton sold out
his interest in the Title-Searehing company,
and took the St. James hotel when it was I'M
profitable. He kept good house, and it is
the basis Of pecuniary force. Soon after he
went in his propensity for sporting matters
showed itself He became a member of the
Racket club, aud his powerful physique could
be seen with the little net bag in his hands,
driving small ball by the hour at nowhere,
and offering to be anybody that came N that
he could beat anybody at the business.
He had the finest horses on the road, and
challenged everybody, and wherever you would
Aeet him on the road he would want to turn
quarter of dollar with you, head or tail.
He got to. be terror to horsemen, because
every time he said tail it was tail, and if he
said head, head turned UP. Occasionally he
would get Two lightweight boxers and hire
hall for them to punch each other. Restless,
interesting, bold yet genial, he falsifed the
predictions of men who said he would go
down like mushroom. He finally went on
the turf-not with horses, but with a full
purse. He says he lost about $4,000 trying
to find out what the turf was. he finally
made up his mind that the turf was CON-
pound of swindling and ignorance. Thou
sands of young fellows were going after the
races and keeping poor and miserable, while a
lot of gambling sharpers were selling the
pools, making books, ETC., and doing well.
Walton said: "There must be human nature
somewhere in the business. It is the most
rapid way to make money If YOU only know
how. Ny object in life is to know how
He began by rigging up his fast mare before
daylight in the morning and driving up to the
race track, where he was seen talking to the
trainers and jockey boys familiarity. Demo
cratic in his manner, with strong will and an
almost supernatural instinct for the things of
common life, and with powerful memory, he
stored away his secrets of horses and of riders,
and one of the first things he discovered was
that the jockeys were not half paid. ''How
much do you get, boy, for winning that $4,000
Yesterday" Walton would say. 81 get $50
month"; said the boy, ''and the old man gave
me 50 for winning that race" ''The old man
is william" said Walton. "The next time
you are going to win race l want to know
about it, ard will give you s100."
Putting his time and attention closely at the
business, betting high and never low, Mr..
Walton two years ago took $4,000 away
from Saratoga. The Kentucky stablemen said
they were going to shoot him, but Kentucki-
ans do not often shoot outside of Kentucky,
except in Missouri. They want state where
the laws are mild, except toward the dead.
''They may shoot and be damned" said The
Walton. "What they come to Saratoga for
is to steal our money, and that is what am
trying to get from them this year, for have
paid $4,000 for my experience" The next
season everybody that was not afraid of
Walton wanted TO know him. The very book
makers and pool-sharpers felt that they
could not do justice to the turf unless they
knew Walton. He is a blonde, with large
face, faded eye, large chest, and more iuquIs-
tive than newspaper reporter. That year
he took from Saratoga about $50, coo, and
then dropped down to Long Branch and beat
the Lorillards, the Belmonts, ard all the old
amateurs of the turf.
Racing associations began 10 deliberate
whether they should not puta big sign up on
the front gate: every one admitted but The
Walton" Somebody suggested, however,
that it would look little strange to shut off
the race-track the only outsider who ever
won ANYTHING; and it was minated that
they had better put up the sign:
"Nobody wanted here but those
who can lose. You could see gathered at one
end of the hotel porch after the races the
gamblers, the horse-owners, the booksellers,
and half dozen fats, who had been losing
money for want of Waltou's sagacity, talking
about gentlemen" aud "honor." and sthe
nobility of the turf and how The Walton
was dragging it down. In the meantime the
great Theodore was entertaining the JOCKEYS
and trainers at the bar or at some of the OBJ
scure taverns they haunted. He filed the pas
terms of the horses to run next day, and the
very horses it seemed felt that they were going
to get $500 to $1,000 from him If they ran