The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-13
WHOLESALE GAMBLING.
Ten Thousand Dollars Changing Hands
Daily in the Pcol-RoCni-YOung Men Lured
TO Robbery and Ruin by Investments ut
the Sausom.Strcet Establishment.

"There's your chance, gentlemen. Nine
ty-five dollars in the pool and the winner
not sold vet" called out Auctioneer Spitz
TO two hundred old, mIddle-aged, and
Young men seated in the SansOm-stTect
pool-rOoms on Saturday afternoon. "Onlv
Carley b., Fellowplay, and Macbeth Sold"
continued the poolScler, his eye on the
alert for signal. dts safe as a church
on Greenland, and ii you lose you have the
satisfaction of betting on game horse.
There. / thought I'd catch that fellow.
Twenty-twenty-tw enty-four-siX-inakc
il seven; siX-siX-siX-seven can have it.
Mack takes it at twenty-seyen,' and a
Young man. whose legs were encased in
eel-skin pantaloonS. and who sported pen
shaped shoes and big white hat, walked
up to the foot of the clerks table after his
poOl-ticket.
GLOW much for the field-Bally, Maggie
c.. BuXom, and Knghtly King. Have l
S.? A regular pudding. Over Sl20 III
the pool. Five dollars for the field. Yours.
sir" ratified away the perspiring auc-
honeer. A iaunty- choking lad blushed to
the roots OF his hair rs he came forward to
pay over the cash. 1t was evidently his
first pOol-ticket. The selling went on
briskly. The races were TO be run at CO.
ney Island. the pool-roOms being connect
ed with the grounds by telegraph wire
running into the cashiers room. Three or
four clerks were kept busy all the after
noon at the auctjon-pool stage marking OFF
the "pools," issuing tickets, and taking in
the cash. On the right of the stage, flank
ed on one side by large safe and on the
other by desk full OF pOnderoUs-looking
books. sat the cashier, who figured out the
per cent. commission OF the "houSc"
and paid over the balance to the holders OF
the winning cards, the successful horse be-
ing chalked up on a blackboard rs socn rs
the result OF each race was received. The
cashier was inside Of wire cage, which had
small opening, through which money was
passed, the whole affair suggesting the fable
OF the spider and the fly. As the hours Of
the afternoon wore on the throng of bid
ders in front of the stage increased so that
ii was almost impossible for any of them to
move about. The large, airy room, how
ever, Notwithstanding the sultry weather
outside, was kept comparatively cool by
dozen large fans, kept IN motion by steam.
Those who became thirsty could get relief
at the spacious bar running along one side
of the room, and the demand for beer was
at times so great as TO threaten to exhaust
the very liberal supply on hand Those
/ who were too busy to 90 out after their
meals could ill up on store pies that COW
cred a side counter. After awhile the bet
ting became fast and furious, and pools sold
at the rate OF two q minute. The auctioncer
was kept busy and pcrspiring. hut he man.
aged occasionally 70 work OFF Joke to keep
the crowd in good humor. Pools Went of
| like hot cakes in Deccmber-Some OF them
Tor rs high rs $500, others as low as SO.
'Just little flyer for fun.' rs the seller said
in closing up the latter. While the auction
pools were in full blast hundreds OF eager
Votaries OF the tickle Goddess of Fortune
were ranged about the big blackboards.
and the French pool-boXes, in another part
OF the room. The scenes here We're, il
possible. more enlivening than those about
the auction stage. The combination pool
Is the delight OF the small boy, and pos
sesses fascination even for the veteran.
Here an adventurer can make bet for half
dollar, and II he wins may "pick up" as
many dollars as he put down pennies.
Each man selects three horses from the en-.
tire list in the days races. II all of his
horses win he is paid according to the en-
tire amount in the pool and the number of
tickets held by others on the same horses.
The French pool system is something
like the combination plan. except that the
betting is confined to single races. and but
enc horse is chosen in each. Occasionally
lucky fellow puts small amount i'm one
Cd these pools and gets out small fortune.
Fsench pools have been known to pay 81 900
10 ihe lucky holder of ticket for which
he paid but half dollar At the combina.
ton boards one man is kept busy marking
up The combinations, another handling the |
strcaIk OF half-dollars flowing into the trea- |
suiy, and third giving out the tickets. |
which ase for all the world like little white |
and blue railroad tickets.
Morning. noon, and night this pool-sell-
ing and pcOl-buying goes on. The great
running races ar9 the most enticing bait,
but no races in which combinations can be
made are depised. Each day usually
brings together the same familiar faces.
PERHAPS some one will wonder where
Billy" has gone, or "Whats up with
questions which nav be
answered in the next days newspaper, re-
ordinS the arrest and commitment Of n
rusted clerk for misappropriating his en-
'loyer's funds, and the "boys" next day
'ill tell each other that they thought |
Billy" was p!unging too much and had | l