, 1884-05-10
QUEER GAMBLING.
Tse Amusing Performance OF a Cab
Horse Travelling Up Hill
The Brokers OF the stock Exchange
Risk n Couple or Hundred
on n Hot 3Iidsum-
mer Day.


L"~DuraDdhIs" New York Letter.
One Of the most amusing cases Of gamb-
ling that ! ever saw was in Broad street. 1.
was about 4 o'clocl; one summer afternoon,
and there wero several hundred brokerz
wandering about in front Of the stock cx.
change and talking about the day. 1t hal
been n particularly stormy day, and tho mon
were idly chatting in tho shade, whom an old
cab horse started from New street up Broad
to the corner OF Wall street. This block OF
Broad street is a bit Of n.hiIl. The cabmnn,
vino was sitting on a flre-plug on the upper
corner, whistled to his horse, which wa
standing in the shade u block below. Til
horse wandered up ten or ffteon feet and
then stopped. Tho cabby whistlcl again.
Tho horse struggled up fifteen or twenty feet
more. By easy stages he finally arrived at
tho top Of the hill. The performance amused
the brokers, who yelled to thu horss to stop
Uni go on. Tho animal would obey them
spasuDiically. but in the end he hoedol his
masters whistle and went on.
One OF the most popular young brokers
caught an idea, and running along he ex-
plained it rapidly to the boys. Then he took
his bat, collected s. from ench of thcm, OK
planned tho matter to the driver and led tho
old cab honse back To the lower corner, turned
him around and placed him in a position to
travel up the hill along the curb again. Ths
brokers then ranged themselves along tho
curbstone at any distance apart that suited
their fancy, AMI the leader OF tho scheme
got u piece Of chalk from one of tho bucket
shops and marked out lines along the curb
stone ut the distance Of nbout two feet apart.
Each Of the brokers chose one of these lines
and stood by it. The pool, which
amounted to nearly S2OO. was to 70 TO the
mnn near whose chalk-mark the hub Of the
rear wheel Of the cab stopped, tho hub to re,
main opposite the chalk-mark for thirty
seconds by the watch Of an official tim,
keeper. TIN cabmau was to receive SO for
whistling to the best of his ability, ami il
the horse got TO the top Of the block without
stopping anywhere he was to renew the trial
until too weary to so the length of the block
il it kept him awake all night.
Here was tho spectacle OF nearly 100 men,
fully ~three-quarters OF them of dighiled APP
pearance and well-iressed and prosperous
looking, and many of them apparently So
date. ranged along the curbstone shouting
wildly at each other and gesticulating vio-
lently toward tho horse. Tho time-keeper
sat on the roof OF his cab, with his hat on tho
back Of his head, n cigar in his mouth an a
watch in his hands. The brokers vera per.
United TO yell at the beast, but under no cir
c-umstances to touch him. Tho cabman
whi6tlcd. The brokers yelled "Whoa!n with
n force that brought tho people from the
neighbOrtng streets TO learn the nature Of the
row. The horse stood stock still. The cabby
whistled. Another terrific yell from the
brokers. Then, with u jump, the horse
started on II dead gallop up the hill, spilled
the time-keeper from tho top Of the cab and
went around the corner of Wall street with a
bowling mob Of 200 men and boys after him.
1t was n roasting hot day, and the dust
was choking. Still the brokers kept at it.
The beast was brought back and started
again. After two moro trials no amblcd
nimbly up the hill, and then suddenly aud
%stubbornly stopped and couldn't be made TO
move by the widest shouts of the men about
him. He stayed more than half n minute
in his place, and n dispute arose between
two brokers as TO who had won the $500, he.
cause the hub had stopped between their two
chalk marks. They Tipped n quarter anl
the winner took n crowd of men into Del
monico's, opened a case or two of wine, and
gave the cab driver SO to take him home.