News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-07-24
WOMEN BETTING AT RACES
HOW 1T AFFECTS THENL-JOYS AND
DISAPPOINTMENTS
Pin Money Melting Like Wet Sugar-Fe-
male Gambling Parties Feature.

Pin Money Melting Like Wet Sugar-Fe
male Gambling Parties Feature.
The New York Hour says: One OF
the most striking features of gatherings
on the race course is the enormous hold
the betting mania has acquired over the
gentle sex. The days of wagering
boxes of gloves or bonbons are practi-
cally over, and the keenness with which
women pursue the mighty dollar in the
betting ring is little short OF marvellous
to the merely casual race goer. Time
was when ladies did not attend races
save in the company OF their husbands,
brothers, or intimate male friends.
Now for a great number of women who
go racing a male escort is supert1uous ;
in fact, he is in the way, There are
messengers on the grand stand who do
all the buying of tickets and also the
cashing in for a small percentage, and
do it much more quickly and reliably
than the ordinary male race goer can
do; the consequence is that regular
hen parties are now made up for the
races, and pin money goes IN way
amazing to behold to the unsophlstl-
Gated husband OF father.
In its milder stage the betting fever
among women is rather amusing, and
providing the female hacker is provided
with q liberal allowance of common
sense, it will lead to no particular harm.
The writer numbers among his acqualnt-
auces a lady whom her husband has
taken to races very frequently during
the past three or four years. He never
bets himself, but he allows her from $40
to $25 day to invest. She starts in
every year with charming enthusiasm to
bet nationally and carefully, so as to
make enough money to buy liberal
presents for husband and friends, but in
her career thus far she has failed sig
nally. She made her beginning this
year at Sheepshead Bay, and impaired
to the writer in confidence that she in
tended to buy conversation chair for
her husband with the proceeds of her
Coney Island investments. The first
three days she was out, but the other
day she got fresh supply of money. 1t
melted like ice under a blazing July sun.
Finally she began to grow demoralized,
and bought one of the twenty-five cent
s'tips," which ran her deeper into diff
culties. dear me-" she said, sadly, on
the way home, ''such luck ! After the
second race 1 began to give up all hope
of getting money for chair, but did
hope that I would win sufficient to pur-
chase a couple of tides. Now, even
they have flown to the dim distance"
While this lady was unlucky, however,
there was bevy of fair ones betting i'm
mediately behind her who "picked"
winners with startling uniform success.
There were four of them, and they won
on six out of the seven races on the card.
They were adopts in the use of racing
slang. They knew all about ''pace"
and Judgment" They praised Lewis s
''strong finish" and condemned
Mclaughlin for having ridden War
Eagle "all over the place." Altogether,
they were experts, in measure, and
they probably had paid dearly for their
experience. They enjoyed the races,
however, and the fun and excitement of
betting had as much attraction for them
as the mere gambling part of the trans
action.
At Brighton Beach one sees the worst
side of betting among women. Day
after day, rain or shine, one can see the
same faces at the lower end of the
stand, all outwardly Indifferent, but at
the same time intensely interested in
form, condition, weights, and jockeys.
The racing itself does not interest them.
They do not even take the trouble of
looking at the contests. A finish may
cause them to arise; but it is only to see
that the horse that they have backed is
doing well. They win or lose with the
most philosophical outward Indifference.
An instance occurred q few days ago,
within the hearing of the writer, which
fully shows to what an extent women
will go that have become enslaved to
betting It was the race which Vocalic
won at Sheepshead Bay ON Saturday.
The finish between him and Miss Brews-
ter was very close one, and from that
part of the stand where the writer sat it
looked very much as if the filly had
won by nose. Immediately behind
the writer sat middle-aged woman, of
matronly proportions and demeanor.
Her face was white with suppressed ex-
element. In fact, she was so nervous
that she did not trust herself to look at
the race. When Miss Brewster chal-
lenged VocaIic in the stretch she arose,
however, and big beads of perspiration
started on her forehead. As the horses
shot past the post she clutched the
writer's arm and hoarsely inquired :
"What do you think won, sir?" "Miss
Brewster, [ believe" was the reply.
"My God" she exclaimed, "don't tell
me that Ihave backed the other one"
A few minutes after, Vocalic's number
went up. The woman almost cried with
Joy. "That saved me" she said, for
getting her reserve in her delight. 81
was away out on the meeting, and to get
even 1 took $780, which my husband had
laid aside to pay the interest on loan.
Twenty dollars went on the other
races, and, attracted by Vocalic's light
weight, | determined to risk all that was
left on him. Had Vocalic lost, l am
afraid that [ could not have faced my
husband. Now, however, I win $3.50,
which puts me nearly $50 to the good
on the meeting"
Occurrences like this make even the
most enthusiastic male plunger look
rather queerly at his favorite amusement
or mode of speculation, whatever he
chooses to call it.