The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-30
WOMEN WHO BET ON RACES.
Display of Bad Temper at Monmouth Park
Duties of an Escort.

Duties of an Escort.
New York Times.
A neatly dressed decidedly matronly and al
together respectable looking woman, who occu-
pied seat in the grand stand at the Monmouth
Park race track on recent afternoon, created
decided sensation for those in her immediate
vicinity. The Champion stallion stakes had just
been run, and the famous Kentuckian, Ban Fox,
had been landed winner by a head Flushed
with the excitement of the race, with every
nerve at its highest tension, and with her voice
pitched in its highest and shriest key, the
woman turned toward quiet and modestly
dressed young man, and said
You're always making mistakes! told you
to buy Biggonette for place and you bought
her to win, and now l have lost my money"
II beg pardon, Mrs B., but you haven't seen
your tickets, and so can't possibly know whether
they for place or to win Here your
tickets if you wish them, and they're the tickets
you told me to buy. I'm not in the habit of dis
obeylng your Instructions.
The young man extended toward the womana
bundle of partcolored cardboards. and bowed
low as, in a verv unladylike manner, the woman
| snatched them, spitefuly tore them in pieces,
and threw them on the floor. She looked up
then, and for the first time seemed to appreciate
that she was not alone. Fifty pairs of eyes were
looking at her, and the fifty pairs had seen her
exhibition of temper, notwithstanding the
counter attraction ON the track in front OF them
The flush of excitement on her face vanished
Her cheeks became pale with anger, and IN an
lilSIdlL dll0C reuCeDeU WIN anu
the woman sat down crushed by the combination
of sense of her losses and the knowledge that
she had made a scene that was anything but
credltabe. She rose and passed up into the
stand. Well away from those who were wit
nesses Of her exhibition of temper, she turned to
the young man, who had followed behind her,
and said
Il must retrieve my losses IN some way. Here
are twenty dollars; buy me Miss Woodford to
win. The Queen will certainly pull me out of
this mess"
Excuse me, madame, but will execute no
more commissions for you. If Miss Woodford
should lose you would blame me. | will wait
here to escort you home if you wish. but l will
handle no more of your money. Do you wish
messengers"
The lady was much astonished at the position
assumed by her young escort.
II will find my way home alone and will find
my own messenger" said the lady sharply and
imperiously. She was too deeply absorbed In
her turf ventures to think of her conduct.
district messenger boy who was hurrying by was
stopped.
buy me four tickets on Miss Woodford to
win," she commanded Then she asked us
she thought ftp
The shrevd little fellow looked at her
moment, ana, deciding that she was of the
set who have the betting craze, and might prove
to be lucrative customer, he said shes
being heavily backed mum. but them Kentuck
| ians is plunging Freelaad, and he's quiet
tip to win among their friends"
But | don't think ne can get even a place."
said the woman. meditating upon the tip Of
the blue coated informant. He's the top weight
and l don't believe either in paddock tips or
Kentuckians. Buy me Miss Woodford to win"
The boy did as he was bid. Freeland Won
The lost her 500. and when Freeland
went first under the wire she sat down and
burst into tears. A lady sitting her said
sympathetcally: Don't cry; no true better
does that. / have $50 worth of Miss Woodford
tickets myself, and they're not worth the paper
they're printed on We will get it all back on
another venture" Just then there was added
to the group petite woman of about thirty,
whose face WAS mass of smiles and who dis
played bundle of tickets with the mystic mum
Der which indicated ''Freeland to win" To the
Borrowing pair she said with glee: I've won
enough on these two races to buy me sealskn
dolman this fall Mrs. S. Of Louisville, who is
here with her husband, gave me a straight tip
on both Ban Fox and Freeland Wasn't it kind
of herr" She passed on to send her winning
tickets to be cashed. Then the sorrowing Mrs.
again as long as 1 live. The hateful thing
We've been friends for years. and she had that
tip and let me sit here and lose my money. It's
real mean." And tears trickled down the cheeks
OF Mrs B., and she rocked to and fro and looked
like one who could never be comforted.
The young man who had refused to buy tickets
for the Borrowing woman watched her from his
post some distance away and looked a trif1e sad
In sympathy with her. A Times man made his
acquaintance so successfully that the story of
his connection with the affair came out by piece
meal
"She is the wife of merchant in very good
circumstances" said he, tho mother of two
children, and has as happy a home as any one
could wish for. They live in family hotel in
- street, where was employed as bell-boy.'
"And do hotels send ell-boys out as escorts to
the tracks with their boarders?"
mo; I'm an escort" said the young man.
| Strengthening himself bit. Tim no bell-boy"
"And what's an escort?'
Say; guess you amt around the tracks
much. are you9 Why, it's regular profession.
One of my friends put me up to it, and I've fol-
lowed it ever since. Women, you know, have
| the betting fever just as badly as men do, and
some of those who have it the worst couldn't
crafty it if it wasn't for fellows in my profess
sion You see some of them play the races on
the sly. They don't have their husbands to
bring them to the tracks, and even if they did
they wouldn't bet so much as they do, for their
husbands wouldn't let them. So they hire
escorts to go to the racecourses with them. We
buy their tickets on the boats or cars; find seats
for them while they're travelling; buy them the
selections that the boys sell around the track,
and get what information we for them
in the paddock lock- or at ID the 6ettng
them all we can. Then we buy auction pools,
mutual tickets, or take the risks the book makers
offer for them on whatever horse they may
select. They pay all our expenses, of course,
| and when we work by the day give US So day.
Where we give them such quiet tips as we get
hold OF we work on percentage for them when
we can, and some days when woman will take
our advice we make good stake But women
are queer; and while they hit it once in while
by reason of some freak, most of them lack the
nerve to bet so as to win Then, too, they want
to bet on every race and that's always losing
way to play the races. There's as much in know
ing when not to bet there is betting right. but
you can't make woman believe it,"
Further inquiry revealed the fact that there
does exist in this city number of young men
of good address who follow the same ''profes
sion" as did the bell boy. and that they find it
comfortable and pleasant way to a summers
| existence. To be an escort the young man must
have good address, a fair education, thoroughly
comfortable temper-for when a woman who is
betting loses she also loses her temper and vents
her rage on her 'escort"-a good knowledge of turf
events, the breeding of horses and their per-
formances, and familiarity with the merits and