Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-20

League and Association games, and in
McDonald's den, in Chicago, this mas been
going on for several years. The gam bling
on base ball has been rather quietly con-
Quoted thus far, for the reason perhaps
that these men wished 10 keep 1t from the
knowledge of those connected with the
game, fearing that some action would
again spoil their field OF operation in this
line.
HOW THE MATTER IS WORKED.
The question arises, Who is responsible
for this, and how can it be stopped? In
the first place, the Western Union Tele-
graph Company is responsible tor II.
That corporation has monopoly OF all
tue grounds of both associations. 1t was
granted the privilege of running wires In
to every ground, with the positive under
standing that it would not connect any
pool rooms to its wIIes, or furnish any
| bulletins to the gamblers. This contract
the Western Union Telegraph Company
is now, and has been tor some tune, vio-
lating. The way the gamblers get the
innings, etc, is rs follows: This company
has wire running into the scorers box
of every ground in both assocla-
tions. There it has it's operator, who
sends inning by inning to the commercial
news department of the company in New
YORK., where the wire runs to. This news
department furnishes base ball, horse
races stock quotations and everything in
that line TO anybody and everybody who
pays for it. Now, for example, as TO how
the gamblers get this matter. 1t is true
the company lives up to its agreement
with the base ball people 80 far as 10 re-
lates TO their understanding that the COM
pany would not connect any pool room
wires with the grounds, but it eyades the
contract technically by furnishing them
with the same Information over another
wire-One not directly connected with the
grounds. For instance, party in Phil
adelphia wishes 20 open a pool room and
sell pools on base bail, horse races and
all other sports. as well as sell stocks; all
he has to do is to open room, go to the
Western Union Telegraph Company, lease
wire to New York, and by paying for
the same as well as for the news he
wants, he will be furnished with this
matter as promptly and correctly as
though he had his own wire, his own opera
tors and his own reporters on the scene of
every sporting or other event. and at ten
times less money than IL would cost him
II he had his own servants and facili-
ties. The operators at the base
ball grounds, by way of illustra-
zion. report each inning promptly on
the second. If the Athletic and st. Louis
teams play, for example, and neither side
wires that neither scored. If in the second
inning the Athletics score three runs. he
does not wait until the inning is over, but
as soon as the first man crosses the plate
he quickly says: %tAthetics scored in
second" If they had not scored he would
say nothing, but wait untilE the inning
was over and then report the whole in
ming. But, by quickly notifying the New
York office that club has scored, the
nOOlsnllarS 0an no notified an that thnV
know which way to bet or lay odds on each
inning and protect themselves against
loss. The operator at the New York end of
the base ball wire in turn quickly tells
the operators who work that end of the
various pool room wires that run into that
department., and in less time that it takes
to tell 1t they flash it into the pool rooms,
and thus the relay Is made almost as
quickly as though toe pool rooms were d.
recty connected with the base ball
grounds. This is the way the pool rooms,
broker shops, etc, are furnished promptly
on the second with racing events, stock
quotations, etc. The Sporting Life has
these facts directly from an operator VINO
has worked IN the New York Commercial
| News office for a number of years, and has
only quite recently resigned and gone TO
Chicago to work there.
Now, what are the directors or the
league and association going to do about
this? VIII they allow things to drift
along in this manner until the gam blers
become more bold and more deeply inter-
ested in base ball, and eventually again
resort to bribing and corrupting players
| for their own gain, or will they weed them
out before they secure firm hold on the
national game and run it, by prompt,
radical legislation in that direction?
Keeping the gamblers off the grounds is
an easy enough task, and it is equally easy
for them to prevent the gamblers from
| getting innings telegraphed to them by
making the telegraph company live
strictly up to its contract, and if they
will not do this, disbar them from the
! grounds altogether, as the game gains
nothing from this accommodation ex-
tended to the company, while il will lose
nothing by refusing to allow them to run
any wires into the grounds. Come, gen.
tlemen, look into this matter ere it is too
late,