Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-06-13
lIBELS ON THE BELLIES.
PROPERTIES NOT IGNORED AT
THE RACES.

Highly Colored Representations OF Their
Doings at the Tracks PurpOseIy Dis
torted Falsehoods-Special Accommo o.
datfons for Society Lsdies at JerOms
PasG-BiIiy Glider to Search for the
North Pole.
NEW YORK, June 1.-THE women who
dance attendance upon the races in and
about New York afford a curious study.
More rotjs written about them than about
their sisters Of the stage. The most com
mon form Of libel is that which depicts
New York ''society bellies" standing on
the box seats of coaches or leaning back
In their seats in the grand stand with
betting book and pencil laying fabulous
sums on the cOlors of their dearest male
friend. The society woman OF New York
is much maligned, but never more bru-
tally than when represented as gambling
with bookmakers at the races. The sto-
ries of the 'New York bellies" queer
capers seem to find ready credence out OF
town. however. A lady in New York does
not differ materially from lady in any
other quarter of the globe. Ladies do not
gamble here or elsewhere unless one re-
yards a playful wager of gloves with
personal friend as gambling.
The women who nave the smallest or
any) pretentions TO social recognition are
to be found at Brighton Beach. This
course has become famous for Its "of''
decisions and "fXed" races. 1t is on
tCOney Island, and it catches the rag-tag
/ and riff-raf Of the famous beach as we'll
asa daily contingent of two or three thou
sand sssports" from New York and Brook
4En. Pool tickets may be bought for so
small a sum as 81 so, and the crowd Is
gcomposed of extraordinarily heteroge-
Aeous elements. Negro stablemen. Irish
saloon keepers, French BARRIERS, German
Hailors, Scandinavian boarding house
runners, tOughs, plugs, brokers, spruce
Young clerks, policemen of for a day,
crooks of every variety, from sneak
thieves tosexpert bank cracksmen, canal
bOatmen, walters, hackmen, boOtblacks,
lEnglish visitors who are as likely as not
to be men of title, diminutive jockeys,
Farmers and flashy sports, all Glowing
their way in and out, smoking cheap CT
gars. drinking quantities OF beer and bet
ting all'they are worth on every race.
AssMAY WELL BE IMAGINED,
sthe women who accompany these men
are not socially fOVable. They are a
strange lot. The number who attend the
races dayafterday the season through at
brighton Beach Is perhaps little less
lthanta hundred, but the occasional WISH
tiers swell the daily contingent to perhaps
three hundred women. There are several
Thousand men, Someof these are hard
featured, coarse and repulsive creatures
dressed in gorgeous red or blue satin
gowns with their fingers loaded with
snowy rings and their hair bleached
to a sickening shade OF yellow. They bet
rather heavily, intrusting their money To
more or less broken and dissiDated young
men who attend the women in a shame
faced way. 1 have heard these creatures
swear like pirates at their lOsses-neyer
exult at their winnings. If their horse
comes in ahead they seem to grow breath
less with excitement and greed. They
are the dregs Of the race course. / have
never seen themin the light of day except
at Brighton Beach. Some of the other
women on this course are younger and
more modestly attired. One occasionally
sees some big, gOod.natured and cheaply
dressed woman betting at intervals
through a wd-loOking lad or an old
man. She is probably the mother, and the
attendant the brother or father OF one of
the jockeys. There was a snug-iaced
little woman known as 'the widow" who
followed the races at Brighton Beach for
three years and then quit. IL the book
makers can be credited she made naod-
some fortune by her wagers. She was
small, always dressed quietly but richly,
and paid no attention whatever TO her
surroundings. She had some way Of get
ting inside information, but nobody could
trace it.
JEROME PARK. A RACE COURSE,
situated four or five miles above the city
limits OF New York, calls out a mixed
crowd of women ON the grand stand, but
q decidedly exclusive and aristOcratic
group at the club house across the track.
L. a -Frk.a
actresses, bucOlic visitors, bOOkmakers,
sweethearfs and highly respectable young
girls tumble Ell together in a row on tle
grand stand with all social lines and dis
tine swept away. But at jerome as
at Sheepsbead Bay, beautiful course by
the sea near COney Island, but by no
means TO be-confounded with the Bright
on Beach course, there are special and
separate accommodations for ladies VINO
are lin society," At Jerome there IS
usually magnificent show of lovely wo-
men, but the everyday mob cannot get
within thousand feet ofthem, and must
content itself with gazing at the beauties
from afar. They drive to the park on
coaches of their own or in more or less
elaborate carts and carriages. They nave
a separate entrance, ana are in every way
aloof of bon-bOns and gloves and no end
OF jollity, but the ladies do not bet of
Dourse.
Many foreigners have pronounced
Sheepshead Bay the most picturesque
race course in the world. Right on tn
sea is magnificent park with trees,
grass and miniature lakes. 1t is a gar
den as we'll as race track, and this pic
turesque element makes a trip to Sleeps
head Bay an enjoyable excursion outside
of the racing. The direct result Of this is
that the women OF what Mr.. Matthew Ar
mold dubbed "the upper m ddle class, ;"
affect the Sheepshead course. ana it may
be said in general way that the iemi-
nine portion Of the spectators 8s a whole
ID more respectable than at any of the
courses mentioned heretofore. Many par
ties of mothers and their daughters 20 to
Sheepshead. Tnis stamps "A place with
the iDdefnable air of resDectabi.ily more
surely than anything else In the world.
PERHAPS THE MOST DIsTINCTIVELY
fashionable course in this Vicinity and
the one which is most admired by ladies
is Cedarhurst. 1t is down on Long Island.
n dozen miles or more from New York.
and IL is the pet and pride OF society. Ii
grew out Of one Of the most successful fox
hunting clubs OF New lOrk. ana the wives
and daughters Of the members composed
the snowy and clever "Englsh sep' OF
the town. They are all suffering from
violent attacks Of AnglOmania, but they
seem 10 enjoy il, and they nave made
their track at Cedarhurst the tad OF the
season. Women who are not IN the swim
or who are OF doubtful respectability re-
ceise such cold welcome at Cedarhursi