Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1886-09-27
LUCKIEST MAN IN NEW YORK.
BoOtblack Makes Thousands of Dol
lars on the Rase Track.

| lars N the haSe Track.
| ,[From the New Yerk Worldl
| The luckiest man in NeY York to-day is
Mike Williams. Four months ago he was a
bootblack who had never owned S100 in a
| bunch. Now he owns n house and lot
| drives fast horse and sports $500 worth
| of jewelry. His bank account foots up
| $40, 900. He has made his fortune by betting
| on the race. Mike is an Italian and is nick
named ''Dago." twenty-five years ago he
was born in little village on the Tiber with
in an hours distance of the ANCIENT city of
Rome His parents came to this country
| before he had reached the dignity of trousers,
and he was brought up in the streets of New
| York He began backing boots almost as
early as he learned to walk. Police Captain
| Caffrey of the First precinct became acquain-
ted with him about FIVE years ago and got
him the job of shining the shoes of all his
policemen. He attended night school for
three winters at the suggestion of the captain,
| and in that time acquired fair sort of an
education Then he secured boot -blacking
| stand in front of the hotel South street,
directly opposite Fulton Ferry. He had
| four chairs and three small boys to help him,
and managed to net about $26 profit each
| week.
| A good many sporting men frequent the
| Fulton Ferry Hotel and Mike learned to
| know all of them. He was always interest
ed in hearing them ''talk horse ~ and in time
gained considerable turf information himself.
Last year he saved up $25 and lost it in a
single wager at Brighton Beach. That stop
| ped his betting for the season, but this year
| he repeated the operation with better results,
| He went to Brighton track at the opening
| meeting and played Lord Coleridge straight
| for $25. He won $3.50 and re-invested in ten
| tickets on a place horse which netted him $40
| each. He took his good luck quietly and
| played carefully. At Monmouth Park he
beat Elizabeth for S100 each way at odds of
| 10 and to /, and came out ahead on several
| smaller wagers. At the close of the summer
meeting he had S., 900.
| The Dago opened the midsummer season
by winning 81, 900 on Dew Drop. At Mon
mouth Park, few days later, he had $3.50
| straight and place Gonfalon, and won
So, 500 in a single swoop. He quit Mon
| mouth $S, 500 winner. Not single day has
he missed at the present meeting at Sleeps
head, and his luck still stands by him. His
| mode of betting is TO put from $500 to 5000
on a horse for place, and he claims in this
| way to have made an even $4,000 on the
Sheepshead track.
| Mike is an entirely different young man
| since fortune has smiled upon him. He trav-
i els with sporting men dresses in broadcloth
/ suit, Ofluks cualupaSuo anu sIuohcS So-ceuG
| cigars He drives to the races in a light road
| wagon behind $500 horse, and wears linen
| duster to protect his good clothes "A few
| days ago he went to the jewelry store in front
| of which he used to black boots, and surpris-
| ed the proprietor by asking to look at his
| watches The Dago spent $3.50 for a solid
| gold watch and chain, $500 for diamond
l ring and ST. 200 for horseshoe pin set with
| diamonds and rubles.
| Patrick Flynn, the Fulton Market oyster
| merchant, met him day or two ago in front
| of the ferry-horse, and asked him to put SO
on horse for him.
| "Don't bother me with small change" said
| the Dago, impatientlv; 'I never touch any
| thing but hundred dollar notes.
You don't remember me giving you
| FIVE cents for a shine, the other day, do
| you" retorted the non-plussed oyster mer-
| chant.
| A reporter of the World met the lucky ex-
| bootblack at Sheepshead yesterday just as he
was giving tip to Alderman '4 at" Diver.
The Daeo had won $3.50 on Burch, and was
winding his winnings around a roll OF bills as
| big as tomato can.
| 'EThat was easy race Burch won you,
| remarked the reporter.
| The Dago slowed away his wealth as If
carving it were bore to him. Then he re-
marked: sI wouldn't'a' cared if the stiff
| dropped dead on the track. [ was just
! drinkin' bottle of champagne, when l took
| the notion to stack up against him."
sYour friends say you'll go broke as soon
| as YOUR llck turns" remarked the reporter.
az don't care what they say" was the
reply. ~They are all jealous. got $4,000
| salted down in horse and lot in Brooklyn,
and several hundred in jewelry, and that
won't blow away very soon. l started