St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-13
EXCITING BEETLE RACES.
The Sport in Which the Chinese Take
Deep Interest.
How the Contests Are Conducted
Heavy Betting.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, Sept. 11.-Recent accounts of
sparrow and cockroach tournaments in Chi
cago Chinese sporting circles have been
eclipsed in point Of interest by series of
beetle races, which took place last Sunday
night in resort well known to the Chinese
residents in South Clark street. AS nearly
all the clever Chinese games come from
California, whence they were imported
from China. 80 did the racing beetles.
Through the intervention of an in
tellgent English-speaking celestial,
whose acquaintance L have culti-
waited, l was enabled to be present
and witness the races. Ny presence was
distasteful to the sporting Chinese, and at
first they declared the proceedings should
not go on until | retired, but my friend sue
ceeded in harmOniZing matters and L re-
manned. The leading spirits were two
fierce-looking Mongolians from San Fran
cisco. who brought the BEETLES to town.
When all was ready each produced wicker
cage containing his animals. They were
ordinary black tumble bugs The spectators,
about fifty in number. were ranged about
long table in the back room of the
basement lit was a laundry, and were
kept at the proper distance by rope form
ing ring about the table. No one was
allowed within the ring but the two opera
tors. On the table was board about five
feet long and six inches wide with raised
edges. This was the track. First, two
little balls made of rough wood were put
upon the track. Then
THE TWO RACERS
were selected from the contents of
the cages To distinguish them each
was marked across the back
with cross of different col
Ored ink. The spectators crowded
around to inspect the bugs. A scene of
great interest followed. There was per-
feet din made by the conversation as to the
relative merits of the racers. As it was in
Chinese l could not understand it. but con-
siderable sums Of money were put up. not
only in coins but bills-some of them of
large denominations. My guide told me
the bug with the red cross was hot favor
lite and the odds were five to three on him.
He explained that the bug had never yet
lost race. But the owner of the bug
with the white cross was confident and
backed his animal heavily. His name was
Hop Ho and there was bitter rivalry be-
red cross. When all the betting had been
made, time was called. The balls were
put in line and each trainer held his bug
between his four finger and thumb. A
sign was made by a man l took to be
the referee, and the bugs were released.
Directly they began a vigorous tumbling
of the balls. With their hind legs kicking
furously in the air, they propelled them
selves backward with their forward
legs at surprising rate. Each
operator was allowed to use
straw about eight inches long to urge his
bug on. The spectators seemed intensely
interested and kept up continual jabber.
Both bugs moved along evenly for half
minute or so and had covered about a foot
of the track, when
THE RED-CROSS BUG
got around on the wrong side of the ball
and commenced going the wrong way.
The hackers Of the other bug jumped up
and down in glee. Loo Gin piled
his straw sharply, but before he
got the animal around in place again
he had retraced his steps fully four
inches. In the meantime the white cross
had been attending strictly to business. and
led by nearly foot. Punched into activity
by the straw. the red cross worked rapidly
and slowly gained on the white. AS a racer
he was evidently what his hackers believed
him to be. The race was without impOr-
tant interest until the end of the board was
reached. There the bugs were to turn. The
end Of the board was rounded so that the
natural course of the ball would be to make
the turn and proceed down the opposite side
from which it came up. Mr.. White made the
turn without incident. but he had no sooner
done so than he came in collision with the
red. who was coming up. The deadlock
remained unbroken for some seconds, first
one bug losing little ground and then the
other At length the red mounted his ball.
The effect was to separate the balls, and
the white resumed his tumbling down the
home stretch. 1t must have been an off
day for the red, for he again started tumb-
ling in the wrong direction Before Loo
Gin with his straw had got him arighted it
was evident he was beaten bug. The
white came in an easy winner
amid the boistrous demonstrations of his
owner and hackers. Time 5:14. Sew
eral other races followed, and the bet
ting was undiminished. In one race one of
the bugs
ACTED BADLY AT THE POST
and thereby lost the race When punched
with the straw he refused to bulge. but lay
as if dead. He was started at last by his
owner mostening the end of the straw with
sulphurc acid, which he applied to the ami
mails front leg. Foul was claimed. but as
the bug was not a winner the controversy
was soon ended. In another race there was
deadlock Oh the turn and both
bugs got behind one ball and tum-
bled it down the stretch. All
efforts to stop them was unavailing. and
the race was declared draw. In some of
the races both bugs got balky, and, sui
phurc acid having been barred, the efforts
to get them going again were exciting and
amusing. That the races were all square
there was no doubt, and they were more
exciting than any horse race l ever saw. |
made no bets myself. but was very favor
ably impressed with a big, powerfully
built tumbler entered in one of the last
races. But he proved no good. He slept
three times before he got to the turn and
his smaller competitor won handilv. The
owner of my favorite was so disguised he
stepped on the bug as soon as the race was
over My guide said there would be
another meeting Sunday night when
feature would be a handicap race between
three tirst-class tumblers, the bugs to drag
a silken cord, to which will be attached a
small lead weight, the weights to be deter
mined by the number of races won.