The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-11-09
SOME BIG BETS.
New York Hotel Keepers who Act as
election Bankers.

NEW YORK, Nov. S.-Thousands and thou
sands of dollars have been won and lost in
this city on the election, but as yet no bets
have been paid. Bets of all kinds and des-
criptions have been made, and more than
one ardent partisan who has lost will find
himself in curious fix if he carries out the
terms OF his wager. There have been wind
Dets. business bets, catch bets, fake bets.
bluff bets that have been called down and
forced the buffer to back out when he was
caught, and queer bets of hundred kinds
MADE on the result Betting on elections is
against the law, of course, but it has been
openly indulged in and no effort made to
suppress it.
Indeed, more than one police captain thinks
tne election wager great preseryer of the
peace. They argue that:when two men be-
come engaged in red hot political debate it
Is oiten necessary to either bet or fight. and
Oh the Two the wager is considered the lesser
evil. All the proprietors of the leading
hotels hold immense amounts of money
on tne election, and in each instance
they state they will pay over no stakes
until tne Official canvass is declared, or the
DEBTORS agree that the stakes shall be handed
over. Among those who hold thousands of
stake money are Ed. Stokes of the Hoffman
House, Billy Edwards and Clerk John Pea
cock OF the Hoffman, John III. Hill Of the
Bartholdi, Capt. w. w. Connor of the st.
James, and Capt Breslin of the Gilsey.
Ihese gentlemen are the principal stake
holders, although there are many others who
mold lesser sums, amounting in the aggre-
gate to many thousands.
Col. Swords, sergeant-at-arms of the Re-
publican National Committee, is one Of the
heaviest individual bettors. He has won
$4,000 by. the election of Gen. Harrison,
having bet $4,000 against the first named
amount. Col. Swords has lust abont
won money enough to pay Presi-
dent Harrison's first years salary. Ste
phen b. French, Gen. @. III. T. Collins and
Jacob Hees are also heavy winners, as is
Addison Cammack, who, being a constitu-
tional bear, prides himself on the fact that
he has never bet Harrison would be elected.
but has always bet Cleveland would NOT he
and Mr.. Cammack Is about $4,000 richer by
the Democratic Waterloo. Commissioner
French, besides winning lots of cash, win
soon become a, dude as the result Of the
voting. He made bet with Judge MARITIME
in which he unwittingly gave odds. but as
he wins it is all right. Judge MARITIME is
now called upon to pay Mr.. French's tailor's
bill for year, ,and the Police Commissioners
friends say he will come out with new suit
about every other day. Judge MARITIME Is
about twice as big as Mr.. French and would
take great deal more broadcloth. SO that
the odds were nearly to / on Harrison.
Crazy wagers have been more numerous
than usual during this campaign. One of
the oldest was made by Miss Nina Webster
of Cleveland, Ohio, who agreed with her
lover, Elmer Thomas, that she would marry
him Inauguration day if Cleveland won. and
made him agree to wait four wears if Harri-
son was his successor. Now they are both
upset, because both want to get married. and
neither will ask the other to call the bet off.
They are in so bad tangle that they will
be forced to bring cross suits for
breach of promise in order TO get thinSs
Strengthened out.