New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-08-08
POOLROOMS IN FULL BLAST.
HOW THEY HURT RACE-TRACKS AND DECIDE
CONTESTS OF SPEED.

CONTESTS OF SPEED.
The ei.y poolrooms were I'm fun blast yesterday
Complete descriptions of the Saratoga and Brighton
received they were run, and the patrons
Of these places knew the positions of the horses al eac
Quarter-me well II they had been occupants vi
the grand stands at both tracks The attempt Oh INC
Monmouth Park officials TO cripple the pooirOols ny
cutting off telegraph communication was prous"V
about by the bookmakers who pay the racing associa
ton each day 1925 apiece for the privilege oil mining
the public i'm the betting ring. Thousands OF collars
that they contend ought go into their TIN DoAcs ao
scoopcd in by their town rivals. The Vollle vi pcE
ting at the track has been decreasing s'oa'ii! n'
the opening of the season, owing to TINS vigorous oo
petition in the city. Many pencillers declare .h"'
they cannot afford 10 pay 1925 day for slau ulcss
betting is restricted 10 the racecourse. Messrs CAS-
satt, Galway and Withers have dscOVereo also mat
their gate receipts are not large as they were Iast
year. and it is but natural that the poorooms shoud
come in for condemnation that score. So IL pos
sble the poorOoms are TO be crippled Simply DC
cause they are seriously hurting the race-'racA'
New-York has a great number of these betting
places but only about a score are welfkho"h 10 INC
racing public. Most Of them are downtown, within
few blocks of the Postoilce. There arc seNcrdl
in the nelghborhood Of Twenty eighth-s and Broad
way All are as obscure It is possible to make
Them and each is carefully guarded by hireling
who sits at the entrance and scrutnizes the lace
and general appearance Of every VstOr Ihis leiiOW
&c s,nnosed 10 know every policeman and detective
in the city and is ready TO sound note OF
l. alarrn A few of the rooms have some pretensons
n cleanliness and responsibility. An awful stcnoh
pervades the Others which causes decent person to
On homo and wash. The odor of pgsy is delicious
perfume in comparison. The patrons, for the most
mart are the lowest order of dcad-beats." They
smoke vile weeds and spit on the floors and walls
and on each other till the ieeks with fog and filth
These wretches have legitimate business. All
their DAYS arc spent waiting for returns. They cannot
afford TO 20 ~ the race tracks, they stand and
souat about their favonte dens, looking for
| d.. GOOD thing" on which TO invest their
last dollar The more active 60 from room 10
another seedng long odds and hoping 10 stumble
on a TIM Winnings are blown in" at some low
rroggery vith free-unch attachment. When poor
/ devil gets broke" he pokeS about TIL somebody
gives him Hit.
Occasionally respectable man drops in pool
ROOM but he never fingers. Certain owners of
horses are accustomed to back their animals there
in the mGning in order that they may get the best
of the odds before the public learns all about the
GOOD thing" 1t is common remark at the race
track tbata certain horse will win because his
hacked him in town" And the other hand.
one frequently hears that such and such fayorte
IS not ont for the DUST because his owner backed
some Other horse in town. 1t is the regular patron
of the podroom who profits by these good ~fhings,'
because he makes it HIS business 10 know all owners
and their commissioners, and the direction their
money taxes. People not familiar with the pool
room business are often puzzled TO know
how tips get abroad. TO the .unnihated
the thing docs singular Hundreds Of men went
TO Monmouth Tuesday for the express purpose OF
backing los Angeles to win the Champion stakes.
The tip all over town. Somebody on the IN
side got II from the pCOTOoms and gave u TO some
body else. Away il went on the wings of the wind.
and men Rf their business 10 go 10 the track 10 play
H. Nav o. was backed in tho way. All
Brighton Beach backed her freely TO man. and IL
was only through the stupidity of her rider that she
did not win. These things occur every day. The
poolrO0mS settle many race hours before the
saddling hell rings. .
In the least bad of these places 81 is the smallest
amount that can be bet on single horse. In William
ST. there Is den where the mint is as low as 80 cen'e
in even Wler places 25-cent bets are taken. Com0i
nations may be had at any price No record That
the courts against them Is kept by the asuto
managers. The ticket given in return for money IN
vested is to all ntens and purposes blank 1t is not
possible for outsider 20 what II means or what
It's value is. The hour and day of its purchase are
stamped on the rack That IS all.
The same that protects the race track. DOW,
under Judge Gilderseeve's Interpretation and deci-
sion. protects the DOOlFoOm. The fight against the
latter IS therefore, not legal one. 1t is simply
case Of rivalry in which the racetracl, supported
by public opinion. will eventually win. Next winter
the tockey clubs should that the Ives Pool law
IS so amended close these places forever. They
are an abomiratiOn.