The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-08-30
A HERO OF THE TURF.
An Evening Sun" Reporter
PlungeS and Wins.
HE WILL ESTABLISH STABLES.
Haggin, the Dryers and others viii Have to
Look sharp Eyangeline Ramilton's Life
The Baby ChrIstened.

| Especial to THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Dispatch.
New YORK, Aug. 29.-The noble army of
plungers has received an addition to its
numbers in the person of Mr.. Gwynne r.
Tompkins, young southerner, who, if he
IS not romancing, certainly has remarka
BILE history. Mr.. Tompkins' last vocation
was that of an Euening Sun reporter at
Saratoga; but he had once been, so the SUI,
says, page in the United States Senate.
and did that duty in President Grants of
nee during the last three years of the great
soldiers term. Then he went wandering
in the far west A fortune was made and
dropped in Montana, and as natural re
suit he returned to Washington, where he
contributed turf articles to the Washington
Capital and became reporter on the Wash
ingtOn Critic. He found neither of these
employments particularly lucrative and
therefore his wife said; TRY New York
and so to New York he came and the Sun
gave him the smallest kind of chance as
a reporter of turf events at Saratoga. He
made the most of it. His capital was
just $40, but he had judg-
ment and knowledge, and in
low hCChS nc ran uD LllS
small sum to $4,000 This was about the
way he accomplished it:
His first bet was made the fourth day of
the meeting. He put up SO on Kemsen
90 to l, being guided in his Judgment by
the fact that Freeman was the Jockey and
also that the price was laid against him
Satisfied with his good luck, he held back
for few days and did not visit the pool
boxes again until the eighth day of the
u1natInu ROaconic =,
races that day and his owner wanted to
scratch him, thinking that he might be in
lured in deep muddy track. The book
makers attributed the owners reason to
the fact that the horse was lame, and laid
30 to against him. Tompkins laid out 80
on his judgment and added another hand
some sum to his winnings He did not
touch the horse in the second
race when he came in second.
On the next day he had "hunch" on
Prather and increased his investment.
betting $50 at odds of II to |. His good
luck did not excite him. He continued to
follow out his judgment, betting only when
he felt he knew all the conditions of the
race. and leaving all guessing alone
Among the horses in the fifth race was
Elkton. TOmpkins had seen him work and
made up his mind that he could beat any
two-year old that started, and resolved to
plunge. The betting opened at ID to !
against him and he ran it down to 4 to l.
Elkton's success netted him nearly eight
thousand dollars. On the same day he put
s., 900 on Vivid at odds of 8 to l and became
800 richer. His first losing occurred on
the twelfth day of the meeting when he
placed 800 on Remson at to |. His horse
came in second. On the next day when
the entries for the Saratoga stakes for two
year olds were posted, Honduras was not
among them. At the last moment it was
decided to start her. Taking a desperate
chance for once, he bet $500, II to l. On
the same day Mr.. b. F. Petit, who owns
Princess Bowling, told him he thought his
mare would win the Foster Me
mortal stakes for three year-olds and
he placed enough confidence in the tip to
lay 800 on the winner at II to s. The
victory of Porter Ashes Geraldine landed
him away from the winner, and finally he
came to point in his fortunes where he
stopped. He determined to bet no more
He purchased Mr.. Scroggins' Irene and
also secured the speedy racer Hildebraud.
He has now set up a stable of his own and
from the EUening Sun by telegraph,
because his hands are too full of his own
This racing romance has Of course ex-
cited good deal of interest here The
newspaper rivals of the Sun naturally are
not over enthusiastic about it, but never
theless MIR. Haggin, Dwyer and Ashe will
have tie make room for the new man, if he
has proved himself, as appears probable,
the Burgess of the turf