The sun., 1889-12-22
THE -FOUR GREAT PAGERS.
Ono Race TINT Splnn Determined to Win
Old sports Story.
From the Pittsburgh Commercial. Gazette.


From the ritsburgh Commercial Gazette
When Old Sport entered the club room last
evening several members who had preceded
him were engaged In lively discussion on the
base ball situation but ceased their talk to
III think" he. said. hanging his coat and hat
base bali talk during the week. ike base
ball. rs you know and during the winter is
good tine $ to dSGuss III e t put We are getting an
took his seat and without further ado the CON-
ner's recent purchase OF trotters in California
was talked Of and "reminiscences OF the trot-
Jobs Jobs that had failen under the obserya, lon Of
the members were talked about. This re-
mPdsd od Sport Of nsden St
kowdy Boy. Lucy. Matte Hunter, and the Old
iot ana o ali very Fast They have beon @ seen on
every trotting track OF note In the country, and
mover seen before or since. / don't really be-
lieve they wore ever In race that was not
pretty well 1gd ed up before the m start BY their
Lucy. and don't believe he was ever let In on
the plans. as he would not make any agree
'ii SThe funniest ncident Of which am cognl-
zant. in which this precious lot Of PAGERS
fnaS sas some Years ago That track was t ne
a Ysf SEsa
SSss sSHs1Bf on sSss sss5s
whom was gentleman who now holds high
official position. and who, at that time. had
county. They were an in the best kind
Of humor. and they carried. with them
hs S # f. bach as they ssGus sa
though without the knewIedge Of her driver:
porting the races and acting as q commissioner
Tor several sporting men en- in the e. purchase m % Of
keil!y's pool room. Chicago. and place $1,000
on Matte Hnnter against the field for Mr..
rase c4e"ed Me se most intense excite
S HSRter @ TWO: 5eSpS Ton and % Eowdy lS Boy t Vent
race. The odds were rs to 7 on Hunter. and
tho Pittsburgh contingent jumped at them Ike
poO and they GSG
Lucy. For some reason or other John Splan,
who drying g got h Irish @ and
For For heavens @ SAKE. John said LoeEiin IS
$1,000 on her against the field
81 You can bet n win, said s @ span decidedly;
he mounted the sulEE, They got the word. and
Splan began to make his whip burn from the
start; The good little mare put uin IN her noblest
had the cinch ON Lucy looked on IN confidence
until she reached the half Then they began to
There were no signs OF it, and they became
nervous. and when Hunter came painting un-
der the wire. her foRm-fiecked hanks trem-
bling from hor effort. and Lucy was swinging
past the three-Qnarter pole. they were dunn
founded. Lucy had won SO often that they
thought II would be impossible for Span TO
throw her down In this RAGE: but there 1t was
and their Doodle was gone,
Armstrong was the most excited man In the
crowd, and Locklin could not understand what
made him 30 angry. Armstrong went TO SDan
aud exclaimed in reproachi nj tones:
"'What have you done? j made arrange
ments for Locklin to play 81 900 on Matte
Hunter against the fold. with an understand.
ing at ReiIly's that II / wired them the money
should be placed the other way Now you've
driven away $1,000 for me-
As the telegram that was received at Reil-
ly's WasIsfgned by Locklin. they placed 1t as
instructed had 1t been signed by Armstrong
they would have coppered II. and consequently
he thought he was loser. when In reality he
was about 5000 winner. Lockln could not
understand. therefore, what the matter was
with Armstrong. He thought be must have
gone crazy. He asked Armstrong II he ex-
pected to win moro money with the 81 200, and
the latter replied that he had lost. Tho Pitts
hurgh bnyG we're not nenr 80 sore as Armstrong
was, and Il was latu at night. after about S37
was expended in kilograms. before ha under
stood that the monoy had been played as In
structed In the telegram, and not according to
his private arrangement with the bookseller,
ana that be was winner"