The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-01-13

In the fourth round a jaw orusheI
won the purse for him. Burke has q
good record. He fought an eight-round
draw with Tommy Warren al the Critic
rion Club in Philadelphia, in 1886, and
has beaten Daye Campbell in eleven
rounds, and Jack McGrath in twenty
two ronnds Delaney has bested Jack
Hicks, Of Philadelphia; Johnny Gleason,
of Albany; Harding, Of Philadelphia ,
Bob Haight, OF Hudson Steve Meyers,
OF Troy and "Swpes the Newsboy-' 1t
looks a. though he was one Of the grow
ing lights in The fislic world.
On Monday the bookmakers' handicap
billiard tournament will begin az the
fremont Club. The entrance fee il 800
and the prizes are big, the winner receiy-
ing $500 and the second man 5000 The
games are all going 10 be good ones, and
thousands Of dollars will be lost and won
on the result Reeves, Davis, Johnson,
Heineman, Reyes and Corbett are the
players.
PITTsBURG PHIL s LUCK.
One Of the main topics Of conversation
in sporting circles this week has been the
wonderful luck which seems 10 follow
the boy plunger, Pittsburg Phil, and
the impression prevails that if he should
IAN into the river he would be fishcd out
with his pockets full Of gold watches, a.
one of the sports put il. W hen the
racing season ended Phil. quit the turf
with something over $4,000 TO his
credit. all made during the past season
on the races North and South. Last sat
urday his luck broke out again in the
most unexpected manner The plunger's
proper name is George Smith. He was
standing in front Of the mahogany of
a wet goods store in Pitisburg, when
a perfect stranger approached and asked
him II he was the one people called
Piusburg Phil. and If his real name was
George smith and his fathers Christie
phcr Smith. The questions were all
answered in the affirmative, and then the
stranger paralyzed him with the informa-
ton that he was his cousin, and that
their grandfather had just died, leaving
a fortune of over $4,000, 10 be divided
among the new cousin, Phil and his
brother The property is part of the
city of Piisburg. "pittsburg Phil" has
been a familiar figure on the turf and
well-known in racing circles for only
year or two but i'm that time has made
for himself arcpuiatiOn for cool plunging
that Is envicd by many and many an old
timer Early in the season of 1887 there
on the track Oh the Sheepshead
Bay track a Young man Of quiet dress
and manners. and extremely modest in
He said not a word TO any
one. and no attention was paid 10 him
until some one of the betters drew atton-
tion 10 the fact that the quiet young man
was doing a great deal Of hard, heavy
plunCing in his own peculiarly quiet
way Most of the bets he had laid were
winners, and he left the track az the end
of the first day with a small fortune in
his inside pocket. From that time on lie
was known as the luckiest and coolest
better of the day Everything he touch.
ed turned TO gold, and crowds of hungry,
brOken-dOwn sports followed him all
over the track like a flock of crows
TO see what horse he was going
to put his money on. No one knew
where the wonder came from, or what
his name was, but some one said his
name was Phil, and that he came from
and from that on he was
called Pittsburg Phil lie has made
some big winnings but the largest
amount of money he ever took away
from the book-makers at one time was in
.hc fall of 1887, when he backed Lorril-
ards young colt Cambyses The odds
were fifteen 10 one straight, and six to
one for place The wonder put $4,000
)n the colt, and when the race was won
he cashed in over 1000 worth Of
-ickcls