The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-18
BOOKMAKING IN FRISCO
One Of the Talent Talks Of Former
Times In the Golden Gate.
How a Bookie Came to Grief by
Giving too Long Odds on a
FavorIte-How The Gear
Won His First Race.

Somewhere about midnight one night
last week a STANDARD reporter dropped
into the Montana, hooking for a late
item Of news. Entering the bar-room, he
joined a group of ~well-known gentlemen
who were discussing West Side racing
matters. The conversation gradually
took more latitude, and horse stories OF
the last few years caine thick and fast,
when n of the party. a gentleman well
known In coast sporting circles, lit q
fresh cigar n took part I'm the talk.
'Spcaking Of San Francisco" said he,
blowing n cloud of smoke toward the
ceiling, "that is the town where book
makers 10 a land-ofiice business. The
pool rooms are opened in the morning at
. o'clock, when the work of placing the
entries on the blackboard begins, after
which the regular business of the day
goes on. lasting until about 3 or 6 o'clock
i'm the afternoon. One of the most COM
Portable as well as the largest rooms in
the city is Platt's Hall, On Mont
gomery street, between Bush and
Pine. Mr.. Kingsley, the bookmaker,
is N of the representative men
in that line, and is a jolly, good-natured,
corpulent gentleman. He is quiet popu-
lar with the talent, on account of the lib
eral odds he gives.
~ remember a circumstance once which
was an amusing n to the public and es-
p~ecially to the 'profesh', but which cost
Mr.. Schwartz IA good many thousand dol
lars. Mr.. Kingsley was head clerk n
odds-maker Of Mr.. Schwartz's pool rooms
business on his own %account several years
ago. A short time before Mr.. Schwartz
and Mr.. Kingsley had n spat i'm regard to
odds given on h races by Kings
ley, Schwartz holding that Kings
ley was giving too large odds ON
a bookmaker had to be blooded and of
vast sporting proclivities in order to be
successful in business. They had q war
of words, which terminated in a disas-
trous manner for Mr.. Schwartz. The
fourth race on hat day at Saratoga, N.
five entries, Of which Calera, a noted fast
mare, was quoted as being the ~favorite in
the auction pools on the track. She sold
in the auction pools at Saratoga for about
$50, while others sold for SIS to $40 and
some only at 81 to So. In the above order
she should also nave been the favorite at
S~chwartZ's, and probably would have
peer had Mr.. Schwartz himself made the
odds On the race. But Mr.. Kingsley was
the presiding genius behind the ticket
counter n he had the entire control of
the business in his hands. Mr.. Kingsley,
therefore, did al he pleased in regard
to he making of odds on the
race, and i'm debating them to
the chaiking boy he quoted
Calera, the ~favorite, at SIS to 81 straight
and IS TO 81 for n place. Immediately up
ON these odds being visible upon the
blackboard, a tremendous rush at the
bookmakin9 counter ensued. people rush.
ing and jamming each other i'm order to
place their money at those tempting odds.
The more money placed ON Calera
the jollier Mr.. Kingsley became. As soon
as it was known in other pool rooms
that SIS to 81 could he had on Calera
everybody who had a dollar went To
Schwartz's place and bought a ticket for
either a straight or a place bet. Mr..
Kingsley was in his element. Whether
neck i'm the race for Mr.. Schwartz's par
ticular benefit or whether he telegraphed
Oh the q. {. that she should lose the race
SO that Mr.. Schwartz could pocket the
shekels placed on her, l cannot say. but
be that as il may, everybody who had any
what was considered a dead-sure thing,
had IL on Calera ut Schwartz's, and the
odds remained the same until the boy
eliminated them from the board prepare.
tory to receiving the result by telegraph
from the track. The anxious crowd VIII ch
packed the hall waited almost i'm silence
FOR the announcement of the fourth race
OF the day, the n in which Calera was Ia
run; The first gong sounded and the
bookmaker's cry. AT the post" was
taken up by the crowd. All was excite
ment for n few moments when the gonR
sounded twice again. The bookmaker's
voice was heard To exclaim:
They're oil! Calcra in the lead!
"'Hurrah for Calera! = shouted a thou
sand voices In unison AMI the yell was
heard for blocks. The throng increased
in the p~assagcways and ON the sidewalk
until one could hardly pass into the pool
hall through the dense throng: Finally
after a brief interval, gong number three
sounded out clear aud distinct. The
silence that ensued was painful. The
voice, as he announced In n clear
tom h result of the race'
was as jovial and had N
merry a ring to il as though only a few
dollars hung upon the result. One. two
three. sounded b g%ong,and scarcely had
the vibration of the third bell subsidized
before Mr.. Kingsley calculated:
"Calera first, Goliath second livery close
a neck between first and secondH
An immense tumult ensued, as the
crowd shouted aud pressed toward tho
~bookmaker's window. The tickets pre-
scented amounted To somewhere, as far as
could he ascertained.i in the neighborhood
of $1,000 or 1900 Mr.. Schwartz, who was
absent from the city on that day, on hear
ing of the occurrence fastened home. He
Immediately Informed Mr.. Kingsley In
positive tones that no book making of tina
kind could go on in his pool rooms. ant
Mr.. Kingsley concluded To start bushes,
on his own account. Nevertheless Mr.
Schwartz made a disastrous move I'm let
ting Kingsley 20, for that gentleman hat
such a following of the public that hi
pool room was constantly wv Will,
Schwartz's place was usually empty"
After a refreshing glass of water-or
the side the conversation was resumed
by the aforesaid gentleman. ~ hap
pcned To he at he races said he
"at the time that celebrated runnin,
horse. The Car, made his first appear
ancc upon any track. and I tell you !
was n circumstance to be remembered b.
those who Witnessed il. Possessing [,
~yignnlic frame of beautiful nrnpor