Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1890-02-22
People Are Wondering Whether They
Will Have Them This
Year.
The Way the First Horse
Failed to Win Last
Season.
But What Gaa Be Expected When Han
kins and Jerry Dunn Are Stars
on the Turf2


and before him yawns the prison doors.
"Black Jacks" jig is up, and the cry
of Make your bets, gentlemen, Is no
longer heard in many houses where
the boys were wont to receive their
friends from the country. Gambling
by means of cards is playing out IN
Chicago but gambling on the turf,
thanks to the solons of the Illinois
Legislature, still survives, and to the
influence ofmembers of the Washington
Park Club-a very influential organiza
ton, by the way-this fact is mainly at
tributable. The history of few of the
men who founded this organization
would hardly bear investigation, so
deep were they in the mud and mire
that finally caused the downfall of the
most famous racing confederacy that
ever fourished on the American turf
that of McDaniels, which IN its day
swept all before it, having in its string
such great race-horses as Harry Bas
sett, Joe Daniels, Katie Pease, Spring
box and a host of others. Three mem
bers of that confederacy still live, but
old man McDaniels, who shouldered
all the responsibility for many crooked
race, is dead, and be it said to the shame
of the men whose nefarious schemes he
Al. IL o1,,+a
needing even the commonest neces-
saries of life. The inside history of
been told, although The EAGLE may
tell it later on, as there are still some
gray boards living who can tell the
story. It's not with this, however, that
we now have to deal, but with gambling,
and with a form of gambling
that the law has licensed and
that may be seen in full swing at any of
our modern race tracks during the sum-
mer season. Betting ON the result of
horse-race is legitimate the law says
SO. But with the class of Judges that
have been seen in the stand lately in
Chicago the suckers might better
blow their money in on the last turn
in brace game. Take the opening
day at Washington Park last season,
for example, when General James I.
Robinson, of Lexington, KY, was pre-
he
card was a sweepstakes for two-year-
olds, with penalties and allowances,
and this had twelve starters, viz. !;
Baggage III lbs. Protection, Ill;
Sis O'Lee, 108 Red Light, rs; Els
telle, rs; Ellen Douglass, 115; Eva
lima, 1903; Maid of Richmond, 1903; Aunt
Kate, 1903; Happiness, 1903; Mida, 1903;
and Sister Geneva, 108. For this race,
Protection, who had shown well in his
trials, was made slight favorite by
the Kentuckians, Red Light being
good second choice. 1t was the latter
colt that carried the bulk of the Chi
cago money. There was good reason
for this. Red Light had already won
two good races at the West Side track.
He had shown both speed and weight
carrying abilities He could run some,
and the boys knew it. From start to
finish of the race Protection and Red
Light were all there was in it. The
latter was never headed Mr.. Cary,
now sporting editor of the Times, was
doing the calling for the reporters
stand, and he gave Red Light as the
leader at every quarter The number
on Red Lights jockey was 3, and
No. 3, according to the judges, was
never in it. No. 7, Baggage, was run
up on the board. Silence reigned for a
moment, then there followed howl of
indignation
"Well, I'm -," said veteran turf
man, "but them judges is dandies."
The crowd expostulated, the jockey
protested The owners of Red Light
claimed the race The owners of Bag
gage admitted that he did not win it.
Gen. Robinson was obstinate, and
Baggages number was left in its
place. The holders of Baggage
tickets at 10 and 90 to / were paid.
An investigation followed The fact
that Red Light had never been headed
was clearly proven. The judges
wavered, then broke down, md finally
admitted their mistake The purse
was duplicated and Red Lights own.
ers were paid the same amount as the
owners Of Baggage Then the Red
Light tickets that had not been torn
up were redeemed az cost az cost.
mark youl The winners. poor fools,
we're given back Che value of their
checks white the lasgfs paa ketet tho