The sun., 1891-05-24
BETTTyG IN ENGLAND.
A Widespread Evil. which Takes In N.
Highest and tho Lowest and Has Far.
Resehing Rcsuits-Turr Accountants.

ypNFS-e0mH
fine estate or mansion belong to an old a,
illustrious family Is thrown into tho ma,ks,
or advertised to be let for an Indefinite tina
As likely as no. the new occupants are nan.
ren,tr riches. whose JOY In their purchase or 90.
cupa,ion Is iparred by n secret consciousness.
OF fincongruity. To quote but two instance,
out OF score, Wimpole Hall. tho historical
residence OF tho Earis OF Hardwicke, is offered
for sale at price which only a millionaire
could pay and no one In or near Cambridge On.
terrain; Ernyton. tho property Of Sir Robsr,
Peel. is on all the agents books for n long ten,
ancy and 10 even now in partially dsma an Il cd
state, tho valuable collection OF I'm.
pictures staring out OF their frames with thai,
faces to the st-covered walls. 1t Is not alons
the great financial and agricultural crlsi,
which has brought about this state Of things,
another cause 10 responsible, n. for example.
In the case Of Drayton in Stnfrordshire Sin
Robert Peel. In common with many another.
can trace his difficulties TO the turf Racing
has long been tho most disastrous form OF
gambling. and fatal as Its conse luences are to
the upper classes they are Infinitely more 40
| to tho lower ones. Moreover 1t is not the man
who owns the biggest stable and salaries tho
most expensive trainers who runs the greatest
risks, but tho outsiders who bet recklessly ON
supposittious Information: the plungers who
stake immense sums, compared with their in.
comes and flnd themselves suddenly face to
fsco with ruin.
The whole machinery OF tho turf is like that
| Of the gambling tables, apparently perfectly
correct; but. without entirely agreeing with
| those who aver that there can 10 no honesty
where horses are concerned, it muat be ad.
| mitted that the betting man on the turf has
| about as much chance as the invetcrate rou-
lette player. II. therefore. tho practice were
confined to the rich and we'll 10 do. dangerous
as it Is. It yet would not have tho evil results
which follow on the general adoption OF It By
| tho whole nation to an extent that probably ID
unsuspected abroad.
| The turf accountant" or "commission
| agent" is responsible mainly for the wide.
spread betting among the lower and poorer
| classes. for In ninety-nine cases out OF hun.
dred the accountant. who should by rights bs
| only an Intermediary between the bettor and
the bookmaker. operates on his own account
keeping his clients money when tho latter
loses aud. II he wins, charging him with com.
mission varying from to 10 per cent. on the
profits which he is supposed to receive from 40
imaginary bookmaker. These interoping ~c.
countants are recruited everywhere: among
cleaned out gamblers. retired Jockeys. old cav.
airy sub-of1cers, and even genuine book
makers who have come to erle.: the ranks are
open to any one who unfortunate in other
courses. yet possesses small capital and some
acquaintance with the world OF the racing sta
bles and the gambling houses. The turf a.
countant owns an office. generally some dlngy
room near popular public house situated IN
the narrow streets behind Piccadilly. the
Strand. or even in the heart OF the city. The
furniture consists OF a table, couple Of chairs.
two or three registers on which the bets ass
inscribed, and q certain amount Of colored
tickets used as receipts Of the clients deposits
The owner Of the ONCE reckons ON certain and
effective cooperation. First and most powerful
because IL is unconscious-is the daily press,
Under the heading Of Sporting Intelligence"
every newspaper In the kingdom has at least
half column devoted to the race meetings
all over the country. while the most important
meetings are reported with as much elabors-
tion as the greatest political event. EPSON.
Ascot. Newmarket. sandown. and . score Of
others have their special reporters. who ON
field days communicate constantly with thsir
paper, the editions OF which are sold and
hawked in the streets Of London necessarily
from $3.50 In the afternoon. each successive
issue giving the latest news. and yet they are
barely sufficient to meet the eager demand OF
the people.
Other confederates Of the accountant arc his
secret emissaries. As q rule he Is not anxious
to meet his clients at his of1ce. for his position
is strictly illegal. the law only granting him
shO ADouity Vi tIououllttluB tuo OEuOTb OI the
betting men 10 an authorized bookmaker. so
he only admits few privileged habituds and
tho uneasy neophytes always desirous OF as
certaining how they stand. The bulk OF the
business is in the hands OF the agents" who
at luncheon time haunt the cheap bars and
eating houses. where they are sure to find GUS
toners whom they allure by o judiclous invi.
tation to take drink. With the aid Of this in
PRODUCTION they soon "puff" their operations
nd hnl.l .l>,,s - fok nh
" old hands" at this sort OF affairs scorn
to accept either advice or "tIps": they
have formed their opinion and made up
their minds what to back long before the
" event. comes of. and arc not to be
shaken by any suggestion or Information.
Common dock laborers and navvies have been
heard to descRnt profoundly on the points Of
dark horses their ages. their riders. the places
where they have run. won. or lost. for how
many more races they were entered. and what
price had been given for them. On some
what higher rung OF the social scale we nndths
petty clerks and small trades people. who BY
some unexplained Aliation are connected mys-
teriously with a wel-known racing stable;
they assume to be wonderfully intimate with
all the most recondite secrets Of the turf and
the private life Of tho jockeys. and they dly
open an account with the accountant" with
the result that their savings are promptly en-.
guifed and their experience dearly paid for.
Yet It is remarkable tnat no am cunt Of dis
appointments shakes the belief Of oil these
willing dupes In the infalliblity OF the men
over to. the agent the sum they Intend to
risk. without even demanding o receipt. Itis
forbidden to bet In the public houses-any in.
frlngement OF this law !entaillng she closing Of
the premises by the police -and. as the colored
tickets OF the agent would betray the transao-
ton, nothing 10 done In, writing. Clients and
agents have implicit faith in the accuracy OF
the ,atter's memory. who IL supposed to in
scribe all the bets on the registers as soon as
he returns to the. office. aud It must
errors arc OF very rare occurrence The suG-
cessiul betors are pad the day alter the race.
dium OF the agent; the settlementls based IN
The starting prices" or III. last official bnlie-
Tho quotations 1re far NOR. in favor Of ihs
bettor In England than IN france, inct which
refuses no reasonable offer from c siKlence
upward. so II is easy to undeT1tnn,dh a. hpW. @
gal accountants. and urged by the love OK