The morning call., 1891-02-08


You wont get i" reioined the astute
youth. go bet $50 on insolvency. That's
the only way to get eyen."
He was so kind as to supplement this adj
vice by telling me where l could find man
who was foolish enough to bet on Lynch. l
lost no time in hunting him up BY this
time had begun to realize that l couldn't
afford to lose money on bets. l was a poor
man. and it was duty which owed TO my
family to win every time. So l bet SO on
McSNe eney.
A few days later 1 met the sporting
| editor of one of the leading dailies. He is a
personal friend who would not deceive me.
| He had positive inside information that
| Lynch would win. He put the case before
| me in such a lucid manner that large
quantity OF my hair turned gray for fear
| that | should not be able to retrieve my
| mistake by getting a bet down ON Lynch
| l besought him to put up $50 for me if he
could find a taker, and he promised 10 do so,
but he warned me that he might have to
| give Odds
The next morning l had long talk with
Sir Ralph the Rover. That boy appeared
to know more about lighting than the old
hands ct the business. He showed me in
ten minutes how utterly preposterous it was
to suppose that Lynch could win that fight.
When l left the office l looked up man
who, was aware, had been tipped by the
sporting editor, and l bet $50 with him on
McSweeuey.
DuL ludt evening l. HUppeUtu 10 meet an
old and reliable sport, man for whose
Judgment had the highest respect. In a
few well-choSen words he convinced me that
McSweeney was Lynch's natural food; that
the KID had no more show than Lo, the poor
Indian; and that anybody who bet on the
Kid was simply taking bread out of the
mouth of his family. L borrowed $50 and
| bet it on Lynch.
1t had been arranged that the fight should
| take place in a barn in remote corner of
I n lie N1S c NJ yHG nh
| ism for q back room in house conveniently
located in Jersey City. II was necessary to
| keep the authorities in ignorance, so one OF
| the seconds went to the policeman ON the
| beat and told him not to be loatng around
! the door of the house on that particular
night because his presence might be often
! sive TO the boys.
We assembled in the room about II O'Clock.
/ had had several other changes of opinion
by this time, and my memoranda Of bets
were little mixed up. l handed them over
to the sporting editor, and asked him what
he thought of them. He figured over it a
minute and then he said: you've been
giving odds both ways. If McSweeney
wins you lose $40, and if Lynch wins you
lose $50. l advise you to holler for Nc
Sweeney"
The men went into the ring and began to
pound each other. Every time the Kid hit
Lynch half the people around the ring
yelled Foul" When Lynch hit the Kidd
the other half yelled Foul" didn't want
to show partiality SO l yelled Foul'' all the
time.
In the fifth round both men in the ring
were groggy. So was the breath of all the
men outside the ring, A sport standing near
me- whispered in my ear that McSweeney
was getting the worst of it. Then he es-
capped from the room and whispered the
same thing in the ear of detachment of
police, who were waiting In a neighboring
saloon. They had all put up their money on
McSweeney, and they lost no time in raiding
the house.
The sports heard the police coming and
jumped out of the back window. l jumped
out with them. A policeman reached out of
the window and could just touch the tops of
our heads as we stood in the area while the
advance guard was kicking the gate down
i was the only man who didn't wear his hair
short. | never realized before why sports
had themselves barbered in that way The
majesty of the law grasped my long flowing
locks and hauled me in through the window
like piece of rope.
l paid considerable fine. / thought it
was more convenient to pay it to the police
man who arrested me than to wait for the
formalities of the court. Otherwise nv
name might have got into the papers.
read in the sporting editors account of
the fight next morning that all bets were off
was deeply thankful. 1t was the only way
for me to win. Since that time l have de-
voted myself to the task of hunting up stake
holders. They appear to be off " also. |
have not found any of them.
have no more sporting blood; no, sir,
not SO much as one red corpusele
FRI