The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-27
A RACE TRACK RIOT
PinkertOn's Men a Telegraph
Signaller.
His Coachman's Hat Was Regular Battery
The Detectives are HoOted by the BoOkmak-
ers-Cries of Lynch EN- Raised.

Especial to TIE HERALD-Examiner Dispatch.
New YORK, Sept. 26.-There was riot
at Gravesend track yesterday, and it all
came about by one man talking through
another mans hat. Last Monday a
barouche containing a man. two women
and child was driven into the enclosure
north of the betting ring set apart for
those who do not care to leave their car
riage. The only noticeable thing about this
particular barouche was the coachman's
hats 1t was a most pretentious hat, high,
broad, deep, capacious. The coachman
wore it far back on his head after the most
rakish fashion. He would sit thus, with
his mighty hat back on his head, for hours
without moving.
Every day since Monday, the barouche
and its occupants went into the enclosure,
and every day the coachman and his hat
went with them. When the barouche ap-
peared yesterday, Plnkerton man, whose
suspicious in some manner had been
aroused, began to watch the coachman's
hat. He noticed that it was pointed in the
direction of a big telegraph pole north of
the track, whose top is now occupied by
the Western Union Office. He also saw
men running up to the barouche and leav-
ing slips of paper. He further detected
the telegraph operators on top OF the big pole
pointing their telescopes at the coachman's
tall hat. After the first race the barouche
was raided. Robert Pinkerton himself
snatched the coachman off his box and in
spected his remarkable hat. He discovered
a regular battery inside. Up the coach
mans back and around his body there were
many fine wires in rubber tubes and these
tdbes all led to the battery in his hat. The
other end of the wires were in the lap of
the man who sat in the barouche. The sys-
tenn was simple one. The man sitting be-
hind was furnished with the names of the
horses, the Jockeys, the betting and the
scratcher, and he promptly licked it of
through the coachman's hat by means of
the flash system to the Western Union men
on the top of the pole. Everybody in and
around the carriage was arrested. The
man, whose name is Frost was hustled
away, when his wife became excited and
jumped out of the barouche. After that no
one can tell accurately what happened.
Pinkerton ana his men say Mrs. Frost says
she was choked and insulted. 4 brother
of Mr.. Frost, who was in another carriage,
rushed up and he, too, was
arrested. In the meantime a big
crowd gathered around the fence
which separates the carriage enclosure
from the grand stand. AS Mrs. Frost was
being dragged away screaming and strug-
Cling the excitement of the crowd became
intense. The bookmakers jumped upon
their boxes and hooted at the Pinkerton
men. The ring was full Of bstters but
they forgot all about odds and tips and
yelled their encouragement to the Frosts.
A young man jumped over the fence,
snatched off his coat and yelled, "Come on
and hang 'em" The crowd in the ring
cried Lynch 'em." The Pinkerton men
evidently realized their danger, for they
took their prisoners to the little guard
room behind the grand stand on run.
Robert Pinkerton said after the occur
renee that Mrs. Frost hit his man before
anything had been said to her. He also
denied that any violence had been used.
He said Mrs. Frost would be charged in
the Gravesend court with assault; the
coachman would be charged with disorder
ly conduct, and the others with resisting
an officer. Mr.. Frost said he was in
charge of a scheme to send the news out of
the track, and had been working it with
satisfaction for several days. He pro-
poses to sue Pinkerton for assault.