St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-07
MINT OF MONEY IN IT
Frank Shaw's Big Commits
sion Business Will Open
Today.
He Claims to Have a Monop-
oily on All the Racing
Bulletins,
and a Cold Cineh as Far as
Any Pool Law May
Work.
Canada or Mexico May Event
ually Be the Base Of
Operations.

FRANK SlldW, SeCIStdIJ vi tiiO L VIII
City Jockey club, and proprietor of the
fremont Turf exchange, returned yes
terday from his Eastern trip and an
nounced the complete success, as he
phased it. of his telegraph pool room
scheme. This scheme is certainly an
Ingenious one, and is the result OF much
work and thought by that sportive hust-
Ter. For months he has been studying
over plan by which he might operate
pool rooms in the large cities where the
law prohibits the "plaYin' the hosses"
except at actual race tracks. Chicago
was Shaw's great objective point, and he
conceived the idea that by
owning a telegraph company he
could accomplish his ends. He
worked it out in his mind, and with his
characteristic energy set to work to put
it into practica! operation. lie first test
ed its legality. At great cost he secured
the best legal talent in Chicago to de-
termne whether bets could be tele-
graphed from that city and placed in his
st. Paul pool room without an infrac-
lion of the state law. The lawyers went
over every inch of the ground carefully,
and finally gave it as their opinion that
In the United States.
The method of placing the money is
as follows: Rooms are TO he opened at
Chicago. at st. Louis and other points,
with direct telegraph service into
Shaw's pool room at st. Paul. Odds
are to be posted, and the rooms are to
present the appearance of pool rooms.
There will be this difference, however:
When man wishes to place bet he
will be compelled to purchase a lele-
graph money order, thus paying for the
transmission of his message to st. Paul.
where the bets will be recorded on the
sheets. Instead of a bookmaker'S ticket
the sender of the wager is 10 receive
receipt for his money order. Ii he wins
Oh his bet he is to be paid by the tele-
graph company on an order from Shaw
from st. Paul.
Shaw saw that to have service from
tie Western Union might create CON-
picatiOns, so he conceived the idea of
forming company Of his own. 1t was
recently incorporated at st. Louis, and.
while it will probably lease Western
Union wires, il will he entirely distinct
from that body.
Shaw is prepared for test of the law.
He said Il few days ago that his scheme
would be no more all infractiOn of the
law than any teiegraphed order from
one friend to another to place bet at
New Orleans. He is not content to run
the Clark street room only. but expects
SoOE 20 have three or four rooms in active
operation in the city. They will be run
wide open with no attempt at conceal
ment, but will be properly conducted
Minors will be strictly barred from
them.
The opening of Shaw'S rooms will re-
suit in the closing of the different hand
books in Chicago, which will be unable
TO compete with open poOl-roomS. Sew
eral of the managers SAID yesterday
that they would close down if Shaw sue
ceeded in Keeping his rooms open.
1.-The telegraph company is to be
known as the Mercantile company"
said Shaw, Yesterday, land will trans
act regular commercial business. 1t
will handle all matter sent in for trans
mission, and expects to make money in
that way, exclusive of the race orders.
You want to understand, too, that |
have not dollar of stock in that COM
pany myself. But Pll tell you what
have got. have the exclusive right to
the race bulletins, on which all pool
rooms are based, and I've got big,
high fence around 1t, too. Pll have alb
solute control of these bulletins in the
United States. and anybody getting
them must do so through me-"
you are satisfied, are you, that your
plan is beyond the reach of the law in
Chicago, for inStance"
Perfectly satisfied. AS long as it is
legal TO bulletin the result of race in
hotel, or elsewhere, SO long is it legal to
do as | propose. We will charge per
cent for sending the money to st. Paul,
10 be placed on race, and the buyer
must pay the 10 cents for the telegraphic
message. If man wants to play 500
on race. he pays 81 for the privilege.
If only 81 it will cost him two cents, and
we must place any amount man wants
to play, so as to avoid discrimination.
And this is only the beginning. For in
stance, we open our office here next
door TO the Western Union and lease
wires from them. Gradually the syS-
tenn will be extended until it includes
every large city in the Union. We will
open commission exchanges in st. Louis,
Kansas City, Omaha and Chicago, and
gradually work East until we take them
all in. Yes, it is a gigantic monopoly,
for we have monopoly OF the race
bulletins"
LAS understand it, st. Paul is to be
inc UdSe VI OpeIdGIOllS, because VI INC
fremont Exchange here. Suppose
Minnesota should pass pool room law,
what would you do then?o
Simply move the pool room to the
nearest state which had no pool law"
What if every state should pass
such law?'
Move the pool room to Canada and
run the commission rooms here and
elsewhere. Oh, it's lead pipe cinch
all around. There is no law possible
that can prevent our teIegraphing
money to Canada or Mexico, to be
played Oh races, and charge a COM
mission. The rooms at Chicago will be
open on Monday and will continue
Open.o