The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-06-30

against him only two times and half, and
he has your money? The percentage wins
it. 1t is bound to do it-fgures cannot lie.
You may be lucky and beat it once, twice,
ten times. but the percentage is surely
there. and before you have plunged"
many times you are Ibis meat"-yOu, and
all your wealth.
This reminds me of little incident that
came under my own observation. 1t was
some years ago that l happened to be in
Charleston. S. c., just at the time of the
opening of the winter race meetings; that is,
a few of the horsemen take their horses
down through the Southern circuit. starting
at Charleston, then to Augusta, Ca, Sa.
vannah. Macon. Baton Rouge, etc.. and
winding up in about nine or ten weeks at
New Orleans ready for the spring meeting.
The Charleston Hotel corridors were
thronged with hOrsemen. sports, tOuts, and
all the other riff raft that 90 to make up a
race-meet. Ira Bride Tor McBride) was selling
pools in the rotunda, and with the glare of
lights. the crowd, and the strains of Sc
lect orchestra. it was enough to bring any
ones sporting blood to the surface. IrecOg-
niZed several faces among the crowd. and
finally my old friend Joe Harris. who has
probably been ION the turf" longer than any
man in America. After pleasant greetings
pOrticO OF the hotel to have quiet smoke
and chat. Joe informed me it was going to
be good meeting, and that about twenty
of the ''bOys" ii. e. gamblers and spOrts)
were present with plenty of money, and
that the betting was brisk and good.
| remained in Charleston two days. and
then went north on business.
About ten weeks after, happened to be
in New Orleans. and who should / meet at
the St. Charles Hotel but old Joe Harris
again. He was seated on the large veranda
chatting away with five or six friends. My
appearance did not seem to interrupt the
conversation apparently, for while each
man wore placid and even smiling face.
all were bewailing and reviling their beastly
luck. 1t seems there were about twenty of
them who started out at Charleston with
from $500 to $4,000 apiece; and while they
had all beaten the races in different places,
and won $4,000 here and $4,000 there, yet
here they were. practically ''broke;" they
could not understand it. "Well. will tell
you. boys" said old Joe; 81 will tell you
where your money is. How much does Ira
charge yOu?" (meaning Ira Bride. who sold
the pools all down through the circuit
''Three per cent commission" replied one.
HE charges five to everybody else. but only
three to the boys" ''WeIl. just wait here
moment. and will 60 and see Ira." said
Joe hurrying away. Pretty soon back he
came, and sarcastic smile curled his lip.
"Just as thought" he said. IRA tells me
his receipts during and since the time he
left Charleston until now. are between
S3S. 900 and $40, ,OOO." There is where your
money is, boys; he has got it; the three per
cent has eaten us all up."
And so it was, strange as it may seem,
%hAv tod hat onh
and everyone had made, the pOOl-bOx and
the insignificant three per cent commission
had absorbed it all-fOr while there had
been other bettors at the different cities. yet
there were no "plungers" like the gamblers.
and where citizen would bet two dollars
the sport would bet two hundred
WAYNE.