The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-07
WEIGHING BOOKIES.
LAYERS OF ODDS ON RACES WHO
HAVE GONE CROOKED.

/
The First Two Known to American Track
Were Engiish-"piugging" . Horse Il
Considered had sign-Fate OF q MAJ
Who Tried to Get Away With $1,000.
A race track crowd Is pcrhaps the hes,
natured gathering 20 be found anywhere
ana Will submit TO almost anything with.
out murmur, but there is one thing the
race track frequenters will not stand. and
tnat Is "welcher." There have been
Weichers on the race tracks who have gone
on making q book, knowing that no mat.
Ter which horse won they would be unable
20 pay on bets Most OF the welohin0
pookmakers on the American turf, how
ever, have been men who after a season of
nara luck have attempted to make up
their losses by plugging" fayorite I'm a
race, meaning TO be perfectly honest and
pay OF all bets IL tho favorite was defeat
ed, but knowing that victory for the IA
vorito left them no alternative save fight.
TO plug" favorite simply means to
oner extremely liberal odds on him. con-
sidering the chances he has Of victory and
In this way get In lot of money on him.
The race track authodtics take some
precautions against men Of this character
securing booking privileges. The chief
precaution, then, Is TO place Pinkerton de-
tectiyes around the betting ring to watch
new bookmakers. IL the detectives find
that the newcomers are plugging" a
horse, they will watch him closely and
VIII be ready to nab him the moment he
attempts to clear out. The only real pro-
lection the racing association gives the
Ia hA. A.
OF a bookmaker with whom they have a bet
"weiching," they will refund the amount
bet, although they will not be responsible
for the winnings. To the average book
maker there Is nothing more despicable
than welcher, and man who once skips
out without first settling all claims against
him is as good rs dead, SO far as the race
tracks are concerned.
Not since 1852 was such a sensation
made in racing circles as was caused by
the welching Of Leon Stedeker at the
Gravosend track, after the running of tho
1894 Brooklyn Handicap. Stedeker's act
was probably the biggest case OF "welch-
ing that ever took place In this country,
and 1t will be long time before IL will be
forgotten.
The first man who ever "welched" on
an American race track was English. His
name was Sanford, and he came to this
country in the fall of 1889. Some English
sporting men wrote to friends in this coun-
try that Sanford was a man who would
bear watching, and when the man got
here and presented some letters of intro
duction which he carried he was not
greeted very effusively by the American
turfmen. Sanford seemed to be a good
sort OF a fellow, however, and soon made |
many friends on the race track. When |
The fall meeting at Sheepshead Bay be.
gan, sanford opened book there, and on I
The hrst day won considerable money. On |
The second day of the meeting Sanford
won money on tho first and second races.
and then, when the third race came. he
held out the favorite, filly named Girofie,
md plugged" mare called Bounce.
Most OF the bookmaksrs were only Offering
to against Bounce, but Sanford laid s
% against him to win and Q to place.
Plunger Walton was there making the
'ets on horses which gained him the So
,riquet he still bears, and it happened that
sounce was one of the good things he had
'een holding up his sleeve for some time.
Armed with 500 bills, Walton and his
commissioners pounded tho horse all
round the ring, managing to get 5000 in
aniord' s book at the above quoted odds.
he race came OF, and after tough strug-
ie with Glrofe Bounce managed to win
a short head. Then, as the crowd
arsea oack into the ring, it was seen
hat Sanford had disappeared. His bog
'as still there and his clerks stood around.
ut Sanford had disappeared. As it was
he first thing of the kind that had ever
on the American tu.f, the sensa-
on IL created is remembered TO this day by
ANY sporting mon. Detectives were put
Sanford's s track, and they succeeded in
ac!ng him to the steamship dock where
had taken passage back to England,
lt he was never captured.
The next welchcr OF any consequence
as also an Englishman His name was
and he had been making books
the American races for a long time In
@ summer OF 1885 he was doing business
the Monmouth Park race track at Long ]
ranch, and one day he undertook to
'lug' mare called Mary Corbett. The q
are was favorite In the race, and while
Q other bookmakers were Offering but 8 :,
q to against her, Michaels had the y
nerity to offer "a TO /. He was literal 81
sbowered with bills OF all denomina- o.
ms, all OF which he coolly took in, hand .,
out the usual bit Of pasteboard in re- a.
m. Among the men who bot on the m
ire was Matte -Corbett -nasx one of the X
't known bookmakers I'm the east. Cor
9 placed $500 on the mare at 21S to1,
4 then, seeing Michaels still taking in in
money at the same price, became sus- de-
ious and resolved to keep his eye on =
n.
When the horses went to the post he
Miohacls take all Of his money out of
cashbox and place IL I'm his pocket.
ON the man, totally unconscious of the
that Corbett was following him.
Iked toward the exit TO the track and
od waiting TO see the result OF the race
'bctt knew that, II tho mare won.
'haels would skip out and he resolved
ret his money any way. He was about
lccost Michaels when tho flag dropped.
the cry They're orr was heard on
ry side. As Mary Corbett passed un-
the wire an easy winner Michaels
lie bee line for the cato with Corbett
r him. I
Seven hundred for mo before you 60" {