The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-22
BETS WERE TIED UP
The Iron Pool Room Saves Itself
Several Hundred Dollars.
Telegraph Operators Had Tip on
Golden Gate, Ringer" at
East st. Louis.

There was wall over on the levee late
yesterday afternoon, when it was announced
that the Iron pool room, otherwise the "Mer-
camille Telegraph Company" had refused TO
pay bets on one Of the races at East st.
Louis. Several of the regular sports had
put few dollars on horse bearing the
happy name of Golden Gate, but 1t was rot
the row OF gamblers usually TO be found lin
ing the walls OF Irons saloon which did
the heaviest wailing. Nimble-lngered tele-
graph operators employed at the Western
Union Office and the Board OF Trade, who
had at last caught dead sure" tip; a
cinch, in fact, were the people who COM
planned the loudest, for they had backed
their tip TO the extent Of several hundred
dollars, and had let few friends in on the
good thing besides. Douglass, the astute
manager who was indicted by the grand
jury last week, was very happy to note the
brisk increase in betting on the third race
at East st. Louis. and bills Of fair denom-
ination slipped through the wired window
to the man who Immediately telegraphed
the money away" Not even the Oldest and
darkest tout" In the pool room seemed TO
know anything about the horse Golden
Gate, and few habitues of the place seemed
TO know who the young men were that made
the bets on this horse at odds of 10 l. 1t
hackers. A run of bets on a horse in a
pool room breeds certain cOntagion, and
Then Ihs n nor Wet 10 ene post at E9 b
make small bets, had tickets on this horse.
The man at the cash box thrummed his
pencil between his teeth and wondered If
the spring crop of young innocents was to
ripen early. On the race track a wholly I'M
known horse Is not considered to have the
least possible show unless he IS a ringer"
And that's where the rub came yesterday
Granite, at odds Of to ,, supposed
by the crowd to have the best chances for
winning, but when a moment after the
telegraph operator yelled They're at the
stretch" the tone of his voice fell off three
degrees, and then came, Golden Gate
wins" The men who had the tip on the
winner were jubilant; only for a few min
uteS, however. A telegram chased over the
ing Golden Gates victory. The second tel
egram instructed the Iron people to pay no
bets on Golden Gate until after an inves-
tigation had been made at East st. Louis.
a dozen Western Union operators and as
many 'pikers" We're crestfallen. Some
thing was wrong with the tip.
Later telegraphic Information showed
that a big attempt had been made TO get
ahead Of the pool rooms over the Juntry
by introducing good horse under false
name. 1t is not believed anyone here was
in the plot. the operators having caught
the tip on the wire. After the one-mle
race had been won by Golden Gate the
suspicious of the judges were aroused, and
all bets were ordered to stand until n
thorough investigation could be made. The
horse was entered as a chestnut gelding
aged, by Joe Hooker, dam unknown. and
won at mile, remarkable performance
for a cold-blooded horse over the sandy
track. The men who entered him are I'M
known. and give very lame explanation
OF how they came into possession of the
horse. He was entered I'm the name OF CT
Bell. and. when called for after the race
could not be found. The horse was we'll
played at the pool rooms, but not at the
track. Later he was identified beyond a
doubt the famous ringer" Tanner. who
worked the Twilight killing" at the fair
grounds at St. Louis last spring. He is
painted a chestnut color.
After the last race the judges decided to
burn" the money played on Golden Gate
and pay all other bets. Well-backed horses
were successful in the other five races.