The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-07
THE GRAND JURY.s VISIT.
eherin Fredcrtcks Takes the Twelve
to- Roby Track.

sherin Fredcricks Takes the Twelve
to- Roby Track.
Yesterday afternoon the grand jury of
Lake county visited the race track, under
the guardianship of Sheriff Fredericks. This
grand jury was instructed at Crown Point
last week by Judge Gillette to investigate
the track, and If it found that the law OF
the State was being violated. TO return in
dlctments against the men connected with
the management. The grand jury can cas-
lily satisfy itself that the law is being viO-
lated with impunity; in fact the jury can
not conscientiously ignore the violation.
over fifty witnesses have been before the
grand jury during the last few days, and
1t Is expected by the law-abiding people of
the county that the jury will take the
first steps towards Kidding the State OF
the disgrace. Before visiting the track the
grand jury called at a gambling room in
Hammond. and the gamblers were so
brazen faced as to allow an inspection OF
their notorious lawlessness. Mayor Reilly
and the city officials joined three hundred
citizens Of the county in signing petit
ton to the grand jury asking that it return
no indictments against the Roby Fsir AS
ISOLATION This petition was presented yes
terday to Foreman Peter Geissen.
A reporter fo- the Journal visited the
Roby track on Tuesday. The raised plat
forms TO the grounds from the railroad
stations are protected from the rain and
snow by covers. and 1t was possible, when
the snow was falling heavily during the
winter months, to alight from a train and
reach the amphitheater without getting
wet. The amphitheater is a long and wide
affair." the front of which is faced with
glass and the entrances to which are pro-
tected by storm doors. Scattered through
out are large heaters and d~ums that are
furnished heat from the stoves in the bet
ting ring below, which is also faced with
glass. Thus is comfort provided when the
wind outside is bowling or the air is filled
with snowflakes. More attention, however,
is given to the comforts Of the betting
ring than the amphitheater. for the latter
is nearly always deserted. Few people care
to sit behind glass and watch sport that
is the merest farce. Those that attended
the races in cold weather were those who
went to gamble. This class remained in
the betting ring not even venturing out
side to see the horses founder In mud and
snow around the track, or even when the
horses came under the wire, preferring to
wait until man dashed in from the snow
10 announce the name of the winning horse.
1t was a question as to which TO be
the most pitied-the horses, compelled TO
plunge through snow and mud, or the
little jockeys that rode them, much to the
danger Of receiving frost-bitten noses and
ears or contracting pneumonia Some OF
the jockeys are under twenty-one years of
age and here was clearly case for a So
dren. These little men are usually fraii;
they are required to be of diminutive size
or light weight in order to ride the horses.
nod -aalr1r rid
track, unless ii be at New Orleans or in the
South, although Roby has a few of them
who have won certain prominence on legit-
innate tracks.
In the middle Of the Roby course is
marsh, filed with water during the wet
season. Efforts have been made to drain
the territory actually occupied by the track
and the water is thus drawn to the center
OF the course This makes the outer edge
or the track better going, as the turf eX-
preston Is. than the inside. and in the
stretch the jockeys reverse the usual order
OF things and try to secure a position on
the outside of the track. instead Of next to
the pole. In other words, they take the
longest distance around the track. A fine
SAND has been spread on the track, and the
foot of horse will sink about twelve
inches In this with every jump. The man
agement has set up the claim that the
more 1t rains the harder the track gets,
and this is perhaps true when the weather
is freezing cold. Such a track would soon
ruin horse
Within sight of the amphitheater are two
church steeples in Colehour, and when the
horses are ready 10 start from the seven
eighths pole the range of the judges vision
extends straight over the horses to the
church steepleS. The judges have no
arduOuS duties other than remaining In
their little glass cages while the horses are
running. 1t is but seldom that anyone is
ruled off the track. and the riding of the
Jockeys is not watched with eagle eyes.
Indeed, 1t would require man with the
eye OF an eagle to see any crOokedneSS on
the part of jockey across the track when
the air was filled with snowfiakeS. The
usual slate on which a card is hung an
nOuncing the time made by the winning
horse does not loom up at Roby as 1T does
at the legitimate tracks.
The actual time would show what a
farce winter racing has become 1t was
announced last week that in of the
ROby races the time for a mile race was a
bad day at that. 1t is a pretty slow
thoroughbred that cannot make a mile in
1:50.
1t is claimed that W. p McGrane has
thirteen two-year-old colts at the track.
q. w. Legg Is another owner of horses
that run there. He has May Thompson, a
three-year-old that as lilly was one of the
most promising on the Western turf. She
Is not in her old-time form, however and
has not been heard of in the racing at
Lake county. is interested in the track, and
has a stable, 1t is said. He owns $4,000
Of property in Hammond. II. Shields n.
Hill, &. j. Mcintyre and Sid Reagan are
the only jockeys at Roby known elsewhere,
and none of these has ever won big event.
The horses that race are for the most part
broken-dOwn animals that would be dear
at 500 each. Occasionally one hears of a
horse that has won few small purses on
legitimate tracks, but these winnings were
In days before the horses became disabled,
and before their owners sent them to Roby.