The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-10

the horses. and few lucky bets placed him
$500 ahead of the game. He left the cloth
ing business, began his turf career as q
small bookmalier and plunger, made large
sums on his book. cleared 5000 on 10 to
l shot and today owns 40 race horses and II
bank account of 100000. One of his big
wins was $4,000 on IL IL to shot at Mon
mouth Park. One secret of his success is
that lac rarely makes plunge except on
his own horses.
Chris Smith, the famous plunger who
OWNS 70 Tainben, got his start i'll New
York one day by betting SIS in Il poolroom.
The winners all came his way and in two
weeks he had won $4,000. Then he went
into the theatrical business with Il play
called The Sea of Ice" and it WAS such n
frost that he lost every dollar he had. At
Gloucester in 1880 he ran Il 80 cent piece up
to 81 500 in IL single day, but after several
weeks of varying fortunes he found himself
possessed of only $50. Tickle fortune then
began to smile upon him, and in Il short
time he SAW his $40 develop into $4,000.
Since then it has been no uncommon cX-
perience for him to be rich one day and
penniless the next, but he is now credited
with being worth ut least 100000. 1t is
said that he constantly carries 10000 OF
$4,000 in his inside pocket, and that he
rarely makes plunge OF less than s.. COO OF
$4,000. Some of his big plunges have cost
him dear, and the defeat of Mcanic and
Royalist Mt Gutenberg some time ago are
said to have caused Il ShrinkaSc of st, 000
in his finances
Jack Mcdonald, the we'll known book
maker and pluuger, about three years ago
engineered one of the biggest coups ever
made on n long shot in America He Sc
crctly bought and trained n mare he called
Daisy Woodruff and entered her ut Morris
Park. No one knew anything about her
and 100 to was the opening price against
her. Mcdonald and his friends backed her
SO heavily that the price against her was cut
right and left, and she went to the post u
hot favcrite. She won the race, however,
and Mcdonald and his friends hit the ring
for cool 1926, 900.
Another daring plunger who has won and
lost fortunes in II single day is Dave John
son. Last year early i'll the season he won
about 10000, but his luck turned, and it is
said that he ended the year away behind on
the game. Two other famous plungers,
Pittsburg Phil and Mike Dwycr, are said to
have shared the same fate
One OF the best long shot stories extant
is told ut the expense of a bookmaker called
Fatty" Phillips, who was on his block ut
Hawthorne one day last year, watching the
horses NJ tne post. When there was Il break
away, and just rs Phillips saw that Housa
tonic was left Mt the post Il small, timid
voice below him pipcd, Five OH Hous;l-
tonic" 1t seemed to be such a clear case
of money To burn that Phillips fat form
fairly o>cillated with suppressed chuckles
as he clutched the s. bill thrust toward him
by Small Voice and cried, Five hundred
to Hou$atouic,''
The instant he secured the ticket Small
Voice vanished i'll the crowd, and when it
was announced Il second later that there
was II false start the fat book maker nearly
had heart disease. He looked around for
Small Voice. but Small Voice and his big
ticket were out OF sight. The horses went
To the post again, Ilousatonic won the race
i'll canter, and the fat bookmaker emitted
u heartfelt Sroan as he saw Small Voice, a
man who knew II start from Il false start
every day i'll the week, take 500 out of his
strong box EARLE H. EATON.