Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-08-17
A RACE WITH DEATH.
q BET THAT WAS MAIDS BY FOUR
CONSUMPTlVE GAMBLERS.
Rejected by Life Insurance Companies,
They Made a Pool &c $1,000 To 90 tu the
One Who Survived tle other 1hroe-Tol'
known New York Character.

Pratt and WINNIPEG. 40 one cyvr alc,ncG
to know just what Ninnipcy's llIas namt
was, but, like the Other three hc NA5 u
man whose nerve, when il CnmC TO max
ing heavy wager On card or horse, was
never questioned. Among racing people
IN the east and west these four mop were
known and respected, for, in addition &c
being heavy gamblers, they wcro men
who had never been In any way identified
with any scheme or deal that was not, TO
use a race track expression, 'on tho level -
IL was during the year 1885 that they
were at the top notch of prosperity.
Although Different in many ways, 1Lcgc
was one common ailmCnt among them,
and il was probably this that made thcm
such fast friends. All four wore con
sumptives, and although at that time the
disease had barely moro than shown itself
thoy cot worse and worse as tho years
rolled by until one by one they died. Al
though they must have known what was
the trouble with them, il was utterly i'm
possible to get any Of them TO acknowl-
edge that he had consumption If it was
said TO one of them that he was looking
i'll, hc would simply laugh and say: Ncy-
cr was better in my life. Nay Lave been
drinking bit and staid up TO latc, bat
sickf Not n Bit Never felt so wei be-
fore, " and he would slap himself on the
chest and give vent to a hollow cough
Every once in awhile nowadays, whom
bookmakers get together and begin telling
stories, the story of tho -four cons ~ as
they were called, comes up. In the llOlf-
man House one evening a booimakCr was
telling the story TO a number of GcQuaint
nnces.
\ peculiar thing about those men, A" rs
said, was that although mono Of them
would ever acknowledge that he was on
the brink Of the grave, they would take
great pleasure in Guylng one another about
their i'll health. Emerson, pale and enact
atod and emitting holloT coughs, would
walk up to Pratt, who was in a similar
condition, and say; Look here, old boy,
YOU re a sick man Go away somewhere
and recuperate. You need rest. Then
Pratt would brace up and reply indignant
ly: You go to -! What do you mean by
telling mo I'm sick?' and then he would
stride away, mad clear through.
This sort of thing went on for some
time, until ono day Emerson remarked 20
the others that he was going TO have his
life insured. WHAT they gasped together
You don't think any company would take
a chance on you, do your Emerson Ignored
the insinuation, and the next day had an
examination for life insurance. OF course
he didn't pass When he gloomily told tho
others about it, they gave him tho grand
laugh. Then each one in turn quietly in
formed Emerson that he himself was going
to be insured. They all tried, and all were
rejected.
"Onc day they met at the race track and
Emerson remarked: Say, boys, we cOuldnt
get insured, but I've got n better game
than that. Let's put up 81, 900 apiece, and
tho one who lives the longest takes the
pot
60 Why, you poor fool, remarked Win
nipcg, who was at that time the worst casa
Of all, it's n dead certain will for mel'
- Oh, you don't say SOL put in Pratt
why, one Of your lungs is missing now,
and 1 don't think you'll live q month
After an hour Of this sort of chatting
the four men agreed 20 put up the money.
Il was given to Billy Elliot, boobmaker.
and ne deposited it in a New York bank
il was deposited in such a way that any
one of dozen bookmakers could draw it
out at any time This was done so rs to
be 5ure that tho last man would be able to
get the money without any trouble.
AT this time poor Winnipeg was an
awful S rht, and people thought he would
die amy minute. His checks we've pale and
-luicu, his eyes shone like balls Of fire.
uc c1ughcd necessarily, and he could
s'aac'y tottor along, he was 50 weak.
SIC. b" would come 30 the track every day
39i whenever he'd I'm across ono or the
other three he'd gu- 0im about the money
cA.Y had pet UP. 'AoI follows VIII Ee
i.,d and g0no before they put ne in bed,
he'd sag. Those who knew him used to
miio pityingiy or him whenever he made
tLis boast.
"It.p months af.,r the money lad becn
deposited Emecson'S physician told him
that lac must 10 away or he'd die in
week $50 Billy took his money and went
ID Texas. wA,.o he bought a ranch and
tried ID settle down In six months he
was dead Early i'm 1SS1 Sheridan died,
and this left only Pratt and Winnipeg
who was verify q living corpse, TO contest
for the money. Pratt got worse and
worse end his condition was soon rs bad
as his friends. Thcsa two used % tottCr
around the betting r.Gc, and when they
were net hc.llur would til each other
how bad they booked Jack and Billy
have gone, d Ninlipsg Gro day, and
you're next, johnny I4st coins mine
'YouIl la dead i'm q We j. and Il collect
that $1,000, Pratt replied and both
laughed
''Tlo ncxtvcai, I-aa LIT Iiscycry do.
lar I'm an attempt 10 maize crcUrh money
to leave his wife iu. .eus.eut WHOM lie
died The We. after .c was too weak TO
get up cuo morning, rltl after l,ing coh.
fined to his hl Tor q couple Of days Lo
died, leaving his wife pe:l.less. Iho very
day hc died the laa- p. 1ts drawn from