The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-10-06

cent apiece when he won the small wager
which shaped his entire future; kAey
Grammar was Juggling at an elevator rope
for ten hours day for 81 week. When
somebody offered him "A chance 10 sell
PROGRAMMES on race track. Up 10 That
time the had never bet a dollar IN MS
life. lie had heard the guests or the
ho.el where he worked tell starting tales
OF winnings and losiugs on the race track.
and one night ne took a man 10 the third
floor who never came down again alive.
The man was only a broken sport who
had concluded that death was preferable
TO n penniless existence. but Grammar,
who was an innocent boy, actually wept
over the mans body rs IL was carried
out.
Grammar began his sporting life as
programme boy on a ST Louis race track
and he speedily mastered all the intrica-
cies OF betting. Every cent he could rake
ana scrape together went on the horses.
and even in those early Gays he had the
reputation among the employees OF the
track of being a reckless bettOr At times
he would have as much as so IN MS pock
ct at once, but the bOOkmakecs never lost
much on him, because he would iuVaria-
bly, lose the money right back to them.
lie wouldn't even take enough money out
of his winnings to buy himself good
clothes, so anxious was he not 10 de-
crease his betting capital.
Grannans next chance came when T. @.
Batsy. a famous Western system player.
took him up. Batsy was what - known
as Handicapped on the races. He never
would play horse that could not on past
performances be figured out winner ana
whether il was because horses were more
consistent then than they are now. or
h. la 80
TO win large sums of money. ana was
REGARDED as a most successful turf specu-
lator. Nowadays men who play the
handicap system are referred TO as
"dopes"
Batsy wanted somebody TO call off the
Dc ations OF the horses at the different
stages of a race 70 him, not being.willins
TO rely on the newspaper report. Gran
nan showed remarkable aptitude for the
work. and Batsy found IN him p valia-
bic assistant From the time he went
into Batsys employ Grammar began 10
spread out. lie absolutely declined 10
take his employers tips, disregarled all
systems. threw the old and honorej super
st'tions Of the turf 10 the four winds, and
olaved the horses he liked. As a pro-
gramme boy he had had the run OF the
stables and paddock. and when he went
isto Batsy's employ there wasn't much
about the horse as an animal that lac
didn't know. Luck was with him from
the start. He would win a lot of small
bets and then pat the whole pile at once
on some horse TO which he had taken IL
liking Sometimes he lost. but more often
he won. The result was that when still
boy in his teens he possessed so much
money that II was a ridiculous spectacle
to those who knew TO see MIN working for
Batsy at 81 day. Eventually. as his
winnings increased. he left Batsy. and
then began his real racing career. He
was 20 years ole AT the time. 1t was his
ambition 10 be a bookmaker not shoe
string" bookmaker but one with a big
capital which would permit him 10 bet
as he liked. and with this IN view he set
out 10 accumulate the capital. 1t didn't
take him more than a wear TO get the
money, and then he had no trouble in
finding partner with experience. Fortu-
nately for him he fell In with a good
nan. Col. W. II. Apologize. and during
the first week the men were together they