The San Francisco call., 1895-07-19

It appears from this list that but one
conviction has been secured out of thir-
teen arrests. Yet these figures do not tell
the whole story. For instance, there are
two cases against Corbett, and he was tried
only upon one of them. The same is true
with some of the others. But even grant
this table, it is still not true that fair
test has been made of the existing law.
The case against Corbett is fair example
of all the other cases. At that time Cor
bett still enjoyed his saloon license. The
only evidence offered against him was the
ticket purchased at his bar-the ticket that
proclaims the bookseller to be merely a
messenger in the matter. There was no
evidence to show that the money paid to
Corbett by the bettor ever left the house till
long after the races were over. There was
no evidence offered showing that the bet
was taken-that hundreds and thousands
of bets are taken over Corbett's bar every
day-only a few seconds before the race is
decided. Joe Corbett manipulates the
telephone at the racetrack. He telephones
in the opening and the closing odds. When
the horses are at the post he rings one bell
that sounds on the receiver in the Ellis
street poolrooms.
They're at the post!" dozen voices in
the poolroom call out, and the men behind
the counter redouble their entreaties to the
crowd, in these words:
"Come on, boys, only minnie left!
Hurry up with the bets, boys; they're at
the post. Come on, boys; whose is the
next betf'
And thus urged the tardy and the hesi-
tating ones fairly pour their quarters and
their halves over the long bar and hun
dreds of bets are made sometimes before
the telephone rings three bells, when
Harry Corbett calls out:
They're off, No more betsp'
No evidence of these proceedings was
offered in the case against Corbett. But
nothing was neglected in his defense. His
plea was that he acted as messenger
merely to accommodate the patrons of his
saloon and he exhibited a receipt from one
of the booksellers at the racetrack. This
receipt bore the date of the day which
the complaint named as the one on which
the offense was committed, and purported
to be an acknowledgment of money
received to be placed on that particular
race. Of course this receipt was cooked UP
for the occasion, but as the case for the
people was very weak it had its effect and
the jury dismissed the defendant.
Attorney Dare said yesterday that as
soon as his vacation expired he would take
up these pool cases again, and with all the
evidence that can be obtained laid before
jury he thought he could secure convic-
tions even under the present law.
In case against Corbett that should be
tried tomorrow, say, great deal of con-
vincing evidence could be adduced 1t
could be shown, for instance, that it is i'm
possible for the money to be taken to the
race track. 1t could be shown, too, that
the money does not go to the racetrack
1t could be shown that no commission is
charged in any case, and that since the
liquor license has been taken away there is
no pretense whatever of conducting any
business other than that of selling bets on
horseraces.
The one case in which a conviction was
secured, that of ]. T. Glynn, seems to be
rather remarkable in manv WAYS. Glynn
is partner of Broyer, the Fourth and Mis-
sion streets saloon-keeper and pool-seller
These people have no commission" tickets
printed, and make no pretense of being
merely a common carrier. Immediately
after his conviction Glynn went back and
kept on SHINING. He is still SHINING in the
old way, and he has not been moles ted
since March 26