San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-26
PECULIAR WAGERS.
100000 BET ON THE sHAPBLINBss
OF A LEG.
an English Knights Vanity-Not,
able Plunges of the Present Day
"A Bet and welch on Ma
poleon's Life-Pat Sheedy's
Most Famous Coup.

The betting and gambling
worlds were amazed to read the
other day OF $4,000 loss that race.
horse starter James +. Caldwell
sustained at the Arkansas Club OF
Hot Springs, Ark. 1t was alleged
that Caldwell refused to SNAKE
good" The amount involved was
large enough to make the most in
veterate faro fiends talk, but as
Caldwell was always rated as be-
ing worth from 100000, and class
ed as a thoroughbred sport, his
friends could not understand his
failure to settle.
This bet will go down in history
as a great wager, as a twenty
thousand-dollar loss over the
green table in single night is not
an every day affair. 1t has set the
sporting world to talking Of other
big wagers that have been won
and lost in recent years, and re-
calling with charming gusto the
nerve of SO and 40 in standing to
lose so many tens of thousands OF
dollars.
One bet that will always stick in
the heads of racing men was that
made by Mike Dwyer in the sum-
mer of 1891, when "Old Bones"
Raceland ran q mile and a six
teeuth against Tristan. 1t was the
4ret ra No 80 tho c1ooop for tho lat
ter horse, and for weeks previous
Raceland had been running true to
the highest kind of form, and was
regarded as sure winner. He was
held at a prohibitive rate in the
books, / to12 being the best price
obtainable. The public and nearly
all the regulars let the race alone.
A few men, to pick up some sure
money, put up $1,000 TO win 500,
or 5000 to win $50. This is the kind
of a bet that Mike Dwyer fancies
most. "Circular Joe" Vendig, his
betting man, made several tours Of
the ring, and at post time had
placed $4,000 to win $4,000. 1t
seemed like coming money, and
when the horses got off and ran
evenly for the first half mile, the
shouters agreed that Old Bones
would walk in. Rounding
the stretch, Raceland forged
ahead, and people turned away as
ii the race were over. But at the
last sixteenth pole Tristan came
again under whip and spur, caught
up with and beat the old horse at
the wire q short head. This was
one of the most sensational bets in
turf history, owing to the immense
sum put against comparatively
small one.
Mike Dryer was the partner in
another bet of q stupendous ma
ture. It was during the Cleveland
Harrison campaign of 1892, when
Richard Croker made his last po-
litical coup. Dwyer put up the
money, and Croker the informa-
ton, to the tune OF $4,000, and as
they gave odds their win
nings aggregated $4,000. They
bet even on Cleveland plu-
rality. in New York state
OF 10000, and made bets of $l,OOOto
$500 that he would carry the state.
Every night for two weeks prior to
election Vendig visited the Hotf-
man house cafe, where all the bet.
ting was done. One night he placed
$4,000 in various bets. In the af-
ternoon, before the betting began,
he and Mr.. Croker would have a
talk in the little back room Of Tam
many hall, and there the chieftain
would give him the figures to BET
on for the night. Many people
have often asked the question
1Where did Croker get the money
to buy a racing stablew He got
10000 in election bets, and soor
after the close of that campaign hi
began to accumulate a fine stable
oNEwAY OF GETTING EVEN.
Prince Hatzfeldt, the son-in-laW
of Coils P. Huntington, has made
some large bets. The one which
attracted the most attention oc
Cured something over Two Year,
ago at Saratoga. The Prince "wen'
against" the roulette game in the
big clubhouse, and as he was known
to have a rich pa-in-law, he was al
lowed to play heavily on memo
randa. The dealer was told t.
trust him to $4,000, but not cen
more. One night the Prince callet
early, according to the story tina
was told at the time, and afte
half an hours play was $l,OO
winner. He left the club ant
returned about midnight for anoth
err bout with the tiger. He los
steadily, and at 2 o'clock in tn
morning was 10000 to the bad. H
wanted to keep on playing, but tn
dealer refused. Mr.. Spencer, the
proprietor of the club. was hunte'
up, but he said not to go beyon'
the $4,000 limit. Then the Primo
got mad, and it is said picked u
a chair and smashed the delicatel,
balanced roulettel wheel into small
bits.
That was one way of gettini
square.