The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-29
CHARGES OF CRUELTY.
The Jockey Clubs President to b
Tried.
Abi ?, Though a Winner, Sank in the
Mud With Exhaustion on Passing
Under the Wire.

Charges of cruelty to animals will come
up this morning in the Police Court pre-
sided over by Judge Low, against Thomas
Fl. Williams, president of the Califor-
MIA Jockey Club; J. B. Ferguson, the
starter, and F. Glover, the jockey who rode
a winning race on Abb P on the 9Th inst.
The warrants were sworn out by G. B.
Holbrook, secretary of the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and
served, after being issued by Judge Low,
by Officer Hooper of the same society.
One continuance of the case has been
consented to by Mr.. Holbrook, but be says
he will resist any further attempt to delay
the proceedings.
III desire to be understood in this mat
ter said Mr.. Holbrook yesterday. Com
plant after complaint has come to me
through this Office of cruelty to animals
at the Bay District racetrack. The COM
plants were urgent and persistent, and in
many instances came from people not
given to interesting themselves in matters
of this kind-Such as sporting men, who
appear to have no time for anything save
pleasure, and also from officers and also
persons otherwise interested in the work
of our society.
''In the performance of my duty 1 re-
solved to make a personal investigation,
and on the 9TH of this month I went out to
the track. 1t was raining and clustering,
and | found the track to be a miserable
sea, as it were, of water and slush. Those
who officiated in the starting and neces-
sarily, had to cross the track to attend to
their business, wore high rubber boots and
were compelled to wade.
cat the conclusion of a race no horse
that came under the wire could be told by
his color, owing to the amount of mud and
slush gathered in making the circuit.
at was to me decidedly the most abom-
Unable cruelty have ever witnessed, though
| had attended races since boy in various
parts of the country.
''When the seven-eighths of mile race
was concluded and Abb P won [ thought
my time had come, as it was pre- minently
a case of wretched cruelty. The poor ami
NAL, though a winner, was completely
tagged out, and fell headlong into the mud
after passing under the wire. On being
called before the judges, as is customary
after race, [ observed that the sides of
the mare were dripping with blood where
she had been goaded to the dearly bought
victory by Jockey Glover.
II therefore resolved to make this a test
case. 1t was easy to be seen the people
who went to the track did not go to see the
races, but simply to patronize the gambling
1000 people not 800 would leave the stands
of the bookmakers to view any event. 1t
is simply a gambling proposition all the
way through. However, l have nothing to
do with that part ofit.
"This was on Saturday, and on the Mon
day following | intended to get the war
rants, but did not as | received informal
ton in the meantime that was sufficient to
deter me from taking action until | laid
the subject before the board of our So
ciety at its next meeting.
''Fhis / did, and at the meeting held last
Thursday was instructed to 60 ahead.
Following the advice I obtained warrants
in Judge Lows court for Williams, Fergu-
son and Glover.
'sWhen Officer Hooper went to the track
to serve them he was confronted with an
order of release in each case issued by
Judge Conan.
when the matter came up Saturday
Captain Callundan, the special officer at
the track, asked for continuance until
Tuesday, which | consented to, but if they
want another continuance I, as the attor-
ney of the society, will strenuously OBJ
ject.
Every effort seems to have been made
to get the cases before Judge Conlan, but
for what reason | am sure that do not
know.
ssThe cruelty out there is something terri
BILE to see, and that perhaps accounts for
the bill that has been introduced to shut
off winter racing to two weeks Of the three
months.
There have been many other instances
of cruelty at the track. hurdle runner
broke his back some time since during
race and had to be shot on the ground.
Several animals have broken their legs.
They run some of the horses in these races
a mile and a quarter, no matter what the
condition of the weather.
cit was the custom among sportsmen at
one time to postpone races when tracks
were not in condition and when good sport
would be turned into abJect cruelty, but it
is not so now"
The cases will be called for trial at 10
O'Clock this morning.