The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-22
The Curbstone Bookmaker.
rFrom the London Mlllion.l

The street betting man is the mem Der of fraternity only too numerous in many towns. London, Manchester Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow are his chief haunts, and wherever in the poor quarters of these cities is a low beerhouse or drinking saloon there also is the street betting man. As a rule his customers are clerks earning small salaries, and laborers, mechanics, and warehousemen, who, in the vain hope of winning a sovereign gamble away their few spare coins. Women and children are also often the prey of the street betting man.
 His work begins early in the morn ing and continues until the early after noon. When business is brisk he dress es in the loudest check suit, and a pal pablo air of the stable hangs about him. He talks about his pals among the jockeys and trainers of Newmarket and elsewhere, and has up his sleeve quite a number of good things, which he lets you have-for a consideration. With the Workinglnan who bets the dinner hour gives an excellent chance of visit ing the bookmaker. They know each other and shilling perhaps more passes from the workman's hand to the "booIxie's" pocket, the former receiving written receipt. Perhaps the clerk defers making his bet until he sees the tips of some evening paper, Then he performs the same operation, makes his selection, slips out his shilling, and lays his wager, the bool1maker always de- manding cash down. ''No credit is the rty io41 Ivy Ia of ba ct haf. ting man, and he always comes off the best in the bargain. If he is unlueky with his clients money he can easily re- move elsewhere. He always takes care. that he is not the loser By careful hedging he easily performs this little matter, and when the days racing is over he generally finds that he has one or two pounds in hand. It is not sur prising to know that he wins far of- tener than his client, whose hardly earned wages form capital sum, which the bookmal1er may on his own account place with other ''bookies" whom he knows.
 One may easily imagine that the street betting man makes a good living during the racing season. One book maker in Bermondsey earns from trwen- ty-five shillings to six pounds a day. He is compelled to make hay while the sun shines" for in the winter months he has nothing to do. Then he is often reduced to desperate straits, and the swell street corner betting man must, perforce, pawn his check clothes and earn a few coppers by "touting" and bullying defenseless ladies who decline his services at the cab door.
 Many risks surround the work of the street jbookmaker. In Glasgow the oth- CT day a betting man was arrested in the street redhanded. When searched there were taken from his pockets 115 slips of paper, all bearing names of horses and signatures of the bettors The money found upon him amounted l to f21 Is. 5%d. being made up of four half sovereigns, some silver and cop pers. He was informed that the pro- ceeds found upon would be mulcted, and | he be fined f10, with the option of talk | ing at his country's expense a rest of sixty days.
 Another similar case occurred but re- gently when a street betting man was fined E2G and costs-a fine which was paidi f