The morning times., 1896-01-03
GOSSIP OF THE TURF.

GOSSIP OF THE TURF.
The action OF the officials of the Old
Dominion Jockey Club in refusing to give
rehearing TO william Murray, Jimmy
Rowe's assistant starter, who was ruled
off for the alleged attempted poisoning of
the horse Arundel, has raised a storm Of
protest from the press and the owners at
the track who like to see fair play, that
threatens soon to bring the matter before
the board OF control.
The case is one OF the most barefaced
pieces OF unwarranted persecution that has
thrown Its shadow across the merry-go-
round at the Island for some time. II was
officially announced last night that the case
VIII positively rest as IL stands, and that
neither Murray, or his alleged accorDpiice,
Riley, will be given chance to clear them
selves.
the case is one shrouded In mystery.
1t appears that the trainer or Arundel went
to the Island management and claimed
that Murray, through Riley, had offered
him $50 on December II last to keep
Arundel outside OF the money. The trainer
says that he refused to consider the PROPOSE
ton and that Riley was then given an apple
which contained morphine, with instruc-
tions to give it 70 Arundel.
Riley, IL is alleged, gave the apple 10
Arundel's trainer who turned ii over to the
Island official. They had n certain doctor
OF the name OF Sharfer examine the fruit
and lie pronounced il to be fun OF morphine.
Up TO date neither apple, doctor nor
morphine have been produced and as far as
can be learned nothing but The evidence
OF the trainer and owner of the horse has
been offered to convict Murray and Riley.
As the owner was not at the track on the
day OF the race his evidence Is therefore
nothing but hearsay.
Murray himself tells a Straightforward
nf ms the
far as he is concerned. He says that ON
the day of the race Riley, who, by the
way, is n cx-iockey who at one time rode
for W. ;. Scott, approa ched him and asked
if he could get Il good man to put bet
on Arundel TO run third.
Murray told him that he could, and got
q friend of his from Philadelphia TO agree
TO place 500 on the animal. After
fixing that end OF 1t, he sent word to the
trainer that there was S25 in IL for him
If Arundel finished in the money.
Before the race came off his friend
went broke playing the foreign races. and
it was not until the race had been run
and Arundel had finished third that he
found the trainer and told him that they
had not placed the money. The trainer
was sore, thinking, possibly. that Murray
was giving him the double Cross and he
threatened then TO get even with him.
He did So, Murray claims, by taxing up
the story OF the apple and the morphine.
RIey's story substantiatcs that told by
Murray 10 every particular.
That the two men are not guilty is
plain on the face OF the thing. Not only
has Murray too much at stake TO attempt
anything of the sort, but everyone who
knows the man knows that he would be
the last one in the world 10 commit such
grave crime against the laws of the
turf.
As Murray is debarred from accepting
a position of assistant starter at New
Orleans which has Just been Offered him
by Starter Fitzgerald, owing to the ban
which has been placed upon him by the
Old Dominion officials, he will lose no
time in taking the matter before the Jockey
Club.
There is but little doubt but what that
body will refuse to sustain the action Of the
Old Dominion Club and once more place
Murray III good standing. What makes
the story almost laughable in its absurdity
is the utter worthlesness of the skate
over whom all the trouble has been made.
1t is safe to say that if every book in the
ring was laying up against Arundel they
all combined would not be able TO take in
over a couple of hundred dollars.
Just what prompted the Island people to
take such summary action against Murray
and Riley without even giving them chance
To state tnelr size OF tne ease II one Ol tue
mysteries connected with the matter. That |
there is ''nigger in the woodpile." which
is vet TO be unearthed. is evident from the
fact that the officials OF the club give con-
Trajectory reports OF the matter.
From one officer OF the club * was
learned that Riley had positively denied |
the whole story. while another, not five |
minutes later, said that the ex-1ockey had !
admitted to him that Murray gave him
the apple containing the morphine.
The match race between Lady Richmond
and Marguerite, which was to have been
run at the st. Asaph track on Monday |
next. will probably be run at the Island |
the early part of next week. The mares
are very evenly matched, and should fur |
nish an exciting race. The conditions |
call for race at six rurlongs, l1O pounds |
each, for $500 a side.
After finishing in the second race yes |
I both thp first and Second horses.