The San Francisco call., 1896-01-12
They Strung Miles Of Telegraph
Line During Friday
Night.
sHADowED BY DETECTIVES.
They Propose Having a Captive Bal.
loon to Get News From the
Ingleside Track.

rifle entered materially yesterday into the
controversy which has been going along
for the past few weeks between the Pacific
Coast Jockey Club Association and the
downtown poolroom keepers,
! Nobody was killed, but this fortunate
result was dependent only on the fact that
the gamblers were unprepared for the at
tack made on their stronghold whence
they wired the news of the Ingleside track
races into the City.
When the Jockey Clubs meeting began
last Thursday, and the gam blers were not
permitted to use either the telephone or
telegraph wires at the track so as to get
their odds, entries, jockeys, weights and
results, they devised many means to cir
cumvent the prohibition. Principally they
employed boys on bicycles to race from
the track to the nearest telephone stations
with the desired information, which was
Immediately sent over the wires to the
downtown rooms. The service was imper-
feet, but still it was the best that could be
done until other means could be provided.
The wise men of the "Big Eight" which
organ lzatlon of booksellers has plenty of
money in its Golfers, were dissatisfied be-
cause the tardiness IN receiving news pre-
vented their customers from wagering
their money more than once in a day,
from the fact that the bettor's money
being once placed remained inactive until
the result OF the race was learned. This
result coming in after all the races were
about over was, therefore, too late for
further speculation. 1t was then that the
poolmen rose to the magnitude of the
emergency.
The nearest telegraph station to the
track is at Twenty-ninth and Mission
streets-a mile and half from the race
course-and it was decided that the best
move to be made would be to bring that
station closer to the scene of action or else
esta bllsh connecting line which could be
reached more rapidly. Money and men
were plenty, and, without the formality of
obtaining a franchise or even informing
the proper authorities as to their intent or
right TO act, the poolmen purchased the
necessary telegraph poles and wire and set
out score of men on Friday night plant
ing poles and stretching wire over the
property OF people unknown to them so
that when the races began at clock yes
terday afternoon they had a service of
their own.
The western terminal of the impromptu
line was on the hillside just east of Ingle-
side track, not more than few hundred
yards from the main entrance. There an
ex-employe of the Western Union Com
pany, whose name is Emley worked a
portable ticker" and at the other end of
the line another ex-employe of the COM
pany, named Patterson, received Emley's
messages.
The poolmen had arranged another con-
nectlon between the racetrack proper and
Emley by paying the admission to the
track of dozen lads whose duty it was to
hurry from the course with the odds on
the races as posted at the track books and
with the rpSI1itS nf tho 10 6
KIDS working this way for each race.
After leaving the track with the much
needed information, it took but few min
utes to reach Emley, who kept his partner
informed, and in that way the poolrooms
were kept as well informed of all occur
rences as II they were using the Jockey
Clubs leased wire.
The members of the "Big Eight combi-
nation were all smiles when thev opened
their rooms Tor business in the afternoon.
They felt sure that they had outwitted
Edward Corrlgan and that there was moth
ing more to Interfere with their business
until the courts could decide ON the an
peaIs taken from the lower courts. where
they bad been found guilty of violating
the ElIert ordinance against making books
outside of racetrack
The odds and result of the first race
came in splendidly. There was not hitch
and the presumption was that the remain
1NNNS "Ouiu DC tludIlJ Wcil IepOTGSu.
In the meantime, however, while the
poolmen were making all their arrange
ments Tor posts, wires and operators, Cap
tain Jules Callundan of Harry Morses
Patrol had four men out looking up their
dolngs. In this way the Jockey Club was
Kept informed OF what was going on and,
although Mr.. Corrigan said last night he
did not know what more was intended by
the detectives until it was all over with,
the transmission of news was brought to q
sudden stop.
The four Morse men, among whom was
ex-Pollce Officer Allen, dropped in on
Emiey i'll his improyised office and de-
manded the surrender of his machine. To
this demand he demurred and immedi-
ately wired in to Jerry Driscoll, relating
what had occurred. The answer came
quickly:
"Give up nothing. You are working on
a private wire, and if they interfere with
amenable to the law. Inform them of
this fact"
This had the effect of stopping proceed
lngs for little while and the four detect
ives marched down the road bit to have
some quiet little Winchester rife practice.
There IS no range in that section of the
foothills and birds are scarce, SO they used
a Telegraph pole as target.
Although all OF the men are known to |
be good shots, they appear to have been |
suffering just then from nervousness, for
they were remarkably inaccurate in hit
ting the pole. Instead, however, they |
shattered the glass insulators on the poles |
and their bullets cut wire or two, com
p!etely isolating Mr.. Emery on the foot
hills from his partner, Patterson, at |
Twenty-ninth and Mission streets. That |
is why the poolrooms failed to get returns |
after the first race.
The bookies are wild now at what they |
deem to be most horrible outrage and |
trespass upon the rights of propertv-own-
ers. They threaten all manner of ven
geance.
1t seems that in their wild shooting the |
detectives unintentionally cut wire of |
the Postal Telegraph Company, and this |
TACT may bring about complications.
Between tins hour and the time the |
races begin Monday afternoon the pool |
men propose to have some other system of |
getting the news from the track One OF
the methods suggested by Blodes, the
King of the Newsboys." who was ar
rested recently for running a poolroom
where women only could play, is that the |
captive balloon and balloonist who some |
months ago were at Central Park be en-