New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-17
POOLROOMS HEAVY LOSERS.
FLEECED OUT OF MONEY ESTIMATED AS
HIGH AS $500 0Oo
THE ROYAL NETTIE swINDLE SAID TO HAVE
BEEN PLANNED IN THIS CITY-wEsTERN

THE ROYAL NETrIE swINDLE SAID TO HAVE
BEEN PLANNED IN THIS CITY-wEsTERN
UNION INVESTIGATING THE FRAUD.
Chicago March ia morning paper says: 1T will
be many a day before the poolroom men OF the
United States will recover from the shock they sts
tanned Saturday night when they found that they
had been made the victims of the most stupendous
overlapping fraud that ever perpetrated In
this country. Rough estimates made yesterday In
dictated that the poolrooms had lost between s25OOU
and $780, 900 on the racing Royal Nettie. whose
sent out from the New-Orleans race
track winner Of the sixth race In spite OF the
fact that she next to last and that the race was
by horse named Plug. The impression Is
general In Chicago that the fraud was planned In
New-York and carried through with New-fork
money. The total losses of five Chicago rooms. &C
cording TO reports that came from semi-oficial
sources yesterday will aggregate about $1,000
The fact that the men who bet the money were
around the local poolrooms days In advance of the
time OF bringing off the coup combined with the fact
that there were others Of the gang at every pool
room in the country from which they could escape
readily In OF quick detection Of the fraud by
the Western Union officials. shows that it
was not only carefully planned. but that 1t was
backed by an immense sum Of money.
Local gamblers base their belief that the fraud had
Its origin In New-York upon the circumstance that
all race results sent to NewYork and dis
tributed to the poolrooms from that city. Press
dispatches from OF points early Saturday
night indicated that the widespread in its
Of n Ss
escaped without loss Conspirators invaded
the results Of the raid the thing the eeced poolroom
men want 70 know most is how the name OF the
mare Royal Nettie sent the winner of the
race at the close of the description and then
frmed in the official result
At the Western Union Building yesterday there
were many anxious inquiries for D. c. Mitchell.
who has general supervision Of the racing bureau
for that company. Mr.. Mitchell. however, begged
10 be excused from discussing the Royal Nettie
matter and referred his visitors 10 W b. Somer-
Vile. OF the press department. Mr.. Somerve said
that every effort being made TO discover how
the fraud had been perpetrated but he admitted
that nothing had been decided upon discovered
far. The reporters notes showing that Pug
had won have been discovered a, New-Orleans
Mr. Somervile wanted 1t understood that a duplex
wire could be tapped. in spite OF the statements 10
the contrary. He was not prepared TO say whether
he thought that the wire had been tapped
whether the operator at the track had sent out the
wrong Information.
Wire-tappng. in relation 10 horse races. has
been OF frequent occurrence About ten years ago
the bookmakers In this city heeced OF
thousands of dollars at New-Orleans
The race at that time was won by Judge Jack
right. but the fact was held back until! after the
people who had the tip were able TO get UP their
money.
Racing men in this city say that the bookmakers
in Weehawken and at Long Island City lost little
books run in this city lost nothing Plug was the
horse tipped 10 win in this district and more
other In Long Island Ciiy the odds quoted
against Royal Nettie were GO 10 l. one OF the rea
any money was that most OF the bettors here
walt for the odds as they are printed In the daily
ticker prices are as a general thing much lower
than those printed In the morning papers.