Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-11-22

Results That ASuOnlSueu al
Parties Concerned Random
Snatch That Caught Big Bunch
Of Money.
Mr.. "A" is a telegraph operator in
Wheeling Office and man with some
sporting blood in his veins. He is a.so
a great believer in practical joking. espe-
cially when the joke can be put upon che
who has laid himself open to it in an ef-
fort to do up some one else.
Mr.. 'B" is business man in Wheeling
who plays the horse races, and who has
such faith in feed-box tips that he gets
private message from Bennings and New
orleans daily, and backs the judgment Of
his tout every afternoon.
Mr.. Co and Mr.. d. are young men
about town. always on the lookout IUr q
good thing. Their antecedents and con-
nections. as well as their early training.
would naturally keep them away from the
pool rooms, but they do not, sad TO relate.
Mr.. "E" is stranger in Wheeling. He
is also a telegraph operator and good
one. Like Co and ID" he is on the look
out for snaps, and is willing TO take
chances TO get on the soft side of life.
&C" and ID" met IL" some time since,
when he was on his uppers. and proposed
that he should station himself daily in the
lobby of the telegraph Office where "A
Is employed. just about the time "B $
telegraphic tips on the races come in from
his feed-box friends at New Orleans and
Rennines. "E" was to read the clicking OF
the messages and was to put CO. and ID.
next. so &C" and D. could play 'B' s
tins. which for some time had been almost
sure winners.
"A" had seen "E" loafng about the
office at the hour when BIS tips came
in. for some days, and grew suspicious.
a" finally decided that "E" was getting
BIS" tips, and by inquiry at the pool
room. found that &C" and d. were play
ing the horses tipped off by "Bs' feed
box friends.
on Friday, "a" decided to throw &C."
%" and Z" by taking set Of tips adj
dressed TO ''B," but intended only for the
ears of "E."
Accordingly, "A" got newspaper con-
tanning the Bennings and New Orleans
entries for Friday, and seating himself
AT the key. out of sight of E. began
calling the Wheeling office. Then he
opened the key and pretended to respond.
Soon a message which e. supposed was
coming from BIS" feed-box friend n
New Orleans. but which a was really
sending TO a sounder on the switchboard
rolled in. 1t read;
play Billy Jordan Banquo H., Con-
slant. Albert S. and Sir John, to win
This message was signed as usual, and
addressed to "B" but "B" never saw it,
"A" had simply picked one horse in each
race. at random, for the benefit of &C,
ID" and e"
''E" had but few minutes more to
wait till "A" rolled off another message
to "B." from Bennings. and e. copied
this on a pad at the corridor desk:
play Predicament. Contractor Forget,
/. y. and Ida Woodlands to win
To this message was added the usual
Rennings signature. and "E" went out
happy. He met &C" and d. at the usual
place. and they discussed the tips. Form
sheets we're produced and past perform
ances scanned. Sir John, Albert 5 and
Constant didn't look like winners; neither
did Forget nor Ida Woodlands. When
the trio went to the pool room and saw
Sir John Chalked up 90 to /; Albert 5. TO
1: Constant. 10 to /: Forget. - to !. and
/. r. TO 10. they had still less faith in
the. tins "E" had stolen. Finally, how
ever. they decided just for luck. to follow
the tins and play only the long shots, so
they nut up all the money they could
raise on Sir John, Albert S, Constant and
Forget.
In the meantime. "a" was at his key in
the telegraph Office, giving himself the
CAV face on the way he had put the con-
spirators on the ground He got his usual
Tins for "B" from the usual sources, and
not one of the horses BIS box stall
friends recommended as winners tailed
with the ones picked at random to deceive
"E"
In the afternoon "a" had n friendly
operator in Pittsburg hook his wire onto
the main circuit so he would catch the
results of the races as they were sent out.
In due course Of time he began kicking
himself. The list of winners at New Or
leans was:
ozark. Jr.. Stockholm, Constant Albert
S and Sir John.
At Bennings the winners We're:
lambert. Mohawk Prince, Forget, L. b.
and Ida Woodlands.
Not one of the horses tipped to ''B'' by
his curry-comb friends had won while
of the tips "A" had faxed for "E's' bene-
fit. Constant, Albert 5. Sir John, Forget
I. p. and Ida Woodlands had won,
while Billy Jordan had run third and
Banquo II. second.
After supper. &C" "D" and "E' met and
divided bundle of money that a few days
ago would have been big enough to en-
barrass the United States Treasury.
"B" had played his tips good and strong
and was correspondincly depressed and
disrusted with the unrelability of hu-
man predictions. especially when horse
races are the subject of prophesy.
AS for "A" he was unable to exactly
define his mental condition. His vanity
was hattered by his success as an amateur
ruesser. he was mad because he had not
hacked the horses he had picked at ram
dom to win. and was doubly disguised
when. at 10 p. m. while drinking a glass
of plain lager at Market street cafe, he
heard the popping of corks mingled with
The hilaritv of &C" ID" and e in the
back room.
At three o'clock Saturday morning
night hack. with pair Of legs hanging out
of each window. rolled down Market
street from somewhere near the Chemical