The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
SEEDY MANS HORSE WON
AFTER HAVING BEEN REPEATEDLY
LOST IN THE RACE
Owner Corralled $1,000 at Odds of 100 to
1-said Fac Had Given tho Horse Balf n
Pint OF whiskey, Hence Its Unusual
Spced-Horse n Thoroughbred Painted.

men about town had a cafe talk the other
night about some things that have happened
in former years on running tracks. legitimate
and outlaw. In this neighborhood.
when the outlaw track over ut Alexander
Island, across the Potomac. was running n few
years back. /" said q New York player II came
Town here from the wind-up meeting in New
York one fall to see II there was anything In
the game in these parts. Then. as now. / was
| playing, and not laying. So this Alexander
Island happening that I'm going TO tell you
about didn't bother me any, bad as 1t Knocked
q lot OF the books.
Il got here before the Alexander Island
meeting began. A couple Of days before the
game was to be on, while l was In the Penn
sylvania avenue refreshme nt headquarters OF
the boys who came here from New York and
other tracks TO write the tickets, a seedy-look-
ing char, who looked as If the elements had
conspired to make him smoke a bum pipe in
the game Of lie for a long time previously,
walked In and edged around to the back room
whore the bookies were figuring on the amount
OF fresh money they we're about to begin taking
out OF the national capital. The tough-looking
man had a horsy look and q horsy smell
about him, and as soon as I saw him / knew
that he followed 'em In some kind OF a hanger
on capacity. He walked over to q table where
a number Of the bookmakers were seated.
Say said he. leaning his hands on the
table and addressing the party in general. you
people are sports. amt your
THE looks the bookies gave the shabby
looking man were intended to convey to him
the idea that they weren't publicly posing as
hot tamales. anyhow. The man got no reply.
You're going to make books across the
way. amt you 2 the MISUNDERSTANDING chap
asked. will an inQuiring look all around.
well. what II we are 2 asked one OF the
bookies, just for the good-natured sake Of
breaking the silence.
WELL said the down-at-the-heel sport,
I've got a couple o naRs that have been run
ming for the past six weeks over at the Mary
land outlaw. They haven't been one. two. six
in any race over there, and I've gone broke
paying entrance fees for 'em Maybe they'll be
able to do better over across the way at Alex
ander. l want to chuck 'em in a couple over
bill to the Maryland outlaw people. and l can't
get my plugs away from there until the thirty's
What / want to know is. viii YOU people cough
p the thirty Tor me as q loan. sos l can get
The bookies listened TO the man with
finished they gave him the laugh in chorus.
can get all the outlaw racehorses I want for 81
They all Clipped in with a crack at the
doleful-Iooking sport, who appeared to be
rather a guiIeless sort Of a chap for a man with
",,They're a good pair. all right, and one of
s ,sR fsq qn edf ie to ?S he he, P p senais ., d II worked
were demented.
One tYenty-one fiat for six-furlong route
suppose that you can win down here with a
longs in that time, are YOU Don't You know
that there's, a whole bunch over there now
that % SaH 20 fh that route in l;lo or better at,
the shabby man. DO get the $50 to get 'em
THE bookies all turned their faces the other
way then. and when the man with the pair of
hocked naEs saw that II wasn't any use he dug
MS hands into his pockets disconsolately and
On the Jay that the, meeting opened I saw
f bied shabby inI = man Ia the betting ring: was be-
ond race OF the day. The bookmaker had be-
i shabSy man no an sh Rarf Re t asEe sfE fer t The 's ssS! to the
,t tbp a yIn ,e en-, en- :, sad the bo9kie, smiling
your pal, away from the Maryland outlaw. /
man anlss, r I hs q uR R. asd ns sSt 's TPo o sas ssa , the
gave ne g ticket on at 800 2 50 belongs to ne
Well. IN l hope 10 sn Nou s win. a Bnf 1o sns Sof 8 oo5eIs
OF 3 to 8 shots to beat. you know
got a chance was all the mar said, walk
"Itook a look at his horse. the rank outsider
IN IN the race. when he went to the post with the
looked rank and broken down. 4 boy that the
shabby mar had brought along from the Mary
race. and the horse was tweifth in SS9 field d' Of
twelve. / saw the gloomy-looking. shabby man
i IT. the ne B BhiGs after the race surerintendipg
a whole lot in the dumps.
The same horse was entered in the fourth
crack outlaw performers. and his horse was
again the extreme outsider at 40 to l. saw
bets here and there on his plug. and / feit sorry ~
for HIM. The ,bookies simply. smiled com
interestingly at him. The hard-Iooking mans
the bookmakers, Of the man with the tough ap-
~ got a chance was the reply.
low vThe nan ST. Ea oUt h bis other horse on the fol-
furlong race. and his, plug, another rank and
no-acconnt locker. finished last. This was the
horse that could work six ~furlongs in 1:2l:
skates seemed rather pathetic to me.
After each OF his horses had been in about
the both of them. and the secdy man putting
t tTe 6a and iye 80 doWp on them light a!onS until
thought he'd take a tumble and quit the game.
But on the eleventh day Of the, meeting his
mile racer the six-year-oId gelding; was en-;
composed OF the cracks among the outlaws. /
happened TO be close to the seedy man when
ting down small bets on his horse. He seemed
10 be rather better fixed than usual that day,
for he, had quite u bundle Of fives with him.
What do l get on my horse?' he asked the
first bookie he struck.
THE layer grinned. for he knew there were
eight or ten good ones in the race. three or four
oil. them quoted around even money,
1--we got % to / hung up about him., and all
You want o. t., said the bookie. You can write
!" Hundred to II asked the seedy man.
Why sure replied the bookmaker. And
he. took % oil the owners money at 100 to i.
. Just out OF curiosity ] followedthe seedy man
in his tour OF the books and ] saw him putduwn
so IN " bets on his horse to win at 100 TO /.
thing done on t.e seedy mans horse. But
WASN'T Gaping the bookies' game, and I've got
a fad for minding my own business. anyhow. and
80 kept of the race and went INTO the stand to
watch II. l had a bunch to play the seedy mans
horse Tor agood wad. but l reflected that If / got
on and the good thing went through the
bookies I'D be suspicious about such a we'll |
known player as l was being In on 1t. and in the
investigation the seedy man might he cut out, |
and l didn't want to knock him. But i surely
was a whole lot interested in the way that race
was TO come out.
u took a good look at the seedy mans horse
as they filed past the stand to the post. He
looked much better and pretty niDDy Mt thnt |