The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-31

/ ONN VI Ahf bttNOTE DDGhts-
As a rule the tou gives the pest IN
formation at his command. because 1t
Is to his interest to have the horses
win which he picks 10 win. III the man
advised does not win a bet there Is no
money in sight for the tout. and that
is what he is in business Tor. III ms
tips persistently fail to come out right
he loses his standing as "A tout ana ms
occupation Is gone. Therefore. when he
is engaged i'm legitimate touting. he
gives the man he advises all the ben-
eft of his knowledge and experience
in picking horses. i'm the hope that a
winning will be made and that the
lucky man will. of course. split up
a little of the money with the fellow
who put him on the winning horse.
He knows the horses and the jockeys
N their records. He makes IL his
business to keep in touch with horse
men, owners, riders and trainers. and
he hears all the lates; gossip about
this horse spraining his ankle or that
horse developing short breath. He de-
YOURS all the race track news from
other cities, and he is in a position to
give the occasional visitor to the track
much valuable Information. But a
much as he is business solely for what
there is in it. he is not reliable, since
the owner, the trainer, the
or anyone who hands him a little mon
- NN1Ah ~ AAAAAi aAAt A1
for a day or a week.
one day last week a young man UNI
used to the race track game visited
Harlem with a friend who is an old
timer. The young man stood around
in the betting ring watching with open
mouth and eyes the unfamiliar scenes
and eager to spend his little SIS. The
old timer left him for a minute to
speak to a friend in the grand stand.
and as he was gone two tiashily dressed
sports approached very close TO the
open-mouthed young man, and one of
them said to the other eagerly:
Did you get II all on?'
"All but that last two hundred" was
the answer. The young man who was
learning things pricked up his ears a
bit.
While didn't you play h whole
roll?" asked the first speaker.
We'll, l couldn't get better than
three TO five and l didn't know wheth-
er you wanted to play that last two
hundred or not" said the other
Sure, get it all down. I'd play a
thousand if | had it," said the first fell
low. and the other slipped away to-
ward the books to play the last two
hundred The young man who had
not been to race tracks quite so much
was trembling with excitement. He
was dying TO ask the cool-looking fell
ipN W Al1 &c NdFs 'HA liz -
it was bad form. Finally he decided
to risk it, and said:
Excuse me, do you mind telling me
what horse that was you were play
ing?"
The tout looked him over a bit cold
ly and said: Certainly l mind. L
don't know you, sir"
The novice Redeemed and started TO
apologize, n the tout said:
You're a stranger at the track,
aren't you? Well. / don't mind telling
you because I'd like to see you make
a little money. You look like a good
fellow. But you'll keep this informa-
ton TO yourself. won't your
ION. yes, certainly" said the young
man, who was aglow with excitement.
He felt he was a man of the world,
getting stable information from a horse
owner.
Well" said the tout. drawing near
and whispering. It's SO-and-so," nam
ing an old selling platter.
BY that time the old-timer had re-
turned and he found his enthusiastic
friend gasping with the straight tip
he had received.
Tout. my boy. rank tout" he said
gently when he heard the name of the
horse. He Won't be one, two sixteen"
And he wasn't.
That is the way the gentle tout does
business. That one was probably in
the employ of the bookmaker near
whom he was standing and expected
the fresh-faced youth to turn around
and throw his money in the air.
They tell a lot of stories about the
experiences Of the touts at the track.
One was approached by a German who
had often taken his tips and who saw
Old Dominion on the board.
Billy. | see dot Old Domino horse
is going to run to-day. What do you
tink about dOt?" he asked.
well, I'll tell you" was the reply,
"this track is a little hard for him.
He likes the mud. But Dominion al
ways has a nance. You might put
a small bet on him. And the German
promptly put up 81 and saw Old Do
minion come in last. That night it
Tained and the next day the track was
wet and sloppy. Old Dominion was
again on the card and the faithful Ger
man sought out his tout.
well, Billy, what do you tink about
dot Old Domino horse to-day he
asked.
why, this is his day." said the tout.
enthusiastically. II likes the mud,
you know. Hen just walk in"
YES said the German. reflectively,
"Dot's what he did yistiday."
one day a newcomer at the track,
a stolid German saloon keeper, dis
covered TO his JOY an old friend nea
the book. The friend was a tout, but
the German saw in him only a source
Of information.
Say, john he whispered, what do
you tink about Tom Collins to-day,
huh?'
Well" said the tout, 'he has a
chance to win and he has a good chance
to get a place. You better put down
a little bet on him each way"
A minute later the saloon man was
holding up a $40 bill To a bookmaker.
Tom Collins he said. fife dollar
10 win and fife dollar to lose"
The tout Is a peculiar institution and
he viii probably last as long as racing
lasts. one of the strange things about
them is that with all their knowledge
Of horses few of them beat the betting