The herald., 1898-10-28
CROOKED fOOTRACE
AN ALLEGED CONSPIRACY AT
SANTA MONICA
Gambling Has Taken Firm Root-A
Nickel-in-the-Slot Machine De-
molished by Puuter

| SANTA MONICA, Oct. N.-According to
the story told by several Santa Monicans'
the ways of the footracer are dark ana mys-
terious and past any mans finding out: AZ
lcordins to the story as one man reiates IL,
which is corroborated by several, quartet
of buncoers of the most underhanded type
made a strong effort to do the best they
could with the $3.50 belonging to w; L. Mul-
Ter, the Fourth street butcher, about the
first of the month. Muller had customer
fglib of tongue Huston, so he SAID, had a
friend in the east who was hot stun also IN
the sprinting line. and Huston informed
Muller that he was a master hand at arrang
ing for races that were remarkable tor their
financial ending, and proposed that ne ana
his friend should be matched Tor 9 race e.
He said Fred Chatfield, who was friend OF
I his would willingly het $3.50 on himself and
Muller might put up the same amount on ms ms
friend from Kansas City. he huston,
would throw the race and Muller would
come out winner The butcher accepted the
proposition to make $3.50 so easily and APP
parently so did Chat6eld. The $500 was i'm
mediatelv forthcoming and barber by the
name of Hammond made stakeholder Illus
tons friend arrived, ostensibly from kan-
sas City, but in reality from San Bernardlno::
Ia consultation of the quartet composed OF
la man named johnson of Los Angeles ana
a, heavy dealer in nickel-ln.thesa' s'ot hnHe ma
stood in on the proposition: Huston and his
mysterious friend was held in Utah ave
nue saloon. According to Muller. Huston's
opponent, to whom the butcher had shown
many favors upon his arrival in town, had
conscience totally unsuited to the work IN
was disclosed to him and he found that
Muller had been roped into the deal on
sure thing basis and that the real plot was
to throw the race the other way, allowing
Chattield to win. he rebelled and escaped
from the scene. Huston still endeavored to
run the thing his way, and although Muller
for his $3.50, which the latter refused to give
up, ran over the course and then demanded
the entire $500 of Hammond, who 1T was
said, turned over $3.50 of it to Chatfeld, re-
tanning the other $50 as gift. Muller
served an injunction against Hammond IN
Judge Wells court. which, however, was
Iunproductive of financial returns.
The matter was carried to the superior
court and Hammond was ordered to show
cause why he should NOT. produce the stakes.
He was given until o'clock Wednesday af-
ternoon to do 80. Asit failed to materialize.
a warrant was issued for his arrest and Of-
hcer Myers took him into custody, late in sha
afternoon, when johnson and others OF the
quartet appeared on the scene and lent their
aid in saving him from going to jail, 1t
was said that Hammond's wife assisted him
to the sum of 800, all the money she had.
and that between johnson and Chatfeld
another hundred was raised. 80 that on ap'
pearing before Judge Van Dyke in the su..
went for the plaintiff in the sum Of $50, the
balance due. and execution was suspended
for six months in order to give him chance
to raise the balance. That settles the Santa
Monica end Of it and Mr.. Muller has the
most of his money and will get the rest. hut
It is said that the same sort Of game is being
run wherever an opportunity offers: and
that the quartet has been successful in a
similar manner in the past week In San
Diego, where they cleared in the neighbor-
hood of 5000.
Santa Monicans are much worked up over
the matter. feeling that there ought to be
some way, of probing the matter, to the bot
transaction and Furnishing the parties if
guilty. Much dissatisfaction is expressed at
the amount of gambling that is allowed to
go on in the numerous saloons. both with
cards and slot machines. One case which
is becoming notorious is that Of a young
whose family suffers for the everyday neces-
stiles as result Of his passion for poker
An occurrence of Sunday nicht shows the
mans utter loss of reason when the gam
bling passion takes possession of him. A
heavy patron of the slot machines by the
name Of Smith. who had played the ma
chimes about town for months and naturally
had been heavy loser on an so per cent
basis. tried his luck as he said. ''for the last
time with his last cent" and if he lost he'd
"smash the machine" BY the time the
machine had devoured s3-all ke had-he
had reached state Of mind bordering on
frenzy, and when the last nickel fell and the
wheel still was un)eind he kept his word
and did his best to demolish the demolisher
Of his fortunes. No arrest was made. al
though the wheel OF fascination was ruined
bevond the further bepuiling Of nickels. An
other will probably take its nlace. az there
are not manv things in Santa Monica which
pay better than these 20 per cent fascinators