Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18
EVENED UP THE SCORE

Once having made tool of a man or
| boy in the racing business 1t Is never the
part of wisdom to throw him overheard on
the presumption that he is dead one."
| said man whose hair has become frosted
in his pursuit of the thoroughbreds. Turf
| followers have a queer old habit of resur-
| recting themselves at inopportune moments
| when 1t seems that they are deeply
buried that they'll never struggle to the
surface again. and when they do run a
shoe-tongue into lanyard they are more
than liable to get hunk with former pals
| who have cast them aside in the hour Of
! adversely. 1t is particularly dangerous
| proposition for any man connected with
| racing to do business with a jockey /
| never heard of a bit of Jockey 'tampering
| that didn't get out sooner or later, to the
| disadvantage of the man who did the cor
| ruptthg. And there are cases on record of
| jockeys who, after being ruled oft for
| crooked work, have become exacting pen
soners the hands of the men responsible
| for their DOWNFALL for long stretches of
| years. l recall the case of one jockey, how
| ever, who, willis he wasn't set down through
| following the directions of the bookmaker
| he did business with, treated with
| characteristic meanness by the latter when
| he was up against it owing to an accident;
| and the way this jock got even with his
| former tamperer was unique.
| The boys name was Kelley. He wasn't
! exactly boy-he was a man of twenty
two or 50 when this thing happened-but
| all jocks are boys in turf phraseology. He
| was one of the best of the riders on the old
outlaw tracks, and at Gutenberg especi-
| ally he had most of the other jockeys faded
Well, the morale, to speak, of Gutten-
| berg wasn't of a particularly exalted char
| acter, as YOU may remember, and Kelley
| wasn't any better or any worse than the
| rest of the people mixed up with the weird
| game at the Gut as it is referred to by
| the old-timers That is to say, Kelley had
| bookmaker on his staff, and it was an off
| day with Kelley when he didn't put up a
ride in accordance with this bookmaker's
| orders All of the jocks at the Gut did
things of a similar sort but Kelley was en-
abled to throw the biggest money into his
| bookmakers hands, because. being top
notch outlaw rider, most of his mounts
went to the post faVOriteS so that when he
| snatched 4 horse it meant the good of the
J books, and of his bookmaker particularly.
| for the latter would, of course, lay the long
! est price in the ring against a horse that he
| knew wasn't going to reach the wire first
| Kelley profted fairly well al the hands of
| this bookmaker. and his side he was
| absolutely loyal in his crookedness. He in
| variabiy delivered the goods. He had the
| knack of making it appear to the people
| with the field glasses that he was riding
| like a flend, when in reality he had his
| horse pulled double, and when he was fol-
| lowing orders he could permit the faVorite
| under him to be beaten out by nose on the
| wire in way that would raise the hair of
| the folks in the stand.
" ell one udy hcllPy was dumped from a
| morse he was riding and broke his leg. He
| had been improvident and extravagant, like
| most of the jockeys Of that day. so that
| when the accident put him on the fat of
| his back he found himself broke. What was
| more natural than that he should send to
| the bookmaker whose orders he had been
| following for long time for assistance?
| He wrote to the booknlaker and asked for
| loan of 800. The bookmaker ignored the
request Then the laid-up Jockey sent a
| friend TO the bookie. The latter made some
| remark about not coughing up for the oats
| and keep of dead ones-he figured, you see.
| that kelley's injuries We're such that he
| wouldnt be able to get back to the riding
game. So he jockey had to stave off doe
tors ana other bills as best he could. and
| guess that he set his teeth down pretty
| hard and did some robust thinking while
| mis- broken leg was healing.
| Two months after his accident Kelley.
| somewhat p3l" turned up in the paddock
| one morning ana announced that he fit
| to ride again. His services were immedi-
| ately in demand and Mike DAILY got him
| to ride his horse. Chester, in the first race
| on the card. Gl0ster the best horse in
! the race, and was certain 70 be faVOrite.
| fhe hookie who had used Kelley before his
! accident and afterWard turned him down
| got to Kelley by the underground process.
| through an agent, with the inquiry as to
| whether a little business couldn't be done
| on Chester. Kelley. with all the good nature
| IN life, sent word that there could GER
| tainly; that he could get Gloster beaten by
| an eyelaah. The betting opened. ana Clos
| ter was the favorte all over the ring a I
! odds of ] to on. Then kelley's bookmaker
| began to shoot the price up--first to ; to :,
| on, then to + TO on, then to even money
and then right up to 6 TO 3 and even 7 to )
| against. The way that bookie hauled in
| the money on GlOster was a caution. 1t
| seemed that every plunger and casual bet
| ter in the Enclosure wanted 4 piece of Clos
ter at kelley's bOokmaker's Odds-all the
| rest of the books still held Gloster al to
| : on-and the ho0kmaker took In thousands
| of dollars on the horse. When they were
| still whacking him with Goster bets he be-
came somewhat nervous and sent his agent
again to Kelley for reinsurance Kelley
told the agent again that Goster wasn't
| going to win.
He's taking in billions on GIoster,' said
| the agent to Kelley.
| " Let him handle the whole mint on the
nag replied Kelley. 'Gloster may get the
| place, but l doubt It
| I'm the meantime the judges had got next
to the big odds the one b0Okma ker-Ke lIey's
| hoOkmaker-was Offering against Gloster
and. naturally enough, they became sus-
| picOus. Five minutes before the horses
We're due to go to the post, therefore. they
| called Kelley into the stand and asked him
| squarely if there was anything doing by
which Glostcr was going to get beat
! lf GloSter doesn't win this race re-
| piled Kelley, you can rule me off for life
| kelley had put every man, woman. child
| and dog that he knew at the track on TO
me fact that he was going to win by a
fhliadephfa block on Gloster, an6 the
1
| he was on the fiat Of his back In the mid
| die of winter with broken stem got the
play of all of them. Dollar bets and 81 COG
| bets all looked alike to the bookmaker He
| took all the money that came along with
out rubbing. He thought he had a corked-
| up good thing.
| when the trumpet sounded and the
| horses emerged from the paddock the
bookmaker, with his glasses in his hand
| was leaning against the rail, and he looked
up with grin to catch Kelley's eye He
! caught kelley's eye, but there was no re-
sponsfve grin. There a dirty sheer on
kelley's drawn, pale face. and as he caught
| sight of the leerng bookmaker he drew
| Chester up just for an instant and snat
| viciously in the direction of the man who
| had treated him with ingratitude The
| bookmaker saw in that instant that he wa
| ditched. His face went white and he
clutched the rail, and he was stiIl digging
his finger nails into the rail when a few
moments later, the victorious Gloster, who
had won by half furlong was led into the
paddock. with Kelley walking alongside of
him. When the bookmaker got through
paying off the G,oster bets he was ont of
business, and when the story Of how It ali
came about leaked out there wasn't a man
in the game that didn't voice his oninion