The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-29
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FRUIT VENDORS WIN $4,000.
Merry Betting on "A Tip in a Kansas
City POOIroOm.
From the Kansas city Times.

From the Kansas City Times.
On the strength Of quiet little tip that
was sent over the wires from the track
side by some one who was evidently pretty
well posted, a half a dozen Italian mer-
chants of the North End cleaned up
cool $4,000 on a single race at the Derby
poolrooms in Kansas City, Kas., last Wed
nesday. The horse upon which the nervy
fruit vendors placed their money was Mil
waukee, and the odds put up by the local
bookmakers were 4 to /. Nobody except
the lucky Italians were on to the good
thing" and there were three or four
horses in the race that had preference in
the betting.
II was when the first betting was an
nounced by the operator and posted on the
big blackboard that five Of the Italians
walked up to the little wicket and showed
$500 apiece into the hands of the ticket
writer.
Milwaukee to win" said each of them.
Two thousand to five hundred" said the
ticket man as he raked in the money and
handed back a small card TO each of the
Dlayers that was worth just $500 fifteen
minutes afterward. Following these came
a shower of small bets ranging from 80
cents to $500 from those who were willing
to risk a small amount on the luck of
the Italians.
Thomas Carey who is one OF the owners
of the poolroom. watched the betting as
the men showed and scuffied for place at
the window aud he seemed to enjoy it.. He
looked to be rather amused than interes-
ted and there was not the anxiety 1p-
parent that was notcee Bile in one of the
men who nervously twitched a 81 ticket
in his hands. watching the finish OF the
race which would decide whether he was
81 better off or 81 poorer.
The crowd had gone wild very suddenly
over Milwaukee, and the tide of the bet
ting turned toward the choice of the Ital-
ians, without any reason other than the
knowledge that the horse had been tipped,
for the form did not figure that Milwaukee
had a chance to get inside the money
Somebody asked Carey>if he was going
to close the race up before the start.
mo. sir" replied the bookmaker; I'VE
will take every cent they have got ana
more too That's the way we win our
money. and the way we like TO lose it-in
big piles"
"The race is off" the operator announces
and there is q hushed murmur over the
hall followed by a perfect silence that is
only broken by the clatter of the telegraph
instruments. The favorites get off togeth-
er and Milwaukee is not heard from at the
getaway. At the quarter stranger is
in the lead, and the crowd grows suspi-
cious II may be he who will win the race.
The next time the runners are heard from
Milwaukee is the third one mentioned and
the crowd bTeathes a sigh of relief. The
next time the Italian favorite Is second,
and only length behind the leader. Into
the stretch they go, with Milwaukee still
holding second place, and then comes the
painful wait.
And the winner" said the operator and
the instrument stopped ticking suddenly.
Come on, Milwaukee," the players were
saying all over the room. and some OF the
men were bending over beating their knees
with their hands in the imagination that
they were bestride the horse thy were so
anxious should win, that was hundreds of
miles away.
The instrument began to clatter spas
medically.
and the winner agam-it is Milwau-
keem said the operator, with an energy
that betrayed his own interest in the race.
The crowd had won, and the winners
rushed forward to get their money.