Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
FRUIT VENDORS WIN $4,000.
Merry Betting a Tip In a Kansas
City Pool Room.

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 dozen italian merchants
Of the North End cleaned up a cool SO, 900
on a single race at the Derby pool rooms in
Kansas City, Kan, last Wednesday. The
horse upon which the nervy fruit vendors
placed their money was Milwaukee, and
the odds put up by the local bookmakers
were to 1. Nobody except the lucky Ital-
ians were on to the good thing" and there
were three or four horses in the race that
had preference in the betting.
1t 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
$3.50 apiece into the hands of the ticket
writer
Milwaukee to wtn." 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
players that was worth just $500 fifteen
minutes afterward. Following these came
a shower of small bets ranging from 80
cents to IS from those who were willing to
risk a small amount the luck of the
Italians.
Thomas Carey. who is one of the owners
OF the pool room, watched the betting al
the men showed and scuffied for place at
the window. and he seemed to enjoy It.
He looked to be rather amused than inter-
ested, and there was not the anxiety ap-
parent that was noticeable 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 "a
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
p bn T.rv, Il tt,&k
had a chance to get inside the money.
Somebody asked Carey II he was going to
close the race up before the start.
No. SIR replied the bookmaker I'VE
will take every cent they have got and
more too. That's the way we win our
money. and the way We like to lose it-in
big sr piles So :. ~ - ,,0 o,o-o.
and there is a hushed murmur over the
hall. followed by a perfect silence that is
only broken by the clatter OF the telegraph
Instruments The favortes get off to-
gether and Milwaukee is not heard from
at the getaway. At the quarter a stranger
is in the lead. and the crowd grows sus-
p!c!ous. 1t 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 breathes sigh of relief
The next time the italian favortte is sec
ond 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 they We're so
anxious should win that was hundreds of
miles away.
The instrument began to clatter spas
medically.
And the winner again-.t is Milwaukee,
said the operator, with an energy that be-
trayed his own interest in the race.
The crowd had won, and the winner.
rushed forward to get their money.