Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-01-15


That Made the Crooked Riders
Teeth Chatter while He Got Out
All the speed In the Animal.
In the lobby of hotel the other
evening a number of men We're discuss
ing sports and sporting men when the
subject of nerve aud grit came up. One
of the party, well known Californian.
who knew Lucky" Baldwin in the old
days, said:
Baldwin was about the hardest man
to be chiseled out of anything he set
his heart on getting that / ever met up
with. A whole lot of people tried to
put it ON him in business and other sort
of deals, but none of these ever sue
ceeded in catching Lucky Baldwin
sufficiently asleep to make their plans
stick.
"Horsemen still talk about a funny
game in which Baldwin figured on one
of the Chicago race tracks number of
years age. Baldwin had brought his
magnificent string of thoroughbreds to
Chicago to make an effort to annex the
swell stakes that were then on tap OH
the tracks in the windy town, and he
got them home first or ia the money in
many of the biggest events. Well. he
had one of his finest horses entered in
a valuable long distance event. and
Baldwin was particularly anxious to
win this race. not so much for the
purse end of ii as for the glory of cap
turing the stake. His horse just about
figured to win, too, and Baldwin in
tended to go down the line on the ami
mails chances, not only at the track,
but at all of the big poolrooms in the
country. He stood to clean up consid-
erabIy more than 100000 on the horse
if the brute got under the wire first.
Baldwin's regular stable jockey was
taken sick OH the morning of the race,
and the old man had to hustle around
for another boy to ride his horse in the
big event. From another borseman he
bought for big round sum the release
of a high grade rider. who was to have
taken the mount on thoroughbred
that didn't figure to get near the money
in the stake race. Baldwin gave the
Jockey his instructions as to the way
he wanted the horse ridden. and then,
when the betting opened. his commits
sioners dumped Baldwin's money into
the ring in such large quantities that
vorite.
"a quarter of an hour before the
horses were due 10 go TO the. post
well known bookmaker, to whom Bald
win had often exhibited kindness in
less prosperous days, ran to where the
old man was standing. chewing a
straw. in his barn.
Baldwin, said the bookie to the
old man, there's a job to beat you, and
you're going to get beat. They wanted
me to go in with 'em, but you've al
ways been on the level with me. and I
wouldn't stand for it, The ring has
bought up your jock, and your horse
is going to be snatched'
".Much obliged for telling me that
replied the old man. I'll just make
stab to see that the boy doesn't do any
snatching, though
Baldwin borrowed another gun
from one of his stable hands lin those
days he always carried one of his own
about as long as your ARM, and with
his artillery he strolled over the infield
and took up his stand by the fence
at the turn into the stretch. He hadn't
mentioned to anybody what he was go
old man making for the stretch turn
simply thought that Baldwin wanted
to watch the race from that point of
view He did, for that matter. but he
happened to have another end in view.
We'll, the horses got away from the
post in an even bunch, and then Bald
wins horse went out to make the run
ming. The jockeys idea was to race
the horses head off and then pull him
in the stretch, making it appear as if
the animal had tired. Baldwin had
instructed the Jock to play a waiting
game and make his bid toward the fin
ish. The Eorse simply outclassed his
company, however, and he didn't show
any indications of leg WEAKNESS what
ever as he rounded the backstretch on
the rail a couple of lengths in front of
his field Baldwin conld see. however,
that the crooked jock was saving the
horses head off i'll his effort TO take
him back to the ruck. When the horses
were still a hundred feet from him,
Baldwin let out yell TO attract his
Jockeys attention. and then he flashed
his two guns in the sunlight and bawl-
ed at the jock:
'Leggo that horses head. you mon
key devil. and go ON and win or I'll
shoot you so full of holes that you
won't hold molasses"
1.-The jock gave one look at those two
guns that Baldwin was pointing
straight at him. Then he gave Bald
wins horse his head, sat down to ride
for all that was in him, and the horse
under him cantered in ten lengths to
the good on the bit AS long as Lucky
Baldwin was on the eastern turf after
that no jockey ever tried to yank enc