Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-08
BETTING ON THE RACES.
How women with Money Amuse
Tbcmscives nj Saratoga.

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There is nothing dashing, spectacular or
gay about the crowd at the races az Sara
toga. writes Julian Ralph in the New York
Times. The famous women OF the rich and
fashionable set are all plainly and quietly
dressed. and only here and there among the
rows OF the unadvertised and unnamed ere
seen a few snowy frocks and displays OF
jewels. Mr.. Gates method Of doing his bet
ting for himself by going Town to the bet
ting shed and placing a thousand here and
there is not the customary mode with the
people in the club boxes and the club annex
Of the grandstand.
These are served by a score or more OF
commissioners. easily led in Importance by
Mr.. Walters. who places the wagers OF the
fashionables, and who Is first Of all Mr..
Whitney's trusted lieutenant. What he
does is what all the rest try to do, each &C
cording to his capacity. What they do is
to prepare a card With the ruling odds
marked against the hcrses, to scratch the
horses that are no, c run, and to report
what they gather white in the betting ring
as to the amount and character Of the back
ing that the favorites are getting.
Their wealthy and often we'll informed
employers have in the meantime heard from
one another all the gossip from the stables
and the doings and sayings Of the owners
whose horses are entered. All this gossip
and news is slowly dfgested. and the COM
missioners write in their notebooks the wa
gers that their employers wish to make.
You see the humber commissioners who
deal with the general public running about
with banknotes stuffed between their hng-
ers, but the two or three men who place
the wagers of the millionaires and fashion
| oIlas - tnn uaI1 Lnnuyn IN tho hnOlmaEpT6
to need the handling of any cash except at
the end OF each days sport, when they set
tie with their employers and then close ac-
counts with the bookies.
A marked feature Of the betting here Is
that it is INDUCED in by practically all the
women who attend the races. The commits
sioners write on the same pages Of their
notebooks the wagers OF a Vanderbilt and
the bets OF a Vanderbilt governess, while
others pass from school teacher to lady's
maid and dressmaker to millionaire's
wife, listening respectfully and writing
down the order that these fair specu-
lators give.
The time OF the commissioners lives
comes at evening, when they are settling
up and trying to explain what bets and
odds they played and why the sums of
money that they turn over are all that
the lalr ones are entitleu TO- l nave seen
four men explaining to a rich woman that
the SIS given to her was all that she had
won, after paying her bets and paying
back money she had borrowed to bet with.
why" she exclaimed, 81 bet on every
race and I won on two out of elk and on
one race alone / won twenty"
Yes" was the reply, "but you bor-
rowed' $13 and have paid 1t back and the
agent has taken his 10 per cent commits
sion. and you are ahead $1S." 40
well ,'1she replied. IF all you gentle
men say it is right. of course II is, but I
know l won over $780,"
And that was a woman who would pay
$50 for a hat or $500 for a gown and think
far less OF parting with $1,000 than she
would of winning $50 on a horse race.