The sun., 1903-08-30
Brand of Cain on
the Welcher
Once Man Has Ducked a Big
Bet He's Gambling Outcast j

me carefully, will you, and take note Of
how many other people shall launch and
l stand for in the betting ring during the
| ensuing fiscal and lunar year
~The meanest kind Of welcher known
to bookmalsers is the fellow who takes
advantage. Of racing technicality to
| avoid getting out on TO the firing line and
making good when the settling-up hour
| arrives. Several of the layers at Saratoga
were snagged for thousands by a chap of
this sort on the day that Hermis was dis
qualified after winning race along to-
ward the middle of the meeting. What
made it worse in this mans case was that
he belonged to the clubhouse push--he's
one of the kind that gets his name printed
alongside of those of the people who eat
their meals with balloons for table mates
up at Newport.
This side-stepping Gussie bot pretty
finished second to Hermls In that race.
Hermis strolled In by himself. We all
paid off on Hermis. Late In the afternoon
just q little before the close of the days
racing, 1t was announced that because
the new partnership between the owners
of Hermis, Thomas 4 Shields, hadn't
vet been registered AT the Jockey Club
Hermis would have to stand for disquali-
cation. Well, II made no difference then,
except to the owners Of the disqualified
horse and OF the second horse, that profited
by the disqualification to the extent of
getting the purse. And as all Of the cash
bets had been paid off on Bermis as the
winner, all Of the digit bettors who had
wagered on other horses in the race settled
on that basis, too, even after the dsqualif-
cation.
"But the clubhouse welcher didn't. He
ducked to the tune Of the So, 600 that he
had bet on the ice on the horse that finished
second to Hermis
"The money follows the decision and tho
purse was his way of edging around it,
and the layers who had taken his finger
bets simply had to charge the wagers up
TO profit and loss The betting does fol-
low the decision and the purse, of course,
ss general thing, but this was an excep-
tional case, so recognized by all of the
5000 people who were on the Saratoga
grounds that day, But the Cholie from
the club porch saw a chance to make a
welch that would help lor, and he ate 1t
up. He continued betting on 'em through
the remainder Of the meeting, but he had
the wisdom not to play with the bookies
on whom he had welched. nor did he try
10 hold up his fingers at al! in the ring again.
III no had he'd have been sorry
"The layers have their little way of ruling
Oft, so far as credit betting is concerned,
fellows that are known to have welched in
any part OF the world. just as the Jockey
Club has OF Withholding recogni ion from
turfmen and jockeys who are known to
have been mixed up in shady sides Of the
game. no matter how far outside the Jockey
Clubs jurisdiction. As the things rigged
up now, once you wclch. you wear the
W. brand for life. You're out for good
No matter how four-square your record
may have been previous to your welching,
the terms for you, henceforth and forever
from that date, are spot cash. There was
a case OF that identical kind in the Morris
81 n
season
A Chicago p,Inter for the four and five
figure money whose upturned meat hooks
we're good, for years, for any amount in
front of the stool Of any layer on the line
around the New York tracks, and " ho had
never side stepped q sou-markee on the
hookies III this neighborhood. weched FOR
$4,000 on California track last winter
The layers or whom he welched out there
were all California men, in no way affiliated
with the bookes Lack al this terminus.
After welchiug QUO there and making
his jump. the Chicago man turned up at
Hot Springs with a small bank roll. Fe
turned this bank roll over about hundred
times in the Hot Springs rooms, and when
the Eastern racing season began this year
he was more than Si00, 900 to the good. It
vas taken for granted. of course, that,
having cTept so much TO the good, he d
ship what be owed to tie California people
on whom he had welched. But he didn't.
4, The California men passed the tip along
this way that the Chicagoan hadn't made
even pretence Of coming to the centre.
The we'cher, however. didn't know this--he
, didn't know, in fact, that his welching stunt
vas a matter Of general information, for
. the story Of the weich never got into the
newspapers.
$50, at Morris Park, on Metropolitan day,
he started down the line to do some busir esq
on Guntire-who wcn-with his fingers
s..
head of the line. before whom he held up
two fingers.
'Uh-huh, jack said the layer. That's
nice manicurng. Where does she polish
'am?'
""Two thousand, Gunflre,' said the man
who had once welched
"'Oh, you want to bet on the race-that's
it eh?' said the boo!,ie. I thought you we're
showing me how cunnin' your nails had
been fixed by the lady. Two thousand,
Gunfire, you say. Uh-huh,' and he reached
ont his hand az if to take hold Of the money,
although the welcher still had his lwo dgits
held up in plain view.
Put it on the ice said the welcner,
az usual.
Nothing eventuatng in that line for
YOU, Jack said the penciler. This isn't
"ns usual" Understand You were in Cal
fornia last winteT--that right? Uh-huh
Like it out there? I'm. Wen. this is the
lINlIO'il hOCk FdltS 'fl 1llOI ASH COM
pany, Limited Jack. and I'm not selling
MANY c. o. D. goods right now.
"The Chicagoan who had welched had
plenty Of face with him. and he sided down
the line and poked up the fingers before
three or four more of the bookmakers,
getting the same everywhere. before he
fell to it that he was 10 be a strictly cash
sreculator thencefortl on these tracks
The books that had given him credit into
the thousands last wear were Just as firm
in Withholding credit from him as those
that had never had any handling os his
money. He was known TO have wcIched
and NOT to have made good. and that put
him permanently in the discard with no
chance for a re-Shuftle."
SLANDFR OVER TIE WIRE.