The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-20
TRYING TO PICK A WINNER
HOW POOLROoM PLAYERS DAILY
TEMPT THE TICKLE GODDESS.
Some Play Favorites, Some Long
shots, Others Rely on "Hunches,-
Fascination of Racing Game.

want 1t. It's the best ever. It's a feed-bo,
TIP, and the horse can't lose 1 tell. YOU thi
oog Is as good as in. There's nothing to it,
A lean, hatchet-faced young fellow. who's
countenance had not seen soap and waite
Tor countless days, who was dressed in ;
dirty sweater and other weather-worn gar
ments, sidled up to a man in the guessing
contest headquarters of which the genia
Mike Toomey is general manager, the othe
day with this blood-stirring remark. TIL.
room was full of nervous. sharp-eyed MGR
OF every class in life, all flushed with tn,
IeVer OF betting, all doing their best to picl
a winner and to take some of Mikes money
ii put You next, continued the lad with
'he ieeo-pox tip. You see, my brother is
JOCK at Washington Park, and he puts
me next to every good thing that is pulled
OH up there. have a telegram in my pock.
ct from him, and he puts me wise on Flv.
ing Snip. He's going to ride the horse and
tell you the race is as good as done. Fly.
ing Ship will win by a city block. Go pu,
piece OF money on-the bigger the better
and you Will be on the real thing
PLAYING A GOOD THING.
here was good thing, thought the man
VINO was made the confidant of the brother
OF the jockey who was riding at Washing
ton Park. He scanned the card eagerly
The betting on the Wheeler handicap had
just come in. Lucien Appleby was favorite
at ~ to 1. Flying Ship was second choice
d' 10 l. Inc others were all the way from
TO to 10 to 1. Flying Ship looked good
Inc man with the tip bet $40 on it, waited
awhile and bet $40 more. He could feel the
Soo In his pocket and had pleasant antici-
pations of how he would spend it. Time
passed slowly. The horses were slow in
getting off at Chicago.
Ihen the red-headed telegraph operator
with the megaphone voice came to life
They're off at Washington Park, he roared.
JACK Ratlin got off in the lead. Lucien
Appleby second, Flying Ship third
Didn't 1 tell your said the brother If
.ne Jockey, In an excited whisper why.
there's nothing to it. Flying Ship will 90
on. at me quarter and will lope in.
Jack Ratlin at the half, by one length -
the operator called. Flying Ship second.
BAD News third. Jack Ratlin at the three,
quarters by two lengths. Flying Ship sec
ond, by length; Gold Bell third
"Oh. he's coming" yelled the relative of
the famous jockey Just wait till that Rat-
lin dog strikes the stretch He'll blow up
home alone" ~o-''S
The instrument licked out its fateful
message, with three hundred people all
ears: Jack Ratlin into the stretch by two
s sane the operator called; Flying Ship
touts mouth dropped a little Something
was wrong with Flying Ship He revived
ms hagg1ng courage and again braced the
called he said. THAT brother of mine will
take take Flying Ship past that collie with
THE TIP WENT WRONG.
And the winner" said the oracle up in
the corner. There was that fateful pause
so fraught with anxiety; the bdrderland be-
tween Doodle and broke Jack Ratlin wins
by head; Gold Bell second, FLYING Shin
third"
The man who had bet the $40 looked at the
brother of the jockey with wrath in his
eye The tout, crestfallen, made excuses.
wen. Flying Ship wasn't up to form, I
guess" he said, sorrowfully. He couldn't
stand the pace that Ratlin set. He was the
best horse; he ought to have won"
Little bits of pasteboard for which the
man had exchanged two portraits of Ben
jamin Harrison fiuttered to the floor and
became lost in other little bits that had
been improbable investments Up in the in
closure Mike Toomey, radiant, cried, bad
News fourth" 1t was his way of testing
with the ''pikers" that had plunged on Rad
News. Bad News fourth" They at least
got call for their money If nothing else.
Inc man with sure thing is as common
as flies in the poolroom. A dozen men who
frequent the place exc out an existence
more or less precarious by touting bettors
to horses of their selection. Either they
follow the dore-the form sheets-from day
to day, or else they make a guess at If.
trusting to luck to help them get some
money. Usually these sure things ..faIl
down" or blow up in the stretch. even
II they are heard from at all. An instance
Of this took place in the poolroom the
other day.
BESSIE RAN FOURTH.
A well-known man about town who made
4 sensational killing on a horse several
weeks ago, cleaning up about $1,000, walked
INTO the room. quickly scanned the entries
n the third Chicago race and reached in
MS pocket for a roll of bills. He counted
'ut 500 and handed it to Mike. Put that
IN Bessie Mccarthy for me-" he said calm
y. Bessie Mccarthy $500 to $780," said
Mike, and the sheet-writer registered the
This young man has a reputa-
ion as a successful plunger, and as soon
IS it was known what horse he had backed,
wenty pikers fought their way to the win
low to get in on the good thing. Glassful
vas favorite, but little money went in on
ILL., II WdS DtSSlt MC1dTlly ana Durn
Up Mike" The house stood to lose about
loo if Bessie came home first, and natural
y the message of the wire was received
With intense Interest
Bessie Mccarthy got off good, raced into
he lead at the quarter. led at the half and
vas going away, when something happened
Bessie either met with an accident or de-
ided to wait until the next day before
winning, or got peevish or something else
Anyway Haviland won the race from Glass
ul with another horse third. There was a
Silence in the poolroom broken
nly by Mikes joyful joke, Bessie Nc
,arthy fourth.
However some of the good things go
through to the great joy of the lucky ones
Who make the most of the tip or ''infor-
nation or whatever else it was that led
hem to bet. A few afternoons ago a lot
f selling platers were running at Chicago
With Boaster, a fairly good horse favorite
t TO 5. Just before the race was called
n excited man rushed into the poolroom
nd placed a s. bet on Hot at Is to /. He
ot SIS for his S. on the book The wires
1ere in trouble and the race was not called
fter awhile the winner was announced Hot
rins, by two lengths, cried the operator
two more of these good things |
vent through. A tip was out on Bob Frank
n and on Warte NIGHT at Chicago. The few
hat had the good things went to ii strong.
10th won going away at fairly good odds. |
FORM PLAYING AND LUNCHES.
Heaven alone knows what system is used |
y some bettors, in playing races. Some. of |