The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-07
It Requires CIe0er 5Nen TO
Pail off a Good Thing and
Tbar Get Aquay With 1t
&oqUadays-Son1e 5Vota-
bic Instances.
Story of the Brannons, Who
Dfdn t Seem "Sma4. - But
Who Landed a Coup With
Tanner Neftfrg at Least
1000.

1urI ringers are less fCOuulOA AOh
than formerly" said a well-known local
turfman during the week. The alleged
ringer Hiram Johnson on the New Or
leans track was the last notable case.
These ringing affairs when discover
ed are few and far between, but in order
to pull them off successfully much skill
and craftfness are necessary.
''One of the most difficult of turf
frauds is the substitution OF one horse
for another in a race-a four-year-o old
for a three-year-o in a three-year-old
race. for instance, thus obtaining ma
turity and big pull at the weights;
or the substitution OF e horse close to
or quite frst-class for one not specially
gifted with ga,loping. This requires a
lot of luck and the highest art. There
are score of elements the lack of any
one Of which would be fatal
g.'There must be confederates who will
not betray the scheme even accidentally
The. substituted horse must be a good
one. That costs money, and turf com
merce is always the subject of close
scrutiny
Fixing a Pedigree.
THE substituted animal must disap-
pear. which always attracts the atten-
tion of other turfmen who come pretty
near knowing all the time where every
good horse in the country is located
There; must be a fictitious - pedigree
framed that Will pass muster with secre-
taries and officials who are supposed to
be in touch with the registry and the
stud book.
-
more delicate than making an old lady
look sweet sixteen under the limeligh-
The action of every good horse is as
well known TO the trainers as the alpha
bet. and that is an element no skill can
disguise. The transformed candidate can
not be shown much in his work and his
absence from gallops would be noticed
There are sharp eyes in the paddock
The starter generally knows a thing or
two and the judges, stewards. and as
sisting officials are never blind men. Ev-
erything is against success.
But there are authentic records Of
ringing with large pecuniary gain and
1t must be said that such events have
excited quite as much praise as censure.
The last successful coup OF the kind
was pulled of a dozen years ago, and is
still fresh in the minds of many horse
rlen- Remarkable in all of it's details
was the masquerade OF Tanner as Polk
Badger. one OF the biggest elements Of
its success being the supposed hayseed,
greenhorn caliber of the chief con
spirators. Nobody who knew the Bran
mons, father and sons, ever dreamed
that the intellectual capacity of the pair
wag sufficient to carry out such an
adroit scheme
Record of Tanner.
Tanner, the horse with whom the
fraud was perpetrated, was a fve-year-
old in 1891. He was by Long Taw out
OF Bonnie Scotland mare, and was
close Ito first class. He was bred by
Sam Bryant. owned later by Bookmaker
Btrton. and finally fell into the hands
of man named Delong. who raced him
aid made money by him. his last cam
paign being at the spring and fall Engel-
man meetings at Buffalo
Tanners last start under belongs
ownership was on September 2 OF that
year, at sheepshead Bay. Delong then
sold him TO the Brannons. the deal hay
fpg queer look, Delong receiving q
check for 81 600. which was indorsed by
a sporting lawyer of New York
within the next week Tanner was
disguised and taken to Latonia, where
under the name of Polk Badger, and the
invented breeding of Quickset-Eva R.
he started and won the thieving race SC
famous at odds OF % TO /.
Everything favored the confederation
al Latonia- The secretary did not get
wise TO the pedigree, which was not to be
found in the Stud Book or the Guide
There was no delay at the post, no sus-
picion excited. until Tanner cantered
home ahead OF his field. The judges
asked few questions and then Tanner
disappeared.
Il do not mean to insinuate that De-
long was party 10 the robbery, although
he had been in turf difficulties with rae
Ing officials before and seems since tc
have dropped out of turf affairs com
pIeteiy. The fraud was ultimately IN
earthed. but too late to recover any OF
the money bets having been promptly
collected at Latonia and elsewhere tc
the extent of 100000.
History of the Brannons.
There was never any doubt that the
Brannons had several persons in league
with them ga this job. All three of the
principals were ruled off the Western
turf. although 1t was stated four years
ago that the elder OF the brothers was
reingtated- 4 retired turf Official who
knew the Brannons at Brighton Beach
and at New Orleans during the middle
eighties had this to say of them:
:" The Brannons had stable of old
crabs when knew them at New Orleans,
and occasionally won a cheap race. They
were credited with being honest. but
were not deemed desirable adjuncts &c
racetrack. owing TO the old mans In
ability 10 keep his mouth shut and TO his