The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-05
MADE A BIG WINNING


AT length. however, the pool room
people began to notice that this indi-
vidual who always got his money down
just a minute or two before the races
was a pretty consistent winner, and so
they engaged q well known san Fran
cisco detective TO watch proceedings for
them for a few days. The pool room
folks suspected out-and-out wire tap
ping. but it didn't take the detective
more than three days to tumble 10 the
way the dodge was being worked. BY
this time the crafty ones were maklnS
bets OF from $1,000 10 $4,000 clip on
horses that gained the big winning
margins at the Oakland track. and
even the plungers' pool room was Sc
verely feeling the effect of that kind OF
play.
"The detective suggested to the head
man of the pool room that Il would De
a good scheme for him TO accept the
next bet oflthe man in the gang VINO
did the wagering, and just keep that
little wad toward reimbursing himset
for his losses, after which the betting
man of the sWindling gang could De
told why the money had been Kept
But the boss man of the pool room was
a notably square man for that sort OF
business, and he said that he WASH
doing business in that way AL that
he wanted to do was to get shut of the
swindlers. and they were entitled 70
what they had already got out of him.
he said.
of they're clever enough-to gouge
Us was his way of putting the matter,
they're entitled to the winnings. the
horse business being a game Of dog
eat dog all the way through, anyway.
1 don't want the money back, but they
don't play in this yard any more, that's
all
ION the day following the detectives
IA. IL. - he
ing worked-the gang being quite UNI
conscious that their little dodge was
under investigation-the man at the
window of the Oakland cottage saw
that the noted jumping horse, Lord
Chesterfield. who was the faverite in
his steeplechase race at 2 to 1, was in
the van of his field before reaching the
final obstacle by a margin of nearly
quarter of a mile. So he took a chance
on sending the name Of that horse
alOng-it looked as certain as anything
ever could look that Lord. Chesterfield
would come home all by himself.
About a minute later the betting
man at the Sausalito end Of the line
strolled up to the counter OF the plung-
ers' pool room and laid down five s., 600
bills.
Lord Chesterfield straight he said.
g Not today, pal said the boss man
of the pool room. You don't want to
try TO hog the works you know. You
and your bunch have got about enough,
and were next. 1 could nail that $1,000
and keep it and you wouldn't have a
squeak coming, but I'm not taking
money that / don't win IN a square
play. You know-Tve had a fly cop
on your trail-that Lord Chesterfield
J has already copied his race, and
Crest wins over The jumps-Lord
Chesterfield fell down' sung out the
| pool room operator just at that mo-
ment.
The betting man of the gang slipped
the $1,000 into his vest pocket, and the
boss man of the pool room looked as If
( he would have enjoyed throwing about
2 ton Of pacing blocks at himself. He
was out just $1,000 of squarely won
money that he might have taken in and
tucked in his cash drawer had his de-
tective not tumbled to the schemers'
/ dodge just one day too soon. The man
with the field glasses at the Oakland
cottage had been a little too previous
Z with his announcement, and Lord
/ Chesterfield, with his lead of a quarter
| OF a mile. had tumbled head foremost
/ over the very last jump. The detect
/ ives too previous discovery OF the
/ game enabled the swindlers to break
/ just $4,000 better off on the game than
/ they would have quit had the sleuth
/ been just few hours later in getting
hold Of the details of the plan"