The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-07
From the New York sun.

From the New York sun.
Washington. April 4.-The horsemen
here are still talking of the big killing
that was made on Tommy Foster at
Bennings last week. The average
price against him at post time was
100 to l, but there was plenty of go
TO l on tap ten minutes before the
bugle sounded.
Rarely have so many incidents clus-
tered about a notable killing. A large
number of men and women won heav-
lily on the colts victory and yet the
great majority of them made their
Tommy Foster investments on pure
bunch. The colts party profted very
largely. of course, but their secret
was well kept, and very few outsiders
had any line on the actual condition
OF the horse.
Most of the women in the stand who
won handsomely on the event played
Tommy Foster solely on account of
the colts dashing and handsome APP
pearance. which he got from his sire,
the famous old Fonso, who for many
years took the blue ribbon as the
handsomest thoroughbred stallion in
Kentucky. II IS a trait of feminine
race visitors to bet on the animal
with the handsome looks.
a young Baltimore woman, the
leading soprano in the choir of
Monumental City church, at
tended the Jennings races on
that day with her somewhat worldly
fiance When Tommy Foster headed
the procession to the post in the first
race with his FURNISHED chestnut coat
cleaning in the mellow spring sun
shine, she deliberately opened her purse
and handed a ten-dollar bill to her
escort.
That's all the money I have with
me-" she said to him, and l suppose
I'll lose it anyhow, but 1 would not feel
right if l did not bet on such a beau
tiful creature as that. Please play
Tommy Foster for me-"
He hasn't any chance" good-natur-
eddy replied the young man, but
I'm glad to see you've got little sport
ing blood. If Tommy doesn't win I'll
make good to YOU" and he hustled
down into the ring and placed the $40
on Tommy Foster at $50 to l to win.
She was very pale and speeches.
young soprano when Tommy Fosters
number was hoisted as the winner and
for quite five minutes she sat perfect
ly still and almost rigid, gazing at the
far-away hills The return of her es-
cort from the betting ring aroused her
from the trance. He counted into her
lap fifteen one hundred dollar bills
and a ten-dollar bill. Then she dabbed
at her eyes with a handkerchief.
It's wicked know it's wicked, and
] shall never bet again as long as
live" she almost sobbed, as with
feminine inconsistency she stuffed the
neat stack of bills into her purse.
Her actions must have been purely
hysterical, however, for when the third
race came around she had recovered
herself and sent a hundred-dollar bill
into the ring on another handsome
horse that pulled down the event. She
bet on all three of the remaining races
and won two.
Four very black and gorgeously at
tired colored women in the stand were
seized with the Tommy Foster bunch
as the field paraded to the barrier,
and they made up a S. pool of S1.25
each and put the money on the colt
straight al 100 to l in the book of a
grand-stand commissioner Their root
ings as Tommy Foster turned into
the stretch well in advance of his field
were entertaining.
"Livin' easy" one of them raptur-
ously screeched.
Bring dem polk chops home"
screamed another leaning far over the
grand-stand rail.
"Ah'm uh shuah-'nough gam-buh-
luh," sang another of the black wom-
en- ecstatically in syncopated coon
song time as Tommy Foster easily
drew away from his field half way
down the stretch.
"Heah me whispuh," shrieked the
fourth when Tommy Foster crossed
1t was worth the price of admission
TO witness the ecstasy of the quar-
tet when the grand-stand commits
sioner counted $126.25 into the hand
of each of them. They declared all
bets off for the day and directly they
had received their winnings chartered
an automobile and were hauled into
Washington royalty.
hunchback who strols around the
Bennings betting ring during the
meeting here profiting by giving the
superstitious horse players the chance
TO touch his hump before getting their
bets down made big thing out of the
Tommy Foster killing. Customarily
the bettors who touch the hump of a
hUnchback in a racetrack betting ring
offer him bit of money, generally a
dollar or half a dollar for the privi-
lege, but this particular hunchback
started in to work a different system
at this meeting.
What are you going to playa" he
asks the bettors who gently place a
finger or two on his deformity.
The bettor laughingly names mis-
horse.
Can you go a dollar on that one for
me?" the hunchback inquiries then.
The men who are up on such super
stitions of the track are liberal and
they always laughingly agree to the
hunchback's proposition in lieu of CIV
ing him bit of change.
On the Tommy Foster day no fewer
than seven long-shot players on the
point of making investments on the
Fonso colt touched the hunchback' s
hump, in addition to the large number
of other fellows who were about to put
their money down on other horses in
the race. Thus the hunchback had all
of the horses in the race running for
him-an unimpeachable system when
no money has to be invested.
The seven hump-touchers who played
Tommy Foster all kept their word with
the hunchback and some of them got
as good as zoo to l for the dollar they
put down for him. The hunchbacl
cleaned UP 81, 100 to the race, and he is
convinced that his present system is
unbeatable.
The most diverting sharer in the kill
ing was a hobo who rode up from
Georgia in the same car with the horse
The tramp wanted to come North on
his annual pilgrimage and he climbed
onto the brakebeam of the horse car
as the most likely ira nsportinp vehicle