The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14
ROLLING PILLS VERSUS
MAKING BETTING BOOK
Oakland Druggist Soon Got
Enough of Sporting Life and
Returned to Work.
EXPECTED BIG PROFIT

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 13.-A nicely
worded advertisement in a San Francisco
newspaper few days ago attracted the at
tentiOn Of an Oakland druggist, who saw
a sure and rapid way to wealth opened up
to him. According to it. all any man who
possessed a bit of capital had to do was to
turn it over to a certain Chicago bookmaker
of experience, and then rake in the profits
amounting to $500. in addition to a salary
of SIS per day and the privilege of handling
his own money.
This looked better than answering night
bells to sell a dimes worth of paragoric
or bromide, and the druggist fell for it.
a talk with the advertiser made the propo-
sition even more alluring, with the result
that the Oakland druggist drew for book
ing stand in the ring a few days before the
Oakland season closed. He was backed up
with a goodly -sized roll, accumulated by
filling prescriptions, which were about 80
per cent. profit. Fred Owens, of Chicago,
was on the block, but the druggist himself
was on hand to see that all prescriptions
were properly filled.
Everything was lovely on cut-in day. The
book won 5000, and the man of pills and
lotions was in frenzy of delight. When
II came to paying off the clerks after the
days racing was over he demurred a bit
at paying so much as $40 per day TO the man
who wrote tickets and the other chap,
who kept a record of the wagers made. He
was still further surprised when Owens
said that he would take Sl5 for his day 9
work and 20 per cent. of the profits. L
was worth that all summer in Chicago"
said Owens, land L can't work for less in
California" But he modestly added: THE
20 per cent. can remain in the roll until the
end of the season"
The pill man, when he had go thered in
the $500 profit at once announced that he
would sell his drug business and put on
two more books. No sooner was his inten-
than be-
sieged by a horde of the unemployed who
promised to look after all the little details
of adding to the druggists bank roll
through his booking enterprises.
1t being Saturday night, a purchaser for
the drug store was not easily found. Sun
day the efforts to dispose of the outfit met
with no better success, although there were
several bright young fellows with $l0-a-day
that would turn the druggists stock of
goods and good will into cash.
On Monday there came change. Sat
urdays luck did not hold over, and the
dream of sudden wealth had a rude setback.
He was not game and reneged. He paid
the clerks off, and when he handed Owens
his 49, he said:
all the rest of my life. 1t took me fifteen
years to make my money and only two days
to lose $500 of it. 1 quit right here
But" said Owens, you have to-mor-
rows privilege paid for, and If you stop
now you lose that"
II don't care" said the Oakland man,
putting the remains of the Sadly-depleted
roll in his pocket. Anybody can have to-
morrow that wants it. L am going home
to mother"
And the next day there was one vacant
stand in the ring that had been paid for.
The Oakland druggist had returned to his
pills and his prescriptions, and the army
of the unemployed had augmented by one
bookmaker'S crew.