Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-25
VICTIMS OF RACE HABIT
HARVEST OF GAMBLERS AT THE
SARATOGA MEETING.

No longer flows the golden food through
Saratoga. The spring from which 1t came
was cut OF at its source yesterday. Thou
| sands left Saratoga. N. Y. on special train.
with slender purses. and some with no
purses at all.
Bookmakers and gamblers wondered last
night where the visiting throngs got all tho
money which was taken away from them.
Millions Of dollars have changed hands at
the whirl Of wheel or tho stride Of a
horse.
Never in the history Of the temples of
chance here-or, for that matter. anywhere
else In the country-has the average Of play
been higher or the volume OF money been
greater. There have been few sensational
plays. yet the amount which has passed
over the green cloth or into the japanned
cash boxes OF the bookmakers has reached
astonishing figures
1t is estimated that the layers of odds
have handled fifteen million dollars this
season at the track, and that more than
four million dollars have been r!sked at
play in this American Monte Carlo
The winnings of the bookmakers are esti-
mated at 81 100000 and the harvest of the
gamblers has been estimated at &OO0O A
considerable portion of the latter sum the
betting ring got. These figures are based
on the calculations of the bookmakers and
neved they represent the actual conditions
as nearly as possible to do so.
Everybody Had Money to Lose.
Everybody seemed to have come to Sara
toga with money to risk, and the chances
were taken with a good humor and disdain
OF all consequences which astonished even
the professional gamblers. The banks have
been attending to the wants OF their pa
irons who wished checks cashed on short
notice. and the faro banks have been
equaIiy accommodating. 1t is an unusual
tnlng 70 see the financial institutions of
village lighted up brilliantly at night, as
they are here. but the real banks do 1t SO
the public may see It's safety deposit boxes
Propqietors Of the hotels have never had
as many valuabes and fat pocket books 10
take care OF. Some idea OF the amount OF
money which came to SaratoRa to be lost
may De gained from record In one of the
bath houses here where In one day forty-
eight men left in the custody of the At
PENDANTS $4,000. which represented merely
loose pocket change.
Inc banks. at the request of the book
MAKERS obtained from the United States
treasury in Washington six hundred and
n1ty new one-thousand-dollar bills for use in
transactions at the tracks. The habit of
taxing cnange after making purchases had
practically died out until If was revived . :.
the meeting drew to close
Elghty bookmakers We're in the netting
ring. n1ty OF whom were prepared to chance
a inip
thirty were at the dead line where one and
'"o-oollar bets We're exchanged
Big Profits for Bookmakers
The proffrs of the hfsh-class hooruo,,.r.
who make an absolutely straight book or
IN other words, those who do not them
selves gamble, were very large. LAYERS or
ODDS who had weakness for favor,tes In
the early part of the season were often as
bard hit as the public
PROBABLY the largest winner among tho
members OF the Metropolitan Turf Associa-
tlon was William Cowan, whose winnings
are estimated at 100000 He has taver
many Wagers from John W. Gates who
mas according to the best sources or in
formation been loser on the season Mr.
yates mas often in the course of the ra cling
lost. $4,000 day. Several bets ~ cox oG0
On iaVorltes ne has lost. All his playing of
the horses this season has been attended
with unusual secrecy for him
Among the bookmakers who have won
heavily are Joseph Rose who is credited
with $50. 600 harvest; Tyler. who ia 500
ooo to the good, and Edward Burke who
mas made gain of $4,000. About the only
large bookmaker who has fallen behind on
the season is Sol Lichtenstein
There are fifty books which NAV be
cou sn at an average profit on the season
OF SZ0UO and thirty books which have at
least $4,000 to their credit
Receipts at the Track.
receipts at the race track are roughly
estimated at 100000 for the season. the
public paying that much entrance money
before 1t backed its Judgment against the
chance OF horses reaching their goal
Experts say the fifty bookmakers would
average $1,000 each for every race. or slOo
wv IN all on every contest. The thirty
smaller bookmakers would easily average
$oOO on every event. Counting the six races
OF the day, and multiplying that total by
twenty-five, which represents the twenty
TWO days of the meeting the grand total of
money CHANGED on the outcome OF these
battles Of the turf may be approximately
obtained
Ihose of the general public who have won
SUBSTANTIAL sums by attendance at the races
are very rev. One of the heaviest losers Is
DaVld Johnson, whose losses are figured at
$loOon One of the largest winners is John
Mcdonald. who has won 100000 at the
track. "
Some Of the owners who have had sub
stantlal returns in earnings from their
horses are John Sanford, who has obtained
Soo,Vp, and James r. Keene for whom Sy-
sonby earned $4,000. The winnings of the
horses of Harry Payne Whitney in purses
was S2s.ooO. and F. R. Hitchcock's horses
earned $4,000.
Cowan's winning of $4,000 is said to be
the largest ever made in one day by book
maker. with the exception of the book op-
Grated by Joseph Ullman and BENJAMIN
Weller at Sheepshead Bay on Futurity day
in 1902. ''