Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-07
A TRICK THAT FAILED

sThat story in The Star while ago ABOUT
the man who successfully touched Lucky
Baldwin for 500 on Chicago race track
back in the early sos was interesting to me,
for 1 had string racing on the chicago
tracks during most of the years when
Lucky was operating there, and became
well acquainted with the shrewd old
Midas said a washington trainer of
thoroughbreds who is wintering his string
at Benning.
Lucky Baldwin was about the hardest
man to be chiseled out of anything he had
set his heart on getting that ever met up
with. OF all OF the tens of thousand OF
people who at various times have tried to
put it on him in business and other sorts
of deals I imagine but few of them ever
succeeded in catching him suhcfentiy
asleep to make their schemes stick.
''Horsemen who were there at the time
still laugh over a characteristic incident In
which Lucky figured on one or the chi
cago tracks about fifteen years ago. Bald
win had Just brought his magnificent string
of thoroughbreds to Chicago to make an
effort to annex the swell stakes that were
then on tap at the tracks OF the Winoy
town, and he got them home frst or IN the
money in many of the biggest events from
the go-off.
He had one of his finest horses entered
in valuable long distance event, ana ne
was particularly anxious to win TINS race,
not so much for the purse end of 1t as !or
the glory of capturing the stake Win MS
California-bred thoroughbred
His horse figured to win, too. ana baio-
win intended to go down the line, as the
saying is, on the horses chances, not only
at the track, but at all OF the pig poor
up considerably more than $lOo,O0O II MS
horse got under the wire first
sBaldwin's regular stable Jockey was
taken sick on the morning OF the race,
ia ho6 m
another boy to ride his horse In the Dig
event. From another horseman he bought
for big round sum. the release OF nleh-
grade rider, who was to have taken the
mount on a thoroughbred that didn't ns-
ure to get near the money In the STAKE
race.
''Baldwia gave the jockey his instructions
as to the way he wanted the horse RIDDEN
commissioners dumped Baldwin's money
into the ring in such quantities that the
Baldwin horse quickly became an over
whelming favorfte.
"a quarter of an hour before the horses
were due to 20 to the post, well-known
bookmaker to whom Baldwin had often ex-
hibited Kindness in the bookmakers less
prosperous days ran to where the Ola man
was standing chewing straw In the PAD
dock Enclosure.
Mr.. Baldwin said the bookie to the old
man, there's job to beat you, and you re
going to get beat. They wanted me 10 take
a piece Of it and go in with them. but you We
always been on the square with me, and l
wouldn't stand for 1t. The ring has bought
up your jock and your horse Is going TO pc
snatched. I know what am talking ABOUT.
"'Much obliged for telling me that, re-
piled the old Californian. 'I'll Just make
stab to see that the boy doesn't do any
snatching, though
Baldwin borrowed another gun from one
Of his stable hands-he always carried
gun of his own about as long as your arm
nd vxy{tb, a q
infield and took up his stand by the fence
at the turn into the stretch He naon
mentioned to anybody what he was going
to do. and the folks who saw the old man
making for the stretch turn simply thought
that Lucky wanted to watch the race from
that angle He did for that matter. but he
happened to have another end in view.
''Well, the horses got away from the post
in an even bunch, and then Baldwin's horse
went out to make the running. The Jockeys
idea was to race the horses head on and
then pull him at the top OF the stretch,
making it appear as If the horse had tired
and chucked 1t.
Baldwin had instructed the jock to play
a waiting game and make his bid toward
the finish. The horse simply outciassed his
company, however, and he didn't snow any
indications of leg-weartness whatever as he
rounded the back stretch on the RAN, q
couple Of lengths in front of his field. Bald
win could see, however, that the crooked
jockey was saving the horses head on In
his effort to pull him back into the ruck.
when the horses were still g. hundred
feet away from him Lucky let out yell
to attract his Jockeys attention, and then
he flashed his two steel-barreied guns In the
sunlight and bawled at the jock:
"Ieggo that boss head, you monkey
devil and go on and win, or I'll shoot you
so full Of holes that you won't hold mo-
lassesr a- t...-
1.-The jock gave one scared look at those
two guns that Baldwin was pointing
straight at him. Then he gave Luckys'
horse his head, sat down to ride for all that
was in him, and the horse under him can
tered home ten lengths to the good, on the
bit.
"As long as Lucky Baldwin was on the
turf this side of the Rockies after that no
jockey ever tried to pull one of his horses. ;"