Evening star., 1905-08-20
STORIES OF JOHN w. GATES AND
JOHN H. DRAKE, TURF PLUNGERS

1 - - " = ~
| Stories of the colossal plunges OF that
| queerly assorted pair of millionaire sky-high
horse bettors. John w. Gates and John II.
Drake. have been filling the sporting pages
since the beginning of the Saratoga race
| meeting. The two of them have been bet
| ting from $4,000 to 100000 on the chances
of horses that they particularly liked"
| and they seem to be renewing the tremen-
dous campaign against the big store"
bookmakers that they began at the tracks
| around New York few years ago.
Neither of these extremely wealthy plum
| gers Is fiashly-looking man. They look
| like solid men of business. Despite all of
! those fmbecIe bet you million" fake
| stories about John w. Gates. he Is
| spicuously modest, quiet self-contained man
who does a great deal more listening than
| he does talking. John IL Drake is noted for
| his taciturnity, and has the reputation of
| saying less around race track than any
| big plunger that ever got into the game on
| a gigantic scale.
One day at Sheepshead Bay John w.
| Gates. who was just then coming under the
spot light as a prodigious plunger. was
| leaning against one of the betting ring
Stanchions, under the edge of the grand
| stand, his eyes fixed thoughtfuly upon the
| lawn. His hands were thrust into the
| pockets of his blue serge trousers. his
| round Panama hat was pushed far back
| from his forehead, and he didn't look any
| more like the popular conception of a turf
! plunger than NJ. Witte looks like Baron
| komura.
| Up to him waddled fat, red-faced man
who as he walked, was putting a great
! deal Of elbow grease and eXertion into
| the business of mopping his brow with
| huge polka dot handkerchief The fat man
| stopped pantinSly at the side of the cool
| looking plunger. took off his hat and swab-
| he'd ha fhs,r, hon. |. tHF
! and scrutiniZed Gates out of the corners of
| his eyes for moment Then he huskily
| addressed the millionaire no-imit plunger:
Say he said. dye know by sight this
! feller John w. Gates that's been sawin'
and splittin' the bookies around here lately?
| I'd sure like 10 git peek at that feller.'
Gates turned around to face the betting
! ring, leaning his other shoulder against
the stanchion. He pointed to small,
smooth-faced man lounging through the
main betting ring aisle.
| ''Yonder ne is. said Gates.
''Oh, that's him. hey?' hoarsely whisper
| ed the fat brow-mopper. visibly awe-strick-
en-. Little feller. amt he? That shows
| how much you can b'lieve what you see in
| these here newspapers. ! seen II in all of
'em that this here Gates was big, fat
| feller with heavy mus-tash.''
| Just then a horseman friend of the plum
ger sped along and slipped his arm through
| that of the quiet man In the somewhat
| baggy suit of blue serge.
| We'll what's John Gates got in mind to-
day?' asked the horseman passing on to
the, betting ring with the big Wall street
| and horse e-betting operator
| why, blamed if it wasn't Gates himself
| that I was talkin' to-! the fat man was
heard to mutter. And him a-throwin me
| off that-a-way, Well, there's one thing
he amt swelled up none" and in that
phrase he expressed the whole truth about
| John w. Gates the man. He is, perhaps,
the least sweled-up vastly rich man under
| the limelight in this country today.
|
| One afternoon during the same meeting at
| Sheepshead Bay John H. Drake, Gates
great pal and partner in the horse-betting
| business. started to make round of big
marker betting on horse that he fancied.
| He was dispensing with his commissioners
that afternoon and doing his own digit bet
| ting. Back of one of the bookmakers' cash
| iers Drake came upon pail of water with
| a dpper in it. The black man who patrols
| the back of the bookmakers line furnish
ing the bookies and their employees with
| drinking water, had dropped the bucket for
a moment to hold a conference with black
| friend a little distance away. Drake drank
| a dpperful of the water. He just re-
placing the dipper in the bucket when
| somewhat pompous young man walked up
| to him.
| Hey, let's have a drink of that water
| boz rather peremptorily said the pompous
| young man.
| Sure, said the plEnger, and he filled the
dipper and handed it, handle foremost, to
| the young man. who gulped it down and
| took another dipperful from brakes hand.
| Good water-it's got the beer they sell
| out here skinned" said the young man, and
| then he dug into his coat change pocket,
! separated nickel from his mess of silver
| and tossed 1t to Drake. who deftly caught 1t.
| Drake wasn't and isn't much of dresser,
either, and the pompous young man had
| taken him for the man in charge: of the
| water bucket.
| Call that one on me-" said Drake, grin
ming as he tried to hand the nickel back.
| law, nix said the pompous young man,
| edging away. Get a bet down with it on
| a 2O-to-1 shot, and If it cops, why, you'll
| have a whole dollar, see?'
| Later on in the afternoon somebody must
| have pointed Drake out to the pompous
| youth, for when Drake was on his way out
| to the lawn to watch the running Of the
| last race he was touched on the shoulder
| by the man whose thirst he had assuaged.
| Mr.. Drake, I'm not such a fat-head as
! I look and act remarked the now sheep
| ish-looking young fellow. Il wish you'd
| slip me back that five-cent piece l staked
! you torlike a blamed fool-a while ago.
| I'd like to keep it as souvenir and for
| luck.
| Drake pulled the nickel out of the pocket
| where he had carefully slowed 1t and forked
| 1t over.
| II was going to keep 1t myself" he ex-
| planned, with more words than he is ac-
| customed to using, Ito show my friends,
| just to show them that / really do work