Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-02
"PITTSBURG PHIL" DEAD.
Tuberculosis of the Lungs Carried Off
Noted Pluuper

The remains OF George Smith, better
known as 'Pittsburg Phil the noted
piunger. who died yesterday morning IN
Ashevlle. n. G. aged forty-three years will
he laid away in $4,000 mausoleum in the
Allegheny, Pa. cemetery. a beautiful mar
BILE house. which he himself designed and
built some eight years ago, against the day
of his death.
Phil as the famous sport was affec-
tionately known to his many friends and
associates. had ever a horror of the earth
and frequently expressed himself as being
In favor of having bodies of his friends
stored away in vaults or cremated instead
OF being placed in the grave.
Followers Of racing in every part of the
country have agreed that ''Pttsburg Phil
was the most daring and successful race
track piunger that this country has ever
seen He was one Of the very few men
who operated In the betting ring on a large
scale year after year with success and his
nerve and apparent lack OF anxiety over the
result of contest that meant thousands
OF dollars to him won for him a reputation
that extended from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
When Smith first turned his attention to
the horses. more than twenty years ago.
his total capital amounted to only about
SIS. But with that small foundation he
gambled successfully and as his bank
roll grew In size he increased the amount
of his bets until he seemed to think little
or nothing of risling thousands on sim
gle race. Since he was a mere boy his
only means OF livelihood was betting on the
horse races and he never went ''broke''
as 50 many other plungers have after a
snort and spectacular career.
Died Rich Man.
"Pittsburg Phil died a rich man. Just
how much money he left is not known; It
can only be guessed at, but the general
opinion of sporting men who knew of him
and his operations is that he had banked no
less than 100000 when he made his last
bet. and many persons estimate the amount
at double that figure.
Smith was born in Sewicbley. Pa, about
forty-two years ago. OF German and Irish
parentage, and when he was very young
his father died The family then moved to
Allegheny City, and there the boy got what
little education he had in the public schools
which he attended for only few years.
AT an age when most other youngsters are
still I'm school. Smith went to work as a
cork cutter. and he did well at it, He con-
tinued at this employment for several years
and was getting $40 week when he first
became interested in the horses.
Pittsburg was across the river from
Smiths home and there, in the early sos
pool rooms were plentiful. The biggest of
them was run by Edward Price and Ii was
there that the young man got his kinder
garlen lessons In playing the horses with
profit He had no knowledge of the racing
game. but 1t interested him. and from the
Iirst he studied every phase of the SUBJ
3ect. As the results of the races were
called off during their progress he made
notes of the positions OF the horses and
embodied these into permanent form
sheet. which he studied carefully
AT first Smiths bets were In proportion
70 his capital; but as he became more and
more successful he raised his original 81
pets to 50 and then to SO. Success con-
sinued TO smile on him. and he gave I'D hts
Sork cutting job to follow the racing game
Sor living In q year he had outgrown
s'roe's room They wouldn't take as big
Dets as he wanted to make there. SO !,