Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-08-25

night and NOT WORK very hard either
This may be a very broad assertion
Int there are many who think he
could make good his promise. II
such is really the case what would he
the object of Jeffries remaining in
the game? The four men mentioned
are the only ones left in the fightine
game now JEFF is out of it and as he
expresses it to these aspirants tn the
championship are none of them better
than q third rater. Joe Choynski
could have cleaned up the bunch with
ease seven years ago and had the same
conditions existed then he would
have been champion of the world.
John A. Drake and Mrs. Drake. the
latter especially, have been annoyed
and hurt by the reports sent out from
Saratoga Of the large betting opera.
lions Of Mr.. Drake, and declared that
stories of golf at $1,000 per hole and
$4,000 winnings at the race track
were pure fiction.
Mr.. and Mrs. Drake have been deep.
ly hurt by the stories associating Mr..
brakes name with professional plung.
ers. The plunges of John w. Gates
upon the Drake horses when they were
first brought to Saratoga in 1902 asso.
ciated the two men together in the
public mind as twin betters and the
had ever known.
If "bet.a-million" partnership ev.
er existed between Drake and Gates
it is now dissolved, and Mr.. Drake
says that he only wagers a small
amount on the races to lven interest
in them. It was Mrs. Drake who took
the initiative in denying the reports
of Mr.. brakes big betting operations.
Mr.. Drake was emphatic in his de.
malls of the stories of large betting
that are being told about Saratoga.
He said that but for his family he
would not take the trouble to deny
them, but that he did not being plac.
ed in the light Of a turf gambler and
plrnger.
II did not go into racing until re.
tired from business" said Mr.. Drake
II led a strenuous life while I was in
business and Mrs. Drake and myself
went to Europe for six months and
on our return in 1900 I went into
racing. No man who goes into rae
ing for the sport of it and races clean
ly and honestly. can make any money
out of it. He is bound to lose money
no matter how lucky he may be. And
no man has ever said that John A
Drake started a horse that was not
meant to win.
There was great deal of unpleas
ant notoriety about my betting on the
races and two years ago, to avoid any
such notoriety. quit the betting ring
and have not entered it since. l ev
en- dismissed the colored man who
had placed commissions for my sta
BILE because he was known and every
one believed that he was betting fol
me all the time. Since quit going
into the ring my wagers have been
modest and there are many other men
in the club house who wager much
more than I do daily and yet nothing
Is ever said about their betting Oh
erations
II have not played golf with Johr
w. Gates for more than two years
nor been on the links with him In
that time Ed Smith and. myself
sometimes bet IS hole when we were
playing just to have fun and more
often we wager the luncheon on the
result of the game. That is the ex
tent of my betting on golf. only
ask that be allowed to take a bach
seat, where I belong, as man who
made enough in business to retire anf
is fond of the turf and other sports
because they are better than idleness
and give zest to life"