The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-22
SCHEME TO BEAT THE RACES.
1t Was Worth a Quarter to Learn the
System.

System.
A red-faced man whose clothes might
have been rather loud if his diamond
shirt stud had given them halfa chance,
stepped up to the ticker of a Third ave-
nue. saloon the other afternoon, says
the Washington Post.
Anything from the last race yeti" he
asked
The shabby, wild-eyed little man who
had the tape passed it over TO MIN.
After a. hurried glance the man be-
hind the shirt stud threw down the tape
with a groWl of disgust.
Its a hard game to beat unless you
know how" sympathized the wild-eyed
man. There's only one really sure way
to get the bulge on the ponies, and
there's only one man who knows that
one way. Now, If I had the backing"
wire Taper, chr ventured the red
faced man Sorry, but I've got an inn,
portant date to meet a sick engineer
over in Jersey City.
The man with the untamed optics
looked hurt.
Come, come. I was only fooling,"
said the red-faced man with a wink at
the bartender. Come over to the table
here and tell me all about it. Whatl
you have?'
and understanding said the shabby
one doubtfully, taking a seat at the
table. "And since the hckleness of for
tune renders it imperative that should
snare my great secret WIFI SOIuCOnSs L
don't know that I could do better than
confide it to you. beg pardon? Oh,
whisky, please.
LAS you undoubtedly know" he con-
tinued when they had filled their glass
es, there is a difference in time be-
tween New York and Chicago of about
one hour. That is to say, when it is 8
o clock here it is only 5 o'clock in Chi
cago.
I'm the same way in San Francisco,
which is three times as far west of US
as is Chicago, there is three hours diff
ference in time. That is, when 1t is 8
O'Clock here it is only O'Clock in San
Francisco. Do you follow me?
1.-The further west we go the greater
the difference in time If we go eight
times as far west as San Francisco we
naturally gain eight times three hours,
or, roughly speaking, a whole day.
but where is eight times as far west
as San Francisco2 Why, sir, it's all
the way round the world to New York
again."
The shabby man paused and drew
back to watch the effect.
''In other words" suggested the red
faced man, eff you've been round the
world in the meantime today is really
yesterday"
Precisely. But to put it in a more
practical way" continued the shabby
man. in an impressive whisper, ''if you
send yourself a telegram around the
world, westward. you'll get it the day
before you write II -slf "
But what has all this to do with
beating the races?'' asked the man with
the white light district on his shirt front.
why, don't you see? Take today's
list of winners, for example. If l had
the money I'd Immediately telegraph it
to a friend of mine in Chicago. 'Twould
reach him an hour ago by Chicago time.
He'd wire it on to a friend in San
Francisco. 'Twould reach there three
hours ago by Frisco time The Frisco
man would cable it on to a friend in
Honolulu and so on all the way round
the globe, until it had reached me again,
Just twenty-four hours before I'd sent
it.
1.-THE minute received the telegram
I'd start out to make the rounds of all
the poolrooms and back each winner for
all they'd take on him. After that
'twouId only be a matter of sitting down
and waiting until it was time to cash in.
You look incredulous. 1t seems too
easy to be true, you think. Why don't
I keep such good thing to myself, you
ask? Sir, It is with pain that confess
that [ haven't even the entire amount
of the telegraph costs, to say nothing of
the amount necessary to back the
horses.
II had hoped that you might take
sufficient interest in the scheme to fur
nish the backing, but since you still
seem to entertain some doubts, I'll tell
you what We'll do. If you'll advance
the telegraph ing'-the shabby man
glanced at the % cents change lying on
the tabIe-"about 25 cents. say, I'll i'm
nediately wire the results of today's
races around the world Then, if we
z-m-uu-------aa