The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-08-18

a satchcl full Of money, would be like the
veritable fish out of water.
According to a sport who has followed
racing the greater part of his life the
bookmaker who Is provided with a Goou
crew has occasion to pat himself on the
back. for, as a good many of the layers
are constantly complaining, flrst-class
crews are scarcer than losing l to ~ shots.
Speaking to a Star reporter, he said:
only a few Of the best known member
of the metropolitan Turf association have
retained their crews in steady employment
for years at a stretch. Most of them are
obliged to hunt around for good men to
fill out vacancies in their crews at the be-
ginning of every racing season. ana some
are in constant hot water throughout the
entire racing season owing TO the unsteao-
mess of one or more members or tnelr
crews.
TT is not at all a matter of competency
for all bookmakers' crews nave to be COM
petent for the performance Of even a days
work in the ring. 1t is a matter or steadl-
ness. The good crew Is the steady crew.
1t is composed of men who go to bed at
night, instead Of remaining up to play IN
faro and poker fiestas and to indulge IN
the liquid Accomplishments thereof, ana
turn up at the track for business WIN
clear heads and steady hands.
perhaps in no legitimate business is alb
solute observation-disclosures more essential on
the part Of all hands than in the business
of handling the pubiic's money in the bet
ting ring of a race track. The trouble
with many OF the crews is that they can [
break away from their addiction to the
game, and there Is no successful method
known of playing the game both ends
from the middle, coming and going, as
most gamblers admit.
Most of the men who work for the
bookmakers are those who eventually lost
out after playing the horses for years
from the outside. Finding the virus OF the
game SO strong within them that they
were W cited for less exciting employ
ments, they sought their chance TO re-
main on the tracks by obtaining work H.
bookmakers' helpers.
Not a few of them are eX-plungers. a
sheet writer for one of the big layers Is
a man who not many years ago was IN the
habit of betting $l,UO and often more to d
race. He hasn't bet a penny since he went
broke and took his job as a sheet writer
and he Is accounted one Of the best mel
Of his rating In the ring.
THE bookmakers' crew consists OF u
sheet writer, a cashier, one or two ware
men or outside men. and occasionally b
commissioner, although the COMMISSIONS
Is not strictly a member of the crew, anC
only the layers on the largest scale en-
ploy special commissioners. The men are
well paid for their work. Sheet written
earn from SIS to SIS q day, cashiers iron
$40 to s15, and outside men about the
same as the cashiers Most layers Ell
ploying commissioners make special ar
with them. sometimes al
justed on the basis of a small percentage
of winnings.
THE most important member of thu
bookmaker's crew Is the sheet writer. ~
be a top-notch at this work he has Il
keep his head clear as a whistle from TN
beginning Of the racing season to tn
wind-up. He is the mar who register
the bets.
.'Visitors at the race tracks marvel a
the adeptness of the sheet writer. !
trained and steady sheet writer has tn
quickness OF eye of a weaver, the hearing
Of an Indian and an almost incredible dex
terlty in handling q pencil. When thd'
are a. hundred more or less excitement
crazed men swaying around a layers stoo
and the bookmaker is aking the none
with both hands and calling off the horses
names ard the badge numbers in a per
feet volley Of words. the trained shee
writer, amid all the frenzy of yelling an
protesting and jostling, Is as cool as III
proverbial cucumber.
"He rarely makes a mistake, althoug
his penciled entries Of amounts and mum
bers may mount up into the thousanu
in the course Of an afternoon.
. Will III p1lS III ~ IN " N'|'"
tide his work is difficult enough eve
when there are only -four or five horse
carded to start in a race. When the ever
upon which the madmen Of the ring ar
betting comprises eighteen or twent
starters it is simply astonishing that h
does not go to pieces under the strait
In such a top-heavy event only a few {
the starters are played as a rule. {
course, but a few bets are nearly Away
registered under the names of all IT,
horses, and 1t Is the task Of searchin
} for the names Of these animals on h
( sheet that makes the sheet writer's Wol
SO heavy.
, "He sits perched on a high stool, II
pad upon which his big betting sheet
spread resting on his knees. He sea
tiers the names of the horses entered
;, a race around his sheet. The names
n thise likely to be the best played a
+ at the top, and the others In more !
p. conspicuous positions.
The sheet is ruled for the entry OF Il
d amount bet and the badge number.
o the cases Of regulars who patroniZe t
n book constantly the badge numbers a
t waived, and the bet goes down as that
d Phil or Harry or Jim, as the name
e the regular may happen to be.
"If the bet be q 'marker'-that Is
say, one in which the layer has receiv
: no money, but simply the spoken VOL
II the setting up 10 COME dLlei Wdiu-'
w sheet writer indicates that fact In reg
4 tering the amount Of the wager. 7
~ sheet writer, constantly glancing up fro
+. his sheet as the marker bets Of
" regulars come in. has so excellent a me
DRY for the faces Of all OF the regula
patronizing the book that he has tn
names jotted down almost by the til
n the bookmaker has finished calling
n the character Of the bet.
a. 1T Is in getting down the badge nu
bers Of the occasional visitors at the re
- tracks that the sheet writer has
to troubles. The habitual racegoer. WI
ly he names his horse to the a
forks over his money, will stand ste
az still, no matter what the extent of
10 cro~ding and elbowing going on arou
.r, him. and call off his badge number II
loud and distinct voice.
ir Most Of the habitual track visit
a. have mad ore or more sorrowful expo
ences over non-coilectib!e winning b
of owing to their failure to do this, and tt
take no chances. But the occasional ,
he itors, who are generally In a state
ee great illustration, and many of whom
Dis more or less with the syst
n. Of betting. do not do it.
They are so much excited that they
lk agine that once they hand over II
re money to the layer ana name tneir
Of lection that closes the transaction.
n. they were not suddenly pulled up wit
round turn by the bo~okmaker's sh
query, Number most of them wo
romp off into the ring without giving