Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-13
IT WAS A LUCKY TIP

ave been hearing and reading about Joe
Blackburn OF Kentucky all my life, as Il
seems to me-" observed man who was
brought up in Washington. but to my
knowledge only saw the man they put the
kib0sh on for hts senatorship the other day
but once in my life. and that wasn't at the
Capitol, either. 1t was at the Benning race
track, two years ago. and saw the fine old
chap that day to my exceeding great profit
exceeding great to me, that Is to say, for
I'm confirmed piker at the race track and
my seeing Mr.. Blackburn that day was the
occasion OF my winning more money thanI'd
ever won before In any Ave days.
II only went to the Benning track couple
of times during that meeting-I think 1t was
the fall meeting two years ago-and on this
day was frfvoling along, playing things
the names of which sounded good to me,
and just enjoying the outing and the air.
without the remotest idea of coming away
from the track with much more than car
fare.
I'D lost as much as So on each of the
three races up to the point when the Incl
dent happened. and then came race that
decided to let-alone. / made up my mind
to look at it from the grand stand, and into
the grand stand / went for that purpose.
The favorite in the race was a horse that
eventually proved himself to be one of the
most celebrated counterfeits in the history
OF American racfng-John Maddens City
Bank. From what the fellows with the
racing bug have told me since, John Mad
den, the astute Kentucky turfman, was
fooled himself for years by that horse, and
SO the public can't be much blamed for
having been fooled for so long by the mutt
lon this day City Bank was chalked UP a
1-to-6 favorite. The next thing to City
Bank in the bookmakers' estimation was
put UP at l to > for the place, and couldn't
see any race of that kind. being, as say, a
Wi IN n rnn a mt a
chance to get something for my coin when
l did put 1t down so regardlessly. There
were two or three horses in the race that
were at even money to show, and that made
it pretty hard guessing for the fellow who
thought of taking piece of something for
third So. said 1 to myself. I'd just watch it,
THE seat / found in the stand was right
behind one of the boxes. An elderly man
with a white mustache who sat in the box
right In front of me seemed to be the whole
ground lease and the rest of the works,
judging by the way all hands tried to catch
his eye and get bow from him as they
passed his box. Good afternoon, senator,
they were all chopping it off to him, and
that. of course, aroused my curiosity as to
who he might be.
II crossed over to the big Pinkerton man
who had charge of the front of the grand
stand and asked him who the elderly man
in the box was
He knew me- and he strung me for not
knowing as much about famous figures in
w
Then he told me that the man l was in
quiring about was Senator Joe Blackburn Of
Kentucky.
Some crushed by the Pinkerton man, l
went back and took my seat right behind
Senator Blackburn'S box. l hadn't got
planted before a man who had, some days
before, been pointed out to me as Ed
Wheeler, the owner of racing string at
Benning, ran up the stairs into the stand
looked around and then, seeing the Ken
lucky senator in the box. made for him.
looked at my program then and saw thar
Ed Wheeler had a mare In the race that
wasn't going to play. The mares name was
May Holiday.
''Wheeler looked bit excited when he
stepped into the Kentucky senator's box.
He said something to Mr. Blackburn that
couldn't catch the drift of, although l am
bound to admit that I was rubbering.
what? Impossiblev heard the senator
reply to Wheeler. You don't mean that she
has chance to win from this City Bank
horse of Madden's?
"Wheeler looked around cautiously, I OBJ
served. and nodded his head affirmatively.
'Madden's got it wrong about the class OF
that City Bank horse of his heard him
say in low tone to the senator then. My
mare is filter this minute than anything in
the race and she worked the distance yes
terday in little or nothing. came up here.
senator to advise you to have bit OF bet
on my mare across the board.
".Well, send me commissioner, Ed, as
you go down, will you. please? I heard the
Kentucky senator say then, and that was
enough for me. I was hustling down the
stairs for the betting ring right on top of
Wheeler's heels.
81 myself, even with my limited knowl-
edge Of the game, didn't think that such a
common one as May Holiday had chance
to look City Bank in the eye unless they
were going in different directions. but l
couldn't see how or where Ed Wheeler, a
man / had heard of as clever owner. was
going to tell man like Senator Joe Black
burn of Kentucky that he had chance with
his mare If he didn't know something.
They'd already gnawed the price against
May Holiday down from so to to 80 to l
when l got to the ring. but got $40 on
straight at that figure before the They're
OFF, bawl went
May Holiday breezed out in front all
the way, and was pulled to the shape of a
fried cake a the finish, where she was five
lengths to the good, and City Bank, Mad
denis great one, wasn't even among the
first three.
I'm only sorry that Joe Blackburn Of
Kentucky wasn't as lucky in his recent
fight as I was the first time ever saw him
to know him."