Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23
HAND-BOOKS HAVE
BEEN hit HARD
Improbable Summer for Local
Layers of Odds Against the
Thoroughbreds.

uOtVNSitNt SNSs
'sThe troubles OF the Alexandria authori-
ties and the sports over the house boat ly-
ingoff the Maryland shore confirm the
fact that not all that glitters is gold in the
sporting world" said well-known member
Of the local fraternity to Star reporter.
when the pool room at st. Asaph
wound up its little ball of yarn. chalked up
the last name of a pony on the big black
boards. turned off the electric lights and
sadly deposited the bank roll in the little
black leather satchel for the last time, the
halcyon days Of the sports in this vicinity
came to a sorrowful end from the stand
point of some and a gladstone one to 9TH
ers, who. without a place Of temptation.
kept their money in their pockets, where 1t
would do them some good.
For years this famous gambling resort,
which passed In its checks suddenly,
was one of the best known and patronized
in the country. 1t not only had a large To-
cal patronage, but the sports from the east
and the west. when good thing at one OF
the respective tracks was to be pulled Of.
ffties and centuries and sometimes leave
them in the old wooden shell of a building
to go later into the little black satchel, or
they would draw heavily upon the house
bank. as the case may be, and take the
night train for home.
"And with It's passing, those of the local
fraternity who cherished the delusion that
they could beat the ponies at their own
game turned to the handbooks In town to
go it, even more blindly, away from the
track and scene of action, than In the pool
room, where the names OF the horses, the
jockeys. the weights. the scratches OF the
entries. the odds. the starts and finishes and
many other minor details Of the days
events at the tracks. sometimes three and
four different ones. were posted and chalk
ed on the long row OF blackboards which
covered one side of the wide building.
What Handbook Play Is.
1.-The local handbook men, therefore,
had no tears especially to shed at the de-
mise of the Virginia pool room. Handbook
play Is a very peculiar one and one that is
not generally understood except by the ex-
perienced on both sides Of the game. The
first requisite Is the books bank roll. which
varies anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000: The
next is a place for operation, usually In
some cigar billiard and pool room or sa-
loon. and then follow the necessary custom
ers or players. and security of action from
the police and detectives who are constant
ly on the lookout to make arrests In these
instances.
Much of the business is collected by the
runners Of the book. some books having
but one runner and others two or three. A
runner is not necessarily man who runs.
though on the race track the runner of
book is the livelest thing on the grounds
except the ponies themselves. The runner
of handbook in a city walks around from
man to MANTLE customers of book-who
may desire to make regular or spasmodlc
play or stands around In certain known
places and accepts bets or plays from
those he knows, but he never runs unless
the police are after him. and for this rea-
son his name might appropriately be chang
ed to the books turtle.
The turtle receives a daily commission
t. yiDcT
cent of the total sum played. and turtles
with good clientele when business Is brisk
make from So to 500 a day, which Is clear
profit to them, as they have no rent or
other expenses. If the turtle gets into
trouble the book is supposed to stand by
him and see him through.
Local Books Hit Hard.
BETS are made in city handbook by
writing the name of the horse upon small
piece of paper with distinguishing mark,
such as a check or a cross or fictitious in
| itial and the amount of money the bet car
| ries noted thereon. like this: Dashaway, So
| to win. Xxx There is no bookkeeping eX-
| cep. the private memorandum of the book
! maker and all documentary evidence Is
avoided to the least possibility on account
| of it being used against the Doohmaker III
| the case OF arrest.
! Local Books Hit Hard.
| '1ncSo Slips Oh iiciu W tiiS
handbookman when given to him>>person-
! ally by the player, turned over to him
at the end of the days play-which is just
before the hour fixed for the first race of
the day at the various tracks. according
to the eastern and western time-by the
| turtle for several days thereafter for fu-
J ture reference. You see, players often
make mistakes in the names of their selec-
| tons, or in the amount which they may
cla hay
| arise as TO which side is correct, and where
neither can agree the decision Is lett TO
| some sporting paper These slips are com
pared with the racing charts the follow
| ing morning in some sporting paper &C
cepted by both parties, and the winning
| bets are paid off accordingly. or the amount
retained by the boOkmaker, as the case
may he.
"rhe local handbooks in town this sum-
| ncr have received at the hands of a sue
cessful coterie a severe drubblng, or In
sporting parlance, have been burned Soou
! and hard and several have had their en-
| tire bank rolls wiped out. and they have
practically been put out of business. All
! of the handbooks in town, both big and
little, lave more or less been burned py
| these successful sports, some OF the larger
| standing for losses from Sl5,O0J to $ZooJO
while some of the smaller fry have had
holes burned in their rolls ranging from
| s. 900 to $4,000, and all have been touched
| to their grief. OF course,this wasn't done
| in a minute day, but 1t has been
losing summer for the local bookies, as this
one coterie alone is believed to have cleaned
| them out of from $3J,GU9 to $i5,GtJ Oh the
season.
How Detection is Escaped.
"Of course, the question naturally aslei
lis How do the books and their turtles
escape detection and arrest, since the police
are known to be especially active in Wash
ingtdn in suppressing this particular form
of gambling?
| 1.-THE answer is as simple the question
You cannot convict bookmaker excep
upon evidence, and good evidence at that
| for mere suspicion that men are engaged
lin handbooking, or even knowledge of tn
| fact without the documentary evidence
the actual play with the paper and tn
money put up and accepted-doesn't go
in the Police Court, just the same as an.
other violation of the law doesn't stand il
court without the evidence to sustain tn
| charge.
1.-The police have made arrests on sew