The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-11
BIG ODDS PAID
ON STRANGE BET
Sour Old Bookmaker Takes Last Dol
lar From Woman in
Distress.
WRITES OUT TICKET TO WIN
SHE is SURPRISED TO CASH IN
AT 1000 TO I.

1.-THE biggest odds ever paid at a race
track?" repeated the old bookmaker.
"Let me see. There is a little story
connected with the biggest odds I ever
saw that should make interesting read
ing.
1T was in the early eighties and I
was working for Percy Cross at track
near Baltimore. Cross was a very sue
cessfuI man, but he usually took a live
interest in everything about his bust
ness and was always around when
there was something doing.
Just as I was going into the grounds
one day | ran across a little woman
whose features were quite familiar. A
moments reflection and I recalled that
she was the wife of one of nv col
leagues who had been working for
Cross for a long time.
She looked distressed and I stepped
over to her to inquire what troubled
her She told me that her husband was
very i'll and that she had no money.
She then asked me if Cross would help
her Cross was known to be one of the
hardest-hearted and most clOse-fisted
men in the business, and I told her so.
I then dug down into my pocket and
pulled out the last dollar I had and
reached it over to her.
Bookmaker Is Stung.
TT was a little early in the day. and
as there was nothing doing I just sat
around and consumed some cigarettes.
After a while the ring commenced to
hum. Tt was q Zig day and the players
were sending it on their choices hard.
In the first race they stung Cross, and
he was as wild as an insane tiger. He
got il again IN the next race, and to
eVel look at him was more than any of
US had nerve to do.
"As the crowd was cashing in, Mr..
Blanks wife was passing close to our
booth.
Who IS that woman prowling
around here?' inquired Cross, with a
savage grOwLs
That's Blanks wife I volunteered.
Wei. why amt Blank attending to his
bus,ness?' inquired the old lion.
It told him. 'HumDhl' he replied,
why amt his wife nursing him% I told
him that she was looking for assist
ance.
THE incident temporarily closed. The
old man was paying out cash for tick
cts, an occupation that he did not like
very well. To my dismay I saw the lit
tie woman edging up to the box. knew
the mood the old man was in and tried
to office her away. But she come right
along, and approaching the old man,
anded up her dollar. stating that she
Wed to bet on Dolores.
Iow Dolores didn't have n chance.
The old man grOWled at the dollar, but
took it. + started out to make out a
ticket at 30 to 1, when Cross pulled the
pencil oLt of my hand, shuffled after a
ticket and scribbled something on it.
Winner 1000 to I.
THE race started. and believe one
OF the few prayers I ever offered went
on that Dolores. But Dolores wasn't in
it and Topped in about thirty-fVe
lengths back of the others.
II was plying poor Blanks wife,
when she approached the block. I was
just about to turn her away by stating
that Dolores had not won, when the
old man said, Hold, young 'un.' is
that the way you attend to business
Whoever told you to turn any one away
from here before looking at the tick
ets?
7 stammCred something about Do
Iores. The old man told me to read the
ticket. I had much trouble Unwrappine
it, as she had it all folded up in .
handkerchief.
zone glance at the ticket prompted
another, and still another, and my eyes
opened to the size of Q saucer when
beheld in plain figures:
THE WINNER-1.G0 COO to l.
y erasped at the old man. but he was
some. I said, DO you know what that
calls fOr2' 10 Blanks wife. She re-
piled. NO sir; I never bet before
"Out of the cash box 7 picked ten
crisp 500 bills and stuck them into her
hand besides the original silver dollar
She gave a little cry of JOY and burst
into tears. 7 got a little speck Of dust in
my own eye just then and I saw the
old man digging his horny knuckles
into his optics.
After that we all voted the old man
a rather gOOd sort way down deep"