Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-02
EXTRAvAGANt HABITS RESULT
IN POVERTY
Once Famous Pony Pilot 5ees Pit.
tanee to Place With the Bookies.
Paid Homage to the FIow-
ing Bowl

Hb OI0tI uuN Ut NrEdNeSenu ITdCk
| New York. a well known owner of thor
oughbreds who had raced at Ascot dur
ing the winter season, was caught in a
reminiscent mood and gave vent to his
reflections regarding the pony pilots.
| Il was maced at Los Angeles for a
| 81 note by little sad mite. of q man
who only a few years ago used to have
| columns written about his midget per-
sonality in the sporting sections of the
American newspapers every day
made 1t ten-spot because the sight
of the little chap down to that pass
made me a bit gulpy. l knew he'd tod
die right away to the bookies stand
and bet the sawbuck in 81 installments,
but that made no ditference-I felt
| sorry for him.
He bet it all right in the two-spot
allotments, and he didn't win a bet out
of it, But that isn't the story. The
story is that that sad little mite of d
man-he isn't much above his majority
even now-was noted American
Jockey few years ago. He wasn't the
actual premier of any year, hut he
was among the cracks of the pigskin,
and $4,000 or $4,000 a year wasn't any
big yank-down for him, leaving out of
consideration the big bets he won right
along through inside connections.
High Life Kills
But he wouldn't behave. He fell to
fumbling in his prosperous teen-age
/. with the old juice that throws em all,
high and low, big intellect and pin
head grounding, ii they stay with it.
He got his monkey eyes on the shapely
ones of the extravaganzas. He drifted
into shady turf company, and these
driftwood characters of the game bled
him and then showed him the 'advan
tages of the strong-arm business. He
began pulling 'em, diScreetly at first,
and then in so raw a way that he
wouldn't mind snatching 'em right
under the judges stand at the finish
ing wire.
''Of course, the mallet fell on him.
He was ruled off the turf. There was
never any chance for him to be rein
stated even if his habits hadn't become
impossible. And so now he is seedy,
mottle-faced, cigarette-eating, mser-
able little piece of man, shambling
wraith-like around the coast tracks,
boning old friends for little notes-this
boy, who in his four or five years of
riding cleaned up perhaps $125,OOO, and
had comfort, not to say opulence, in his
grasp as firmly as any tooth in his
head.
well, on my way here 1 stopped off
and there l met up with another jockey
of the former time-a jockey of the
period of eight years or so ago. This
one was never quite a premier, either,
but he was a boy that any wise owner
liked to see on his horse when busi-
ness was meant. He'd pick up about
the same amount of coin as the one l
met in Los Angeles during his riding
career, but he'd been obliged to quit
on account of increasing weight
well, this one / met in Chicago was
riding around the boulevards in buzz
wagon about the size of an ocean-going
tug. He wore a fur coat that would
make the Russian Grand Duke Goget-
emSky's lamps stick out, and he was
living in a house of his own that had
interiors in 1t fit to compete with those
interiors you see pictured in the maga-
zines Besides the works of art and
bijouterie and things, this house con-
tained as neat little wife as you ever
clapped your eyes upon, four or five
ruddy little boys and girls pranking
around the stairs, enjoying the luxury
their dad had never known until he'd
copped it out himself.
II guess he wasn't a contrast to
the down-and-out little eX-riding man
who boned me for the 50 note in Los
Angeles!
"The one who settled in Chicago
his birthplace-has about doubled his
bank roll earned in the saddle, and
he's there with about quarter of
million, thanks-and you needn't think
l haven't got proper respect for these
six figures because l roll 'em off SO
easily. He's in business, he's got a
rent roll, he takes a little vichy
milk for his, please, when he gets out
with one of those imbecile 'wine-open'
punches, and he's polished up his mind
and learned how to dip into books in
telligently.
He can call the turn on a good book
or a bad one, a good bronze or a punk
one, and he knows a whole heap of
things about what is going on of gen.
eral human interest in the world we
live in. And yet, before the taking on
of weight forced him from the saddle
he hadn't cent more than the seedy
little wrath of jock I'd staked to the
sawbuck in Los Angeles, and, If any
thing, he hadn't enjoyed the other
mites advantages, not having, in fact.
been quite so able a rider or so brilliant
one, rather.
Does he bet on the horses?
"Well, was just coming to that. Just
for the gag of it-for knew where he
stood in the matter-I said to him:
WOuiO iNOt DcI
"'Pally I'm taking my string on to
the AqIeduet meeting. and I've got two
or three in pickle that are going to
make me hire furniture vans to carry
the dough away. Better pack your bag
and trudge along with me to the town
where the big buildings are. Larks,
you know, and We'll get some of those
right kind of bets down, see?'
"As l say, l only made these obser-
vations to that shrewd little ex-rider
for the fun of II, for l was perfectly
familiar with his attitude on the sub
ject. But his reply was funny.
"Say' he said to me, twisting
around in his automobile seat and point
ing a forefnger at me. femme tell you
something like I'd tell to an old matey
and boss Of mine, which you are.
wouldn't bet on a horse race IL the
president of the Jockey club and all
of the stewards and Judges were to
visit my house i'm the middle of the
night for the purpose of swearing to
me that they would disquaify every
mutt that finished ahead of my 500-to-1
shot. Say and he became even more
energetic with that forefnger, If
there'd be a match at Aqueduct at a
mile and a quarter between Sysonby
carrying a seventy-six pound boy and
no lead pads and the worst old ossi-
fed sausage I'm Bill Daly's stable car