The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-17
POOLROOMS CUT CLEAN OUT.
JOCKEY CLUE LEASES THE WIRES
AT AOUEDUCT.
Belmont's Promise to the Conference Of
Religions Kept So Literally That There.
wss Nothing Doing in Town-Rooms
Can't Bet When Results Are Held UP

The Jockey Clubs promise to cut of
racetrack information from the city pool.
rooms was carried out yesterday when
the telegraph wires at the Aqueduct track
passed into the control Of the Queens County
Jockey Club. Poolroorn agents who wenh
to the track prepared to send the
usual information as to starters, Jockeys
o~verweights, odds and the finish OF each
race, quickly learned that they were up
against it. The telegraph Office was there
just the same, but 1t was In the charge OF
Pinkerton men who acted as oensors and
did not permit a line OF matter to be sent
until 1T had first been carefully inspected
by them. The telegraph blanks, minus
the Western Union heading, had this notioa
printed on the back:
1t is agreed between the sender Of the foregoing
message and the Queens County Jockey Club that
the same is accepted by the said Queens County
Jockey Club as the sender's agent, without liability.
for the purpose OF transferring tho same to the
Western Union Telegraph Company. subject TO
all the rules and regulations of said company. ana
In particular to tho terms and conditions OF said
company's regular blank. known as Form No. :.
The regular Western Union sign over
the telegraph office had been taken down
and one that read Bureau Of Information
and Investigation" had been substituted.
In other words, the Aqueduct track
officials, under the direction OF the Jockey
Club, had leased the wires from the Western
Union, go that they were able to assume
absolute control of them. The oensors
would not permit advance information
Of any sort to be wired from the rack and
also held back the result of each race for
perhaps thirty minutes. Furthermore. a
new rule was enforced which prevented
the announcement Of scratches. over
weights and jockeys even to patrons OF the
track until a half hour before each race.
At 2 o'clock, for instance, the bookmakers
In the ring did not know the starters or
jockeys in the first race, which was run
a half hour later, so that they could not do
business. Even the telephones inside this
track were under surveillance and nc in
formation could get over them to the out
side world.
AS soon as the poolroom agents found
out the real situation some hurried ont OF
the track, to ~neighboring telephones, but
there werH not enough instruments to go
around, and this method of keeping the city
rooms informed was naturally inefective.
The Pinkertons also kept a sharp watch
on all such runners, and when they at
tempted to reenter the track they were
stopped. The newspaper reports of the
races were held UP as well as private mes
sages, and in every possible way the scheme
to kill of the poolrooms was carried out.
This scheme, if kept up, will kill the city
rooms said a well known speculator.
Just 30 long as the rooms cannot get adj
vance information, together with the flash
Of each result Immediately after the running
Of a race, the business will not be worth
the candle. By holding back the results
the Jockey Club makes it possible for in
dividuals at the track to get word to friends
outside just what horse has won, so that
bets can be made in poolrooms on this
particular horse before the official result
comes in. With a censor holding back
all kilograms to poolrooms, what are these
places going to do for information
1T will drive them to greater expense
in using extra runners and telephones
outside Of the gates. AS the Western
Union has leased the racetraok wires to
the Jockey Club people there is no chance
to tap these wires on a nearby telegraph
pole. as was lone when the Brooklyn
Jockey Club some years g barred the
Western Union from the Gravesend track.
Then 1t was a fight between the telegraph
company and the track and the former
won, because the wires were easily used
when the necessary information had been
thrown over the fences to the operators.
Under this scheme the Western Union is
appeased with a revenue and the track
people employ the operators who send
messages according to ORDERS
Three weeks ago THE SUN exclusively
announced this policy on the part Of the
Jockey Club. At that time 1t was thought
best to out the wires out OF the tracks en-
tirely, but when the trouble at Gravesend
was recalled it was deoided to olinch
matters by leasing the wires outright, and
thereby avoiding q conflict with the tele-
graph This policy was b re-
suit OF q promise by a committee repre-
senting the Jockey Club stewards made
to the Rev. DR.. Thomas r. Slioer, represent
ing the State Conference Of Religions.
1t was shown to DR.. Slicer that the pool
rooms would receive direct benefit from
the passage Of the Cass'dy-Lansing anti
racetrack betting bill, and when DR.. Slicer
agreed to withdraw his support from the
measure the Jockey Club in turn promised
to suppress the poolrooms, at the same
time instituting many reforms looking
toward the reduction Of raoetrack specula-
ton to a minimum.
we have aimed a blow at the pool
rooms" said a representative Of the club
yesterday, and it is all in the interest Of the
turf. Those who can afford to come to the
track and bet on the horses are a different
class from the clerks and boys who cannot
spare the money to play the races in this
poolrooms. II the rooms can thrive under
the present arrangement, that will be their
good fortune, but we believe that they will
soon be forced to close. The present
policy will be adhered to permanently
and each track will exercise censorship
over the ends Of the wires in It's enclosure
--SoneSe&tAaHpoolroom mep were talking
about going to law, but this WIN not worry
the raoetraok people a particle. Peter
De Lacy. who has been making trouble for
the Jockey Club for a number Of years in
the interests Of the poolrooms, may take a
hand in another attempt to stir up a fuss;
but last night he was not inclined to talk.