Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-16
One Big Killing.
BY c. c. PETTTS.

BY C. G. PETTIS-
Few members of the great .body of
racegoers at least that portion that
comes under the head of the rank and
file of hackers. have much idea OF tho
strenuous ups and downs OF many OF
our latter-day layers.
MOI so much among bookmakerS prop
err as with those so-called. WI" often
know so little about the business, let
alone its percentage. as TO rely on copy
ing their neighborS' odds. take III more
money on certain horses than their limit
warrants OVERLAPPING themselves and
putting their bank rolls in jeopardy;
one day this week at Gravesehd VII
liam Mearns, the veteral ball player
while making book in the main ring
overland his limit on the mare Iol:alon:
And when he paid off all "outstah-lngs
on the race had Just s-o leit ol HIS
original roll of $4,000.
OF course. this made business on the
rest OF the days races out OF the ques-
ton without a raise" of more coil3teral,
and Mearns was about to close ur shop
when his cashier, David Farney, came
to the rescue.
Said Farney: Look here Bill, have se13
In my clothes. Let me go ahead and DOCK
carefully on this next race and we may get
a break in our favor. III go on the block
and YOU cash in my place
Mearns grabbed at the friendly offer and
became the employe while Farney acted as
boss" On the last three events Farneys
tactics and luck won 81 .O65. Then he loaned
Mcarns the thousand and the latter started
in with that roll the next day In the
next three days Mearns returned Farney
his thousand and won double that amount
besides.
Before the late John Carter of Tennessee,
the popular and respected racing judge, was
burned to death in the Baldwin Hotel fire
at Frisco, he was the central figure of
somewhat similar incident at Sheepshead
Bay in which he came to the rescue of his
racing partner, Bookmaker Virginia Car
roll also deceased, after that worthy had
played out his roll to hor:e named Ben
digo, who won at 100 TO !.
An Eccentric Bookmaker.
Judge Carter at that particular time was
not in the official harness And when out
Of the stand he frequently figured as
moderate speculator on current racing
events. we'll as an owner on small
scale. Having an interest in Aretino Blue
Jeans and other fair performers.
When Carter and ]. ]. Carroll purchased
the horse Blue Jeans on shares they turned
him out for several months for repairs. and
took him up in the fall. sending him 10
Sheepshead Bay. where he came on well in
lS preparation.
Meanwhile Carroll was making book at
the Bay i'm his usual strenuous fashion,
that made his entire ring career selsa-
tioual in more respects than one. Prob
ably no layer OF his day ever met with so
much adverse criticism from his often
abusive treatment OF his ring patrons,
when he Carroll happened to get in
wrong against horse. And yet he was
good bookmakeT and made money in the
business
The day the Hebrews sprung BendiSo on
the layers for a killing there were two
bookmakers at Sheepshead that fell to the
horse with an awful thud. They were A.
NJ Burton of Nashville and Virginia
Carroll. The former opened the black
horse at 80 to /, and as business progressed
heightened the quotation to 100 to l.
Carroll, across the ring. saw Burton's
hoist and followed suit, going to 100 to l.
Most of the other layers had from 40 to