Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
SOME STORIES Of
BETS At BENN|Nc
How Luck Sometimes Favors
Those Who Know Nothing at
Ali About the Game.
Radge-SeIIers Tell About the
Number-PIaying System
Adopted by Some.


chance and make book at the Bennine
meeting-if booking at Benning Is really
taking chance-was telling the other day
about an exceedigly over-ripe citron which
he handed himself few years ago while on
the block
1t was on the day when Mary Glenn
streaked home with anything up to 200 to ]
plastered against her chance.
A short time before the horses were due
to be off In that race an extremely black
dinge sided up to the stool where this
WASHINGTON man was booking, passed over
$40 note that looked as If woodchucks
had been using it for alternating nest
and said:
"Ah'm uh.tekkin. dis heah seaforth
hawss. mistuh."
I'm not laying anything against that
one, replied the bookie. There isn't any
jockey for Seaforth yet, and probably that
ones going to be scratched.
The dlnge scratched his head reflectively
muttering that he sure had heard lot
about. Seaforth. and that he'd expected to
fall for that one. But he was a person
with an elastic mind, and wasn't afflicted
to any noticeable extent. with the thing
called fixed ideas.
well. boss. "Nhe said to the layer, "At
guess Ah'll play de mex hawss on yo' alrs
list
The next horse on the card, the name
printed below that Of the doubtful starter
Seaforth. was Mary Glenn, and the Wash.
ington layer had 80 to chalked up against
her. not unreasonable figure, consider
ing that the race included such shifty ones
for Washington race meeting, as Foxy
Kane, Young Henry. Poseur and Thistle
Heather.
The Washington layer laughed over the
darkey's complaisant acceptance Of ''de
mex hawss'' on the program for his ten.
spot. laugh in which all of the men gath.
cred around the stool Joined.
Mary Glenn fifteen hundred to ten" the
a rQ1 cd nfP fn 10 chn
just at that instant Jack Adler, the RING
announcer. burst into the ring with his
They're OFF, howl.
Just about minute and third later
top Of the board. Seaforth, the one the
dinge had wanted to play, started in the
race after all, finishing a punk last In
telling the story the Washington man who
used to make a book at Benning confesses
that for the remainder of that day he was
unfit to be heard by respectable persons.
Tip Unwittingly Given.
The ex-bookies story-it was a tanning
bee of horse bugs-reminded one Of the
lous Washington saloon keeper at the
Washington track a few years ago. This
cafe proprietor took stock in almost any
old kind of a paddock tip, no matter what
Its origin or whence Its source. One day
at meeting two or three years ago he was
standing near the saddling Enclosure when
fat, black cook emerged from the appren-
tice Jockeys eating house. wiping his hands
on his apron The saloon keeper imme-
diately chirked up and looked interested
The black cook bore down upon the
credulous one.
Boss" he whispered to the saloon man,
dey's uh po'cupine in dis heah race whuy
am uh-gwine tub fill he alrs quilts full O.
air an jes' nachully sail home alone"
Say, is that sO?" inquired the cafe man,
swelling up at the prospect of getting some
as the jockeys cook. what's its names s'
"Ah'n tell yo' all, sub, eff yo' all uhgrees
tub put uh five-case note on de baby TO
me-" replied the cook.
saloon man, all but GREATNESS with excite
ment by this time Sure 1 will. Hurry
up-they'n be going to the post in min
Ute What's the horses name?"
TITS dat colt Massa O. Mistuh Griffin's' u
answered the black cook. Man, de way
Massa's dun been uh-wigglin' he all's toes
eroun' desc groun's in his wuk-outs is jes
scan'lous, suh-scan'lous."
"Massa, hey?" excitedly said the saloon
man, running his eye down the program
"All right, I'll play that one and put five
on for you," and he started at a lope for
the betting ring.
The black cook grinned as soon as the
saloon mans back was turned. and winked
at group Of stable hands standing near
Mail another live one, Mose?" one of the
stable hands asked the cook.
"Dey amt no way TO- me tub lose on his
heah race" replied the cook still grnning
"Dey's seventeen hawsses tub go, an Alive
got some soft mahk uh-playin' evuhy one
O. 'em. Eff All don't elect some O. de coon
skins. yo' all kin tuhn me out tub Craze 70
| a Jonahdoo nigguh."
In the meantime the saloon man was all
| but knocking people down in his wild effori
| to reach the betting ring before the horses
| got away from the post He had Just sue.
ceeded in getting $50 down, In five difleren,
| books, all at so to l, on Massa, straight
] when the unwieldy field Of maiden two.
year-olds swept away from the barrier or
| a line to a perfect start.
And Massa won OF by himself watkins
away from the favorite, one of Madden'i
| good thing colts. and the credulous saloon.
| keeper took down 1900 of exceedingly soft
| money. He gave the black cook $500 10,
| his bit. Nobody has been able to convinct
| that saloonkeeper yet that on that occasion
| he wasn't one of the few recipients of the
] juiciest, cinchiest and sacredest tin al
that Benning meeting.
Coppered the Wise Predictions.
The recital of this one about the blac,
cook and the credulous saloonkeepe,
brought another Of the horse bugs to thu
| fore with a little narrative about a pig
headed motorman.
| The motorman was employed on the troi
/ ley line leading to the track and he hat
| been suspended for day for not nlakinf
/ time with his car on the in-trip from tn,
| track. He put in ais day OF at the races
He had his weeks pay In his pocket, but h.
I stayed of the first two races and hovere(
| around the beer inter for his. He wa!