Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-31
SUSPICIOUS OF
CLEAN PAPER MONEY
Bookmakers at Benning Used to
Gummed-Up, Greasy
Currency.
By Clarence L. Cullen.

Most of the bookmakers operating at Ben
ming are very suspicious as to the fresh.
crisp paper money for which Washington Is
noted.
1T looks too good 10 be good" is the way
the suspicious layers express the matter.
They are used to the gummed-up, greasy
currency which Is showed at them at the
New York tracks, and they find 1t pretty
hard to get used to the spick-and span stuff
to which Westinghouse, owing to their
propinquity to the treasury, are SO thor
oughly accustomed. Moreover, a number of
the layers now at Renning who operated at
the New Orleans tracks during the past
winter were stung by showers Of the queer,
a pretty good kind of a $50 note having been
the phOny that most often found It's way to
their tin boxes.
One Of the Benning layers who fell for
quite a large bundle of these $40 phones at
New Orleans was naturally inclined to look
hard at 81 bill and to play feelngses'
with it when a deadnew piece Of paper
change Of that species was handed to him
by an eager little man on the opening day.
The booklets inspection of the double-saw
buck wasn't satisfactory TO him. The bill
looked too good.
ION your way with them pork chop wrap
pers.' he said to the eager little man, hand
ing him back the bill. ME for the mazoom
full o. grease and microbes. l amt takin'
chances with this last edition stuff still wet
from the press.
Say. just spin that SOS it can be trans
lated. won't your came back the eager lit
tie man. apparently sore. Amt you laying
the price you've got chalked up, or what's
the answer
1.-THE answer is eighteen and car fare for
YOU mister" grouched the suspicious
bookie The price goes as it lays, all
right, but 1 amt takin' any chances on
gettin an overload them new kind O.
paper napkins, that's ALL and then the
eager little man looked SO sore that 1t APP
Y.nor nd fnr a he aierhf
take punch at the suspicious chalker. But
he thought better of 1t, crunched his per-
fectly good twenty into his pocket, and
strolled away, observing sardonically to the
crowd around:
What could you expect from one O. them
New York pin-lids, that never see anything
but money out O. the garbage barrel till
they get to Washington"
Forgot His Bookmaker.
The usual number of mountaineering
chaps, who had forgotten the names and
locations of bookmakers with whom they
had made winning bets, wandered discon-
solately around the ring every afternoon,
reciting their griefs to anybody who would
listen to them.
One Of them, huge, numbering German,
who looked like a prosperous sausage manu-
facturer. almost wept as he clomped around
the ring trying to identify a layer with
whom he had made So bet on a II to l
shot that won. 1t Is sad to narrate that
all hands in the ring appeared to actually
enjoy the mans deep sorrow.
What was the booke's name?" a good
many of them asked him, winking at each
other.
IT dond recollection, but tink he vair
a IRISH" was the Germans invariable re-
ply to this question Of his tormentOrs.
''Oh, an Irish Teller. hey?" said one of
them. Well. that's easy-i know the lob
And he led the sorrowlng German over to
the place where Sol Lichtenstein was
standing Sol doesn't look like Hibernian.
The "Cut-Ups."
Some of the local layers had to stand for
the jokishness of the cut-ups. One Of the
Washington chalkers had just put up his
prices when a New York follower Of the
game, who bets big money at times,
crowded his way through the dense mass
stand.
what you laying against the favorite,
mater" he asked the cnalker.
'Six to five and all you want Of It," re-
piled the price-maker.
well. I'll bet you a hundred, pal,", said
the cut-up, extending his right hand.
hundred" and the tease dumped a big
fistful of pennies into the layers open
hand. Then. amid the general laugh, he
darted back through the crowd.
dazed sort of way at the heap Of coppers in
his hand, plainly at a loss whether or not
to Join in the laugh. Then, after his mo-
ment Of hesitation, he tossed the handful
Of cents after the retreating humorist, and
the newsboys and gum-selling lads In the
ring scrambled for the money.
"one" Meant q Thousand.
When the crowd around the stand of one
of the big-store New York bookmakers be-
came SO densely packed that it was all
but impossible for even the most deter.
mined pushers to make their way up to the
slate for a glance at the prices, the book
maker, an irritable parsonage, broke out
wrathfully:
Break away, there. a lot O. you boobs,
and give the bettors a chanst! I'm not talk
ing anything less than Ave bones
Just as the bookmaker finished saying
this, q stocky perspiring individual, wear
ing a colored shirt of q very noisy pattern.
drilled his way into q position directly In
front Of the bookmaker. He had small