The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-18
GOSSIP OF TEE RACETRACK
MIR, ELDERS PRIVATE SLEUTHS,
AIDED BY WOMEN, GET BUSY.

New Methods Employed to Trap Unwary
Oral Bettors At Grayesend-Rulnored
Presence OF Grand Jurors-Suit
Against the Brighton Management.
Private detectives said to /be in the
employ Of Assistant District Attorney
Elder Of Kings county were extremely busy
at the Gravesend track yesterday. There
were q dozen or more OF them, and they
acted independently Of the sleuths under
the direction OF Lieuts. I.angan and Won
Wagner Furthermore they had the as
~ststance OF a dozen women. a new method
OF procedure In the crusade against race
track speculation. II appears that these
private detectives were Mt the track on
Wednesday after Mr.. Elder had had q long
session with the Grand JURY In Brooklyn.
After the races the sleuths followed several
alleged professional bookmakers into the
trolley cars for the purpose of catching
them IN the act OF settling up Under
the BischoT decision 1t Is not only legal TO
make oral wagers. say the racetrack
attorneys. but there Is nothing wrong or
Illegal In paying such bets after the races:
but the private detectives seemed 10 be sure
that thcy we're on the track OF violators OF
the law.
Jus. after the Hrs, race hal been run
at Crayesend yesterday IL became noised
about thai the Elder sieuths had brought
adozeu women with them to secure what was
expected 20. be conclusive proof that the
Law Is being violated. II was said on ex-
celIent authority that these women, after
receivln; ius.ructlo1s from the sleuths
as to what horse should be played, took out
cash and tried to Induce inen who sat near
them To make wagers with alleged book
makers who stood in front OF Inc grand
stand. Il was said that several OF the
m were accommodated In this manner
and that as soon as the men carried the
yaSers 10 the supposed layers they were
tyailed by the detectives End then the lay
ers were, followed 10 the cars. 1t did not
take long for the news OF this novel, plan
10 spread aud soon the crowd WIS busily
engaged in looking for the supposed female
stool pigeons.
II was also rl1mored that several members
OF the Eings county Grand Jury were at the
track looking over the conditions there
fOf possible action. while there WIS another
report that a num'er of alleged layers
woIld be served With suhp@n1s to-day.
The Police Depart nent had the usual num-
Der of bluecosts and plain clothes men on
duty. but no arrests were made by them.
One OF the police offici lls In charge said:
There is no evidence of bookma kin or
poolseliing here. Neither Is there any legal
proof that bets are Being recorded. No
odds are dis aged and no ca sh bets are made.
II the so-calied private detectives can set
discriminating. evidence. why don't they
make arrests? If IL is true that they have
women here to trap the unwary II is going
a long way to hunt up evidence to get con-
yictions. We have had our men watch vari-
Gus persons who we're once bookmakers
but they report that il Is impossible to dis
cover anything In their actions that smaoks
OF q violation Of the law. Everybody seems
to.be anxious to live up to the decisions OF
the Supreme Court. which the Police De-
pertinent Is bound to respect"
William Wills. one of the racetrack at
torneys said yesterday that he had made
an application to Judge w. c. Plat OF White
Plains to have the cases of the alleged book
makers arrested at the Empire City meet
ing transferred from the court OF Special
Sessions in Yonkers to the Westminster
county Grand Jury. Lawyer Wills also
said that he believed his motion would he
granted. in which event the alleged book
makers will probably DO indicted and tried
before a jury some time next month.
Roxie Angarola, a we'll known horsen,an
and q friend OF Big Tim Sullivan. caused a
furry in the clubhouse ut the track yester-
day when he offered to bet any part Of
$t0,OOo ut even money that Chanler would
be elected Governor. As nobody wanted
to bet against Chanler. Angarola said that
he would try to place all Of this commission
In this city.
q. q. Tonipkins, the steeplechase owner.
said yesterday that he had instructed his
attorneys to bring suit against the Brigh-
ton Reach Racing Association for purses
won at the recent summer meeting by his
horse Jimmie Lane and others. Tomp-
kins said that he had tried on several &C.
casions TO collect the money. but that he
had heen unsuccessful. 1t Is said that
other owners to whom purses are owed
will resort to similar proceedings.
The steeplechase yesterday was one
= OF the toughest ever seen pn u local track.
Donohue, who rode Caller, the second horse.
weat before the stewards with a protest
against Pirate. alleging that Mckinney.
who rode the latter. purposely carried
Caller wide. When Donohue left the stew
ards stand Davidson. who had the mount
on Sandy Creeker. fled a protest against
Caller setting forth that the lutter had
carried Sandy Creeker into a wing Of one
of the jumps. II the stewards had dis
qualified both Pirate and caller Old
Grandpa would have been the winner.
with Sandy treeker second and Paprika
third, hut after q long delay the red board
went UP with no alteration In the original
placing.
Few who made Gretna Green the fsvorite
IN the handicap knew that ne had Oeen
recently -nerved." IL was also n fact
that the crowd In general did not look for
a bad ride on the former Keene gelding.
How ever. the defeat of Gretne Green did
not help the shrewd combination that made
oral vagers on G.. j.. Ellisonis Don Enrique.
Tourennes performance in this race was
a distinct form reversal. Altogether II
was a queer looking race, with Far West
surprising all the wise men.
Peter Ounce. for whom s. &. Hildreth
p paid SIS 200 at the recent ieene sale, won
his FIRST race in his new owners colors when
he ran on with the Culver Handicap. The
Commando gelding gave nine pounds to
King Cobalt, twenty-one to the two-year-
old Field Mouse. eight to De Mund. seven
teen to Fountainblue, twenty-five to Ben
Ban, and met Baby Wolf. the added starter.
ON even terms. Peter Ounces share OF the
stakes was ti.5OO.