The Washington herald., 1908-02-16

merchant, politician, hOTSeman. Capital-
ist, and workingman push and shove and
twist their way toward the magnet in tho
center Of the pack, the welI-thumbed
card on which the odds are constantly
changing. In a feverish desire to get
down one good bet before the field is
away each pays scant attention to his
neighbor. And whether It is crisp bill
in yellow or the frayed equivalent for
IVe cents in green. waving fists are all
alike 20 the Observation-Disclosures Of the
coupon cutters, fat rolls Of the sporting
men, money with the taint of crime
hard earned wages Of those who can i'll
afford 10 lose, and modest zones" and
''twos" and "hves" passed up by the
innocent "pikers" Good things, sure
things. sound racing judgment reckless
plunges, stable tips, owners tips, and
killings" picked out of the dope sheets
all contribute their influence 10 swell the
thousands Of dollars that pour into the
betting ring before each race on the
programme, says the New York Tribune.
What proportion Of it represents re-
spectively the recreation Of the well-to-
do, the pnferings Of the dishonest. the
wages of the poor, or the i'll gotten gains
Of the vicious viii never probably be
accurately known. Surety companies,
however, are on record with the fact that
race track gambling has caused between
% and 30 per cent OF the embezzlements
each year in the last eight
Ponies Are Responsible.
playing the ponies according to the
oncers OF these companies. has been
responsible FOR the Undoing of hundreds
OF employees in responsible places. Some
4 OF these defalCatiOns become public, but
the greater number do not. the surety
company on the bond in each case max
ing good the loss and recording the same
only on its private records.
In 1907 I'm New York State alone 80 per
cent Of the total of SL47G273 embezzled.
IL is stated by foes Of the system. has
been traced 10 the bulgiug satchels Of the
bo0kmakers, Many Of the losses entered
on the books of the surety companies do
not give details Of the embezzlements
but it is more than probable. say those
who seek 10 abolish betting on horse
races, that were the facts known race
track gambling would claim an even
higher percentage Of the causes listed.
Bonding FIRMS Record.
4 leaf from the record Of these bonding
companies for 1907 shows the following
entries
January z-Ezrressf company clerk. charged with
stealing 5C9, confessed that horses were the cause
Of his ruin.
March u-Paying teller Of hank. in pleading
guilty TO taking y25000, said that bookmakers had
it all
March 2l-Boobkeerer of theater found short
$500 in his aocounts, confessed he had been play
ing the races
April s-DTug clerk takes Sill to gamble at 1aoe
tracks
June s-Cerk robs his employer Of from 5000
20 $1,000 with which 10 Work cut systems from
good things" offered by the dope sheets.
June s-Iheater cashier short s0@e, which he
lost at race track.
June IO-Treasurer Of benevolent fund found
short e 2.6.5, which he lad used ia wagers with
bookmake7s.
race track bet 5000 On the horses and vas sent
60 Jail.
August la-Cashier Of business house took $1,000
OF employers money 10 follow the races
August E-Bank cashier found short Of Sl2o00 /
which he hal lost at track and IN dissipation
with sporting friends.
August @.-Bo0kkeeper for Brooklyn concern found
n have owed Sl,970 Of money intrusted 70 him IN
October 5-Fy7 house goes into bankruptcy By
partner taking sen and losing at races
Police Inspectors Estimate.
hf-t-AN NliN sure ADAitiltLAA4eo aiH Nlll4LE l
TO make such conservative statements on
the bad moral influence of race track |
gambling some officers OF the law credit |
even higher percentage of crime to the !
betting ring. and these men. from asso- !
ciation generally know whereof they
speak a New York inspector Of police /
IS authority for the statement that 30 per j
cent of all the theft, embezzement, forg-
cry. highway robbery burglary. suicide |
and murder committed In New York is I
the direct growth Of the racing game
Turning TO the police records for a /
hasty review Of one year, 1906, these terse |
items catch the eye:
George W. Pollard. cashier Of Hotel Ansonia 4
charged with the theft OF 5000 from his employers
which sim is believed 70 have bean lost at the \
tracks.
''Myron Lewis and wife" as entered On the reg
lister Of the Dry Deck Hotel found dead In their
Eooms The man shot and killed the woman and
then killed himself Cause, tne loss Of 81 100 to
bOokmakers at Belmont PARK track
Frederick Alexander, Of weil-knoTn BTooklyu fam
ly, iVhen Cided Tor mania Of betting on tho races
shot himself az his home, IN the fsshionabla Park
Slope district.
joseph BTockes tckst agent at the FTftv-nipth
street station of the Third avenue elevated railroad
arrested fer stealing S6o. which he had lost to
bookWakeTs
Miss Lillian Demmelt, Of Kansas C8ty. committed
suicide July u by drinking carboic acid az The
Jones cottage after losing heavily at the Sheershesd
Bay race track.
W. w. Sag.,Gd sales manager for Swift & Co
fosInd dead in Elks Club cafe after shooting him
self with revolver, following heavy losses at the
race track.
james r. Heuesy cashier arrested. tried. and
convicted fer theft Of $4,000, which he squandered
in betting ring al race track. Sent to prison.
John William George. d valet arrested for rgbbina |
his employer. Srent his plundcr at the race track
Edward T. Hale and Hauy SmoCk trusted en-
ployes Of MacAndreN5 & Forbes Company arrested
for embezzement and confessed that all the money
stolen had gone 90 the bookmakeTs.
Record Becomes NonOtonOus.
And so the record runs, with the Sc
quence of entries becoming monotonous
before a quarter Of the twelve months
are covered. Here and there through
the file OF years an occasional item more
unusual than the rest holds attention
Among such appears the career Of an
Elizabeth u. j. model a S15-a-week
clerk in banking establishment who
led an exemplary life ia Jersey and was
held up as a type for other struggling
accountants 10 copy. He, however be
came too fastidlOus in mis- model career.
His bank directors began to wonderv how
he could dress so we'll enjoy so many
homely pleasures, and keep an aged
mother and father surrounded with SO
many comforts OF life. William was
shadowed and the dream OF the directors
was broken.
II was discovered that the family was
not the only establishment this SIS clerk 1
was keeping. Across the river in New
York WAS a 81 5nQ fiat and a rraft,- y-ora-