The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-01
SARATOGA SHERIFF ON TRIAL
LAYDLAW AGENT TELLS OF BETS
ON "FANCY BIRDS"
Brooklyn Man Hired to Get Evidence at
Track Testines Before Commissioner
echurman-eays He Got Bets Down.
but DIDN'T Report to the Sheriff.

nE0Df1yu M0u btfbu " wv hNtIChCO ~
Track Testines Before Commissioner
echurman-eays He Got BETS Down.
but DIDN'T Report to the Sheriff
SARATOGA. Aug, s1.-Agents Of District
Attorney Elder Of Kings county and OF
the Rev. DR. Laidlaw. chairman Of the
Anti Raoetrack Gambling Committee, to-
day explained at Ballston Spa how betting
was conducted at the ACE meeting Of the
Saratoga association this year under the
Agnew- Hart anti-raoetrack gambling law
The Witnesses were called by DR.. Leidlaw
to sustain the charges he has made against
Sheriff Bradley Of Saratoga county fol
permitting gambling at the track this
summer. The hearing was before the
Governors commissioner. George W
sohurman Of New York city. DR.. Laid
law was represented by Louis Marshall OF
New York. Sheriff Bradley's attorney
was OK Estate Senator Edgar T. Brackett
The two witnesses sworn to-day were
Oscar Jones Of 2i1 Schemerhorn street.
Brooklyn, and Robert Harry Scott Of 12o
New York avenue. Brooklyn. q graduate
Of Amherst College, on. The story OF
Jones occupied the greater part OF the
day. The witness In explaining how he
came to be connected with the case said
that late In July Of this year he was with
District Attorney Elder at Bath Beach
when the District Attorney received a
letter from DR.. Laidlaw requesting Elder
to recommend two men to send to Sara.
toEa to investigate the conditions there.
Mr.. Elder recommended the wilt
ness, but DR.. Laidlaw was slow. Be.
fore DR.. Laidlaw had replied District
Attorney Elder told Jones, according
to the latter's story, to go to Saratoga
and get some gambling evidence for the
District Attorney. Elder gave Jones
500 for expenses = the latter start Ii,
employment. The sleuth had a hard time
getting evidence the first day. August z,
According to his story he went into
the IS enclosure, walked over the lawns
and grand stand, but could see nobody
betting and couldn't place q bet. That
night when he went back to his boarding
house he struck up an acquaintancs
told his new acquaintance that he would
like to get a bet down buthad been unable
TO do so in the big enclosure.
Schloes Immediately introduced Jones
to a man named aHeine,' a field book.
MAKER The next afternoon Jones went
Into the field where "Heine' was oper.
ating and there made q bet on, every
raoe, he said. Jones declared that he
passed the money openly to the book
maker and that several times he was
solicited by other bookmakers. Every
time he bet the wager was recorded. he
sw ore. All the other bettors openly
passed money, he added.
The next day Jones went into the big
enclosure again. This time he had an
Introduction from Schloss to q book
maker named Fred Brewer, but Brewer
according to the witness, had been -stuna
BY a wefcher' to the extent Of $l1S and
wouldn't do any business with Jones
until he had put up SIS as a deposit. This
amount Jones gave to one OF brower
clerks and then he was permitted to
make bets. The witness declared that
not a cent Of money was Rasses IN th na
betting.
'AfteS 1 had paid Brewer the SIS de,
posit,' he said. she showed me his pro-
gramme with the two words. Fancy
Birds
'"That's the oode.' said Brewer; dom
make any figures on your programme
or you Will be sent oi the grounds
Before each race" continued h wit
uco5t L WouFu 81 up
at the programme. Before the name
Of each horse would 5be letters taken
from the code words. Thus. 'Bayonet
N. F. meant 'Bayonet, 8 10 L.
After looking at the programme
would say, Five dollars on such and
such a horse Brewer would repeat
this to a clerk at his side and the clerk
would write 1t down on his programme
Everybody else was making bets in this
way In little groups These groups all
scattered when I came up to them. Nc
money passed, but we we're paid Oh In
envelopes the next day at the track just
before the races
Jones said that he reported daily to
Elder, but did not report the violation
Of the law TO Sheriff Bradley or the Sara
toga District Attorney. Lately he has
been getting evidence at Empire City
where he swore that the conditions were
not 30 bad as they were at Saratoga,
For his work at Saratoga, where he spent
four days getting evidence. he was paid
IS q day by both Mr.. Elder and DR.. Laid
law and each OF his employers paid his
expenses.
row at Saratoga.
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