Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-02
CULLEN'S. SPORTY
LETTER OF INTEREST
Characteristic Story of John
Madden and the New Or
leans Track.
By Clarence L. Cullen.

he got into New York recently from q
fortnight's visit at the New Orleans
tracks.
"A few days after I reached New Or
leans he said Il went out TO the track
with a Kentucky friend who'd never visit
ed race track in his>life.
He hadn't kept away from race tracks
because he had any scruples. religious
or otherwise. against the game, but sim
ply because he'd never developed any in
terest in the sport. Knowing this, on the
way out to the track l felt it incumbent
upon me to sort of post him as to some
of the kinks of the game.
Il was most particular to tell him to
dodge the touts who flourish SO thickly at
the New Orleans tracks and not to let
any of these oilers put him on to what
they called their good things. Supposing
] happened to lose him from my side
for a. moment or so. He replied that
he hadn't made up his mind whether he
intended to do any betting or not on
the horses. But he said that one of the
few things that he did know about in
connection with race tracks was that all
OF them were more or less infested with
persuasive touts. and he told me in very
determined terms that he wouldn't fall
for the tips of any of them.
Just before the first race | left him
in the stand to go down to the ring to
see what might be doing on a horse that
I'd owned as a colt. l made a little SEN
timental wager on that one, and when l
got back to the stand I found my Ken
lucky friend in close Capitalization with
a spiderish looking. freckled chap who
had tout stamped all over him. The
tout was telling him the name of the good
thing In the race, and my friend was
nothing but ears. The tout edged In the
usual spiel to. the effect that he had clock
ed the good things morning workouts
for weeks past, and that the skate was
due to trudge home on the bit.
Il tried to give my Bluegrass friend the
nudge, but he was too much interested
in the tout's talk to pay any heed to me.
While I was still trying to give him the
Office a grandstand commissioner passed
near US. and my friend handed him $40
note on the touts 'cinch,' which was
chalked up at 10 to /.
"A sucker and his COIN, / said to my
friend when the tout had got out of ear
range but he only grinned sheepishly and
told me that he kind o. liked the name of
the horse the tout had plugged for so
strongly.
well. the tout's horse won something
easy and the one that I'd made the senti-
mental bet on, at even money, nnished
nowhere.
Looked Like a Lemon.
when the tout came cantering back
to the stand after his tip had gone
through. my friend handed him twenty
dollar-bill as his share of the hauldown.
The spiderish- looking duck took 1t with
rather a grimace probably imagining. as
a good many latter-day touts do imagine,
that he was entitled to at least one-third
Of the cop-out for the information ne
had given But he didn't say anything
to that effect and my friend naturally
enough considered that he'd been fairly
generous with the fellow.
1.-The tout gave him the name OF another
horse for the second race while l was
down in the betting ring, and. in spite of
my warning that it had been only an
accident that the tout had hit it right the
first time. my friend handed out to
grand stand commissioner a $50 note on
the 1tout's selection, getting 10 / for
the coin. He was foxy enough any
how. not to give the tout his money 10
bet for him. although the tout wanted him
TO do so. of course. saying that he could
snag out a better price in the ring.
.'Of course ] scowled heavily upon my
Kentucky friend when l returned TO the
stand and found what he had done, ana
] told him that the touts pick for that
race had no more chance to break into the
money than a fat man had to beat a
locomotive. Yet that horse won away
of by himself with the rest of the field
strung out in the mud a sixteenth of
mile. Again 1 had to endeavor to explain
to my friend that the tout had only
Nghted upon the couple of winners by
the sheerest accident.
when the tout made his appearance in
the stand after the second race my
friend again handed him $50 note, one
fifth of the winning. and again the tout
looked sore when he accepted the bill.
and he was just beginning to tell the win
ner that he thought he ought to have a
bigger divvy on the rake-down when !
hustled off the stand into the betting
ring, feeling satisfied by that time to per-
NIT my friend to paddle his own canoe.
since he didn't appear TO be willing TO
take any part OF my advice as to the rae
ing game.
Hear Him Holler.
Il was still wandering aimlessiy about
the betting ring before the next race.
wondering about things, when 1 found
myself directly behind the spiderish look
ing, freckled tout. who was talking with
one Of his pals. l couldn't help over
hearing what he was saying.
Say. wot dye t'ink.' he was saying to
his matey. that four-fiush up in tn stand
that makes cop out hunneTed t each
o. tn two sprints on his pikin' little bets
on'y slips me a double sawbuck on each
deal, an wen tells him jes' now that me
information Is wort third o. me eli
ents' winnins he on'y gies me tn boot
an tells me that I'm tryin' L josh him.
right. all right. / put him on L tn dead
est one in this bunch, an | seen him soak
In sixty bucks on it wit tn ticket writer
IN tn stand. That's sixty bell never git
another peek at, anyhow. Id rather git
nottin' at all meself than L fizzgig aroun'
an waste me time wit sucn shoemakers.
We'll. / didn't wait around to hear any
more of that. but just hoped into the
stand TO notify my friend of this CONVEX
sation. and to induce him to hedge off on
his $50 bet. IL possible, on one OF the
mud plugs that had some earthly chance
to get into the money
What was the name of the mutt the
tout advised you 10 play l asked my
friend when I reached him.
= Horse by the name of Bell the Cat
he told me. i got 30 10 ! against that
one-Sl. 800 TO S50-and. gee whiz. If ever
won that much money on horse race I'd
pick up my feet and scoot and never stoI
running till ! reached Louisville
We'll | told him. you'd better hedge
out by putting enough on the favorite tc
get your $50 back
Nope replied my friend, I reckon II
stand pat. or course. that tout's trying
to throw me because / haven't given him
the bulk Of what I've won so far. bu,
even IL lose this $50 I'll still be expenses
10 the good ard that'N satisfy me. Neve,
would forgive myself If allowed this
chance 10 win $1.SJ0-great Caesar, just
imagine tito get away from me-
He'd hardly finished before the horses
got away from the post and one of the
bunch went out i'll front at 4 pace that
set the others on their heads. That one
was Bell the Cat. and Bell the Cat jus,
whirled home. without ever being extend.
ed.
Well the numbers had hardly beer
hung out before the tout came rompine