New-York tribune., 1908-02-09
CRIMES LAID TO
BETTING ON RACES.
RECORDS SHOH EMBEZ-
ZLERS WERE GAMBLERS.
Police Inspector 4scribes Fifty
Per Cent of Crimes TO Wager
ing on Horses.

In the mad whirl round the bookrnaker's 8
chair at the racetrack there is little time left
sor reflection. Tout. clerk. merchant. politician.
ho-seman capitalist and workingynan push and
shove and twist their way toward the magnet
IN the centre OF the pack. the well thumbed card
on which the odds are constantly changing In
q feverish desire to get down one good bet be-
fore the field is away each pays scant attention
~ his neishbor- And whether il is a crisp bill
.n yellow or the frayed equivalent for 100 cents
in green waving fists are all alike TO the book
-naker-hanknoies 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
srord TO lose. and modest ones" and ''twcs"
and -fves' passed up by the innocent pliers"
Good things. sure things. sound racing judg-
,oeut reckless plunges stable tips owners tips
and killings" picked cut Of the dope sheets
all contribute their influence 10 swell the thou
SANDS or dollars that pour into the betting ring
before each race on the programme.
What proportions OF il represent respectively
the recreation OF the well-to-do. the pilferings
q. the dishonest. the wages of the poor OF the ill
gotten gains % the vicious viii never probably
he accurately known. Surety companies how
ever. are on record with the fact that racetrack
gambling has caused between 80 and 30 per
cent Of the enlbezzlenlents each year in the last
eight. Playing the ponies according to the
officers Of these companies. mas been responsible
for the undoing Of hundreds of employees in re-
sponsible places. Some Of these defalcations
become public, DIT the greater number do not
tho surety oorarany on the bond in each case
making good l-le loss and recording the same
only on its private records.
In 1907 in New York State alone 20 ne- cen.
~ the total sl416,213 enbezzled, il is stated bv
foes q the system has been traced TO the bulg-
f-r xz-rl7eS ~ the FooESr-1a lzers Map,- of
losses entered on the books of the surety COM
pa-es do not give details Of the embezzlemeats
but il more than probable. say those who
seek 10 abolish betting on horse races. that were
the facts known raoetracil gambling would
claim an even higher percentage of the causes
listed. 4 leaf from, the record of these bonding
companies fo- 1907 shows the following entries:
IaHua-v 2c-ESpress company clerk charged
with stealing Sl6.o9o confessed that horses were
the cause q his ruin
March Ij-paying teller of bank in rleaS
ins guilty 10 taking $4,000 said that booknak-
e-s had il all
March ef-Bookkeeper Of theatre found
short $1,000 in his accounts confessed he had
been playing the races
April s-DTug clerk takes Sill 10 gamble at
June s-Clerk robs his employer Of from
s-oooe 70 S5e.0p9 with which to work ont svs
tens from good things" offered by the dope
June 9-Theat-e cashier short $4,000. which
he lost al racerrack
Jgne io-Tre2sUrer of a. benevolent f,nd
FOUND short of $3.50. which he had used in
Wagers With bo0knakers
Iuly l3-Enol7ye OF a betting commits
soner Al racetrack bet 50 00o on the horses
arc vas senc Jail.
august l@-CaShie- OF business house rook
<4..Voo al einployers money 10 follow the races
AugusI ls-Bank cashier found short OF sI2-
'Fy which ne had lost at racetrack and in dis
slIaton Nth sporting friends
August &2-Bookkeeper for BROOKLYN concern /
found 10 nave owed 1870 Of money inrrusied /
10 him IN playing races
Vltooef 5-tur house goes into bankruptcy /
Z! fLa-.rer taxing So.vOO and losing al rsces