The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-02
race track gambler saw ut aud NM
self took an appeal
Nh Protection for Victims.

race track gambler saw At aud him
lself took an appeal
No protection for Victims.
section II Of the act permits per-
son who has been fleeced by 'ie
! gamblers to bring n civil actioh 70
recover the money. This is case Oh
bringing a suit against a begsar ana
recovering louise, as 1T Is not only
! impossible TO find os.t the man VINO
! gets the money, but the man VINO ae-
| lually takes the money ior the Pr Pc,
| could be reatned by execution In
| civil suit The section winch makes
III n penalty to exchange, denver, OF
transfer IL memorandum or paper as
evidence Of q bet, has no value WHAT
ever, because. as practieed NJ many
OF the race tracks now, where gamp-
| ling laws are in force In other states,
record or meinora ndum but an accom-
lpllce standing behind him, makes the
memorandum Immediately afterwards,
follows the stranger who ma kes tho
wager. and collects the amount wager
| ed from him in all cases. where tne
stranger making the bet Is unknown
TO the bookmakers. Where the person
making the wager Is known 10 tie
| booknakers, the accomplice sthnuins
| back of the booktnaker who makes the
| memorandum does not require any
cash payment upon the bet, ana .ne
| amount lost or won Is paid as a hla 1,,i
ter of honor at different pace, anu
! after the race Is over. Under TINS sec
ton of the act also, the man VINO
wishes to bet with professional pook,
maker gives his money to the thlrd
! party outside of the grounds, where
| the memorandum is made, or no pays
| the money inside the grounds and
makes the memorandum himself where
he cannot be detected.
/
| You will notice this outrageous pro-
| vision of section L. which makes 1t
an offensc only to make the memo
randum. or wager. or bet upon a
race course" so that book making can
be carried on with impunity imme-
diately outside of the race course
grounds, or at any place contiguous
thereto or elsewhere, and tbs book
maker can make books in Richmond
upon races being held anywhere in the
state under the provision OF section
IL of this act without committing any
onense, provided the race is being held
! the horse breeders commission. Sec
4 ton 13 OF the act not only contains
all the bad provisions of section IL,
but is adroitly drafted so as to apply
only to pool selling" which, as ! said
before, is an obsolete form of book
/ making, not followed by race-track
gamblers how, and, this section would
be construed ythe courts, following
4 plying to any form of race-track gam
bling, or book making. except pool-
selling, or French INITIALS as II Is
called. II would be better If bill
stricken from it every reference to
! pool selling, book making and betting
and gambling.
4 No act that the Assembly could pass
! could strike n harder blow at the legi-
innate business of the State. and at
4 the business men of every county In
the state, than the act under consid-
Grafton. The history OF race track
a history of open defiance of law, ut
i, ter disregard for public morals, and
a shameful record of corruptng public
officials. 1t has been the direct cause
geries. entertainments. suicides and
murders. 1t has been an open tempta-
ton to young men to dishonesty; 1t has
undermined business institutions, and
brought ruin and poverty upon thou
sands of individuals.
Crimes Follow Racing.
Almost every State In the Union has
laws against this form of gambling,
and L might say that all other gam
bling put together is not capable of
doing the harm that is done on the
track during single meeting.
Recently New York newspaper
published whole column filled with
crimes OF every character including en-
bezzlements, suicides and murder com
mitted within the last year because
of race-track gambling in the vicinity
OF New York, and this same news
. paper stated that defalcations, suicides
and robberies followed the meetings at
every race course.
There is nothing in the bill to pre-
. vent the professional gambler from
displaying odds upon races in any
manner he chooses at every race course,
provided he does not record" any
bet or wager upon any race-course. He
may hang out sign as bookmaker
and though he may be the most no.
, prevent him plying his trade upon
the race-track without fear of punish.
Htent he NAV go around the grounds
as z walking 5oGkmakcr. and IL he
does not traafter papers or documents
: OF any Efrt. az eannot be touched.
, II PerEatrs avery kind of race track
gambling EXCEPT open booking of bets
and even fas 1ls= open booking of bets
and no satisfactory forum where VIC
!, laiIous OK tss lar may be tried
nave r=eord before me of crime!
3 following tas races committed in one
: year Taiz record shows 1873 person!
shoe or stabbed twenty-four suicides
six attempted suicides sixty murders
two cases Of Insanity, and sixty-eigh
young men ruined by betting on hors
+ races Among the crimes to get none,
K by gambling were: Two burglaries
a eigE1eenforgeries eighty five EN- bezzle
e ments and thirty-two trusted employe
d who became fugitiyes from justic,
= This same record shows over SO 600, 90
= efnbezzled throughout the country dur
X Ing period of one year by those VIII
! were the victims of race-track gam
Ia bling.
i'll CRANDAI. MACKEY.
al Attorney for the Commonwealth. Alex
q andria county, Va.
lc
Z death CHEATS GALL nWs