The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-10-06
COney Island and Brooklyn
Jockey Clubs Indicted.
POLICE OFFICERS ALSO NAMED
New York Grand Jury In Thirty-fve
True Bills Deals Heavy Blow
at Practice Of Oral Bet
ting at the Tracks.

New York, Oct. 5.-After two years
Of agitation against race track gam
bling in this state, marked by the pas
sage of the drastic antibetting bill,
generally referred to as the Hart |
Agnew bill, it remained for the Brook
lyn grand jury to write a new chapter
In the crusade when there were hand
ed up in court indictments against the
two big Kings county race tracks,
three police officials, five private detec-
tives and twenty-five bookmakers.
1t was the increase Of "oral betting
conducted by the so called memory
brokers' that resulted in this latest
evidence of Governor Hughes contin-
ued activity and the indictment as cor
porations of the Brooklyn Jockey club
and the Coney Island Jockey club
For some time past 1t was known that
Governor Hughes was dissatisfied with
the apparent increase in oral betting
conducted on a comparatively small
scale during the first part of the racing
season.
Among those indicted are the Coney
Island and Brooklyn Jockey clubs,
charged as corporations with conspir-
acy in allowing betting to go on. This
involves a number of the most promi-
nent supporters of racing in the Unit
ed States. w. X. Vanderbilt owns a
controlling interest in the Coney Island
Jockey club, Of which Schuyler L. Par
sons is president. George Peabody
Wetmore and Mr.. Vanderbilt are vice
presidents The president of the
I Brooklyn Jockey club, which operates
the Gravesend track, is Philip J.
Dwyer.
The police officials indicted for "con-
knowingly permitted the Sheepshead
Bay race track to be used for betting
purposes are Inspector John j. O'Brien,
who is accused also of neglecting his
duty in failing properly to supervise
the work of his subordinates, Ser
geant Hugh Reynolds and Hugh
Meyers Of Inspector O'Brien's per-
sonal staff.
The private detectives arrested are
Seymour Buetler, who was in charge
of the race track force and for years
has been a well known figure to fol-
lowers Of the sport on metropolitan
tracks. and four of his subordinates.
John G. Cavanagh, who for years
has been the dominating figure in the
betting rings of the metropolitan
tracks, leads the list of twenty-five al
legged bookmakers who are indicted
The list includes the best known book
makers in the country.
There is much gloomy speculation
among local followers of racing as to
the probable effect of the new crusade
against gambling. During the present
season the new system of betting,
which was evolved for the purpose of
evading the Hart-Agnew law, has put
new life into the racing game, and
the tracks, while by no means as sue
cessful as they were before Governor
Hughes signed the antigambling bill,
have recovered measure of their
prosperity and have been well patron
ized.
The betting system used has in
volved the use of three bookmakers in
the case of a wager, one of whom
, takes the bettor's money while anoth-
or registers the transaction, and a
third pays the winner on the following
day. 1t was supposed that this three
cornered transaction was so involved
as to evade the law. But for weeks
county detectives have been collecting
evidence through which the authori-
ties hope to force prosecution.
The prosecution of the cases will, it
is believed, be in charge of Assistant
District Attorney Elder, who had the
greatest part of the responsibility in
the successful prosecutions last year.
Upon the outcome hinges largely the
success of racing on New York tracks.