The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-12-15
A REFORMED RAcETRAck MAN
TEsTlF,Es REGARDING THE
PooLRooM PROBLEM.
DESCRIBES OPERATIONS
Former Owner of Track That Was
Closed Appears Before Senate Judi
ciary Committee in Effort 10 Have
Other Similar Gambling Places Put
Out Of eusiness-Evii is Growing.

Washington, Dee. li.-With a sup
parting cast Of rcfnrmers galore, butl
men and women, Henry Brolaski .
A"nroNia. Cal. who professed To b,
"A reformed gambler. was the sta
feature Of Il hearing today before tn.
senate judiciary committee in support
Of the Burkett bin to prohibit TIL,
transmission of race track bettins
odds over telegraph or telephone lines
He told how the public is ,mulctet
by bpokmakers at race tracks, by poo
rooms and by handbook makers.
Mr. Brolaski. in most candid ant
picturesque fashion gave details of tn,
gamblers life and showed the pool
chance of returns for money invested
which Is given to tn. gambling public
He was one of the owners of n Mex
lean track that was regarded as tn.
basis of gambling operations i'm the
United States and was put out OF
business at the instance of the depart
ment of state through negotiation
with the Mexican government. Bro
laski is now seeking to have tracks
in which he has no interest dealt with
i'll lik. manner.
An Old Timer.
Introducing himself as having been
gambler, poolroom proprietor. book
maker upon race tracks and hand
hook maker. Brolaski said he had
worked in his line in st. Louis, Chi
cago, Forth Worth. Robey. Atlanta,
Charleston. s. c., New Orleans, San
Francisco. Oakland, Los Angeles. La
tonia. Louisville and Bennings tracks.
hnd had had Il years experience. He
roughly estimated that there are now
I'm the United States between 60 and
20 poolrooms, and that 50 of these are
In New York City. lie calculated that
there were In operation nearly 1900
handbooks. which. he declared. are
the incentive that make the unso-
phisticated gamble on the horses He
gave at length details Of methods en-
ployed by race track bookmakers,
poolroom players. and that the evil
was growing daily
The play that is handled by the
handbooks and poolrooms." said Bro
laski. is usually from IA class of peo-
pie that can i'll afford To lose and
their bets average from so cents up.
The man of family will take "A chance
and lose his rent money: the clerk
will take a chance and lose his board
money: the girl will take chance and
use money that she should expend on
herself.
Greed for Gold.
1t is the greed for money and the
gambling fever that becomes inocu-
lated into their systems and ii is
growing all 1.-THE time"
Rrolaski condemned the ticker serv-
Ice of the Western Union Telegraph
company or sub-laased lines as great
evil that should be stopped. 1T is the
service giving the results and the
prices as they finish" he said.
Pointing out the poor chance given
the bettnr for a return Of any part OF
his wager. the witness said that i'm a
paolroom the percentage against the
player would run from :. In $50 per
cent and In handbook the percentage
WAS from i tn Il per cent. A player
had that much the worst nf it In
start with, Hroiaski said, and there
was no possible chance to beat the
game.
Common sense will tell YOU that /
from per cent up will cat up any
mans capital If taken out six times /
I day" he declared. There is only /
sne means" said Mr.. Rroiaski. "of !
putting this evil out af business ef-
Tsetuaiiy and that is by the United !
states government enacfing n law
the transmission Of pool- /
-"am and race track information over
eiegrpah or telephone wires, either
'penls nr i'm cipher. and by having
hose laws enforced after they are
,assed: also prohibiting the use nj
he mails 10 newspapers that publish
he race track results"
Describes Evil.
lie said he could describe tn the
ommittea cases with which he had
.ersnnaI acquaintance where men had
'eeome absconders. drunkards and
hieses an account IF the poofraam
nd handbook evils. He spoke of the
o-called gamblers war. now in prog
ess in Chicago. caused by poolrOom
'aoks and handbook factions Prob
bly, - dynamite bombs have been
brown at gambling houses i'm the
light between these two factions, he
aid.
Rev. O. R. Miller of New York, sec
efarg Of the reform bureau. said that
Ace tracks had been put out OF busi-
sss i'm New York under the splendid
.adership of Governor Hughes" but
hai all of his efforts and those of the
aform elements would come To naught
Mess transmission of Information
sed by paalroams and hanabooks
'sre stopped.
Senator Clark. chairman of the ju-
ieiary committee. asked that an
rgumeni be submitted on the subject $