Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-05
BIG RACING MEN
ARE INDICTED
LAW NAY STOP OPERATIONS
OF MEMORY BETT0RS"
TWO OF LARGEST TRACKS IN
COUNTRY ARE INVOLVED
Three Police Office Officials Fine
Private Detectives and Twenty
Five Bookmakers of New
York Accused
LBy Associated Press.l

NEW YORK, Oct. 24.-After two
years of agitation against race track
gambling in this state it remained for
the Kings county grand jury to write
a new chapter in the crusade today,
when there were returned indictments
against the two big Kings county race
tracks, three police officials. five pri-
vate detectives and twenty-five book
makers.
The Brighton Beach Racing associa-
ton was similarly involved last year,
but the case failed, and action here
tofore has been mainly against book
makers or bettors. The defendants
generally have been eXonerated by the
lower courts, which held that oral
betting was no crime. The first test
of these cases will be made by the
court of appeals this week.
1t was the increase of "oral betting"
conducted by the memory brokers'
that resulted in the indictment of the
Brooklyn Jockey club and the Coney
Island Jockey club, charged with con-
spiracy in allowing betting to go on.
Supporters involved
prominent supporters of racing in the
United States. w. K. Vanderbilt
owns a controlling interest in the
Coney Island Jockey club, of which
H. L. Parsons is president George
Peabody Wetmore and Mr.. Vanderbilt
are the vice presidents, f. r. Hitch
cock is treasurer, V. E. Schaumberg
secretary and Thomas H. Smith rae
ing secretary. The board of govern
ors includes Harry. W; Alexander,
Thomas Hitchcock, jr.. E. D. Morgan,
Herbert C. Pell, F. G. Sturgis and F.
G. Wadsworth.
The police officials indicted for
conspiracy, =" on the ground that
they knowingly permitted Sheepshead
Bay track to be used August 20 last
for betting purposes, are Inspector
John G. O'Brien (who is accused also
of neglect of duty in failing properly
to supervise the work of his subordi-
nates), Hugh Reynolds and Hugh
Meyers of Inspector O'Briens personal
staff. The private detectives are Sey-
mour Butler who was in charge of
the race track force, and four of his
subordinates.
Plead Not Guilty
John G. Cavanaugh. who for years
has been the dominating figure in the
betting rings of the metropolitan
tracks, leads the list of twenty-five in
dicted as bookmakers. The list in
cludes the best known booknakers in
the country. Three police officials ar
raigned in the Brooklyn county court
today pleaded not guilty and were re-
leased on parole.
1t is expected the cases will be set
for trial October IS. There was much
gloomy speculation among followers
Of racing tonight as to the probable
effect of the crusade.
During the present season the new
system of betting evolved for the pur-
pose of evading the Hart-Agnew law
has put new life into the racing game
and the tracks, while by no means as
successful as they were before Gov
ernor Hughes signed the anti-gam-
bling bill, have recovered a measure
of their prosperity and have been well
patronized.
The betting system used has in
volved the use of three bookmakers in
the case of each wager, one of whom
takes the bettor's money, while an
other registers the transaction, and the
third pays the winner.
1t was supposed this three -cornered
transaction was so involved as to
evade the law. but for weeks county
detectives have been collecting evil
dence through which the authorities
hope to force prosecutions.