Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-10
CU[lENESQUE LETTER
FROM OLD NEW YORK
Tells Interesting Story About
the st. Asaph Pool
room.
By Clarence L. Cullen.

BY Clarence L. Cullen.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
NEW YORK, October o, 1909.
The other afternoon. when a 1OO-to-1
thing Topped home by eight lengths at
Gravesend. Fred Miller the Washington
horseman, was reminded Of something.
During the first winter that Los An
geles had a meeting at Ascot" said Fred.
Il was wintering string at Benning,
and occasionally used to fun over to
the old st. Asaph poolroom, Just to skid
away the time. -
"One day. in the electric car going down
to St. Asaph, there were a couple of
seedy-looking down-and-outers, who took
turns in squeezing and fumbling the one
ten-dollar note between them. Both of
them looked as II they were shy about
six months Of meals. and plainly the at
ternoon at the st. Asaph blackboard barn
with the sawbuck for the mutual bank
wad. meant everything on earth to them
There was bundle of dope sheets In
possession of one of the pair. and this
one. could see. was expected to do the
picking that would run the tenner into q
vanfull. He was doping out the Los An
geles entries all the way down on the
car. and as he went along with that work
he put rings around his paper picks with
q stub of pencil.
=, His mate, though. didn't approve of
Those picks.
Nov. look a-here.' he protested to the
picker. when he took peek at his bo's
selections. 'there'll be long price against
all O. these that you've ringed here, won't
there?'
It's a pipe there WILL. replied the
uopfst That's why l hinged EN-
oh, l know all about that. bo,' said
the other one. but we amt nudgin' down
here for an afternoons kiddin' around
This here tens blood dust, and it amt
a-goin t be whitfield off on them long,
priced ponies. They never git nobody
nothin, them long ones
Say. what dye want-them one t five
babiesT inquired the picker. You'd snag
lot with ,nn them kind nd wSrdnt you"
point till the train reached the st. Asaph
plant. The dopist had the ten-spot in las
jeans when the two reached the room,
but l figured that he'd have his bothers
In trying to slide any piece Of that change
over ticket-buying counter II he wanted
to buy any kind Of plug that his matey,
didn't like to cop.
These two wouldn't have any truck
whatever with the New Orleans races
that were spread out on the board when
they got there, but sat around mumbling
1t over at the rear Of the room until the
prices came in on the first race at Los
Angeles. Then they bulged to the fore.
and the picker of the pair got as busy as
q bird dog
"A cracked-hoof gum of a skate by the
name of Pilot was in the first race at Los
Angeles. and the board marker chalked
that one UP at 40 to 1.
That ones the cake said the picker
to his doubling mate, putting his finger
on Pilots name in the dope. He'll be a
bear catcher in the slust. and it's rainin'
out there. I'm goin' t shove the hull ten
along on him.
II guess not" snapped the cautious
one. TIL hull wad on that turtle? A
forty t one skate? Say. who dye think
we are-Riley Grammar and Davy john
"'Oh. know all that stuff. but Pilots
one O. them terra Gotta pipeskys.' argued
the picker. He'll oil home all by hisseIf.
Then We'll have somethin. see"
II know what we'll have-wen have
banner T. carry, v pickle growled the
cautious one I'm there with a half in
terest in that ten-spot, and you don't slide
it In on no forty t one god t cop or
yCu'll have me t clean, dye get that?
well, they famed and bawled It over
until the operator began to sing out the
race. Pilot led all the way in common
saunter and COPIED the mud sprint by
four lengths.
Then the piker was so sore that he
walked out of the room and allowed the
manipulating snow to sift over him for
five minutes. But the show-me boy of the
Pilot had streeled. that wasn't any rea-
son why he should have been played on
what he'd done.
Then the prices were spread out on
the picker returned from the outside snow
and took a peek at the board. He had
q ring around Flies name in that race,
and there was Ellie chalked on the board
at 10. and 3. all three ways
''It'n be git-thar's day t'day.' said the
picker. referring to Ellie It's rainin'
hard at Los Angeles. and slop Is were he
lives. TIL sawbuck gifts ficked in on that
'un straight
1T doesn't If I'm there with tn back
heel stun when you go after It, chum,'
said the show-me half Of the sketch, de-
terminedly. That one hasn't win a race
or been in the money. since Jim Hickey
was a milkfeeder, an he couldn't beat
fiddler crab t a floatin' apple
Then there was a lot more CUFF, to
the entertainment Of the gang in the
room, and the back and forth blanket
eating was still In progress between the
pair when Charlie Burlingame. the opera
tor. stopped 1t by beginning to spiel of
the account of the running Of the second
race Ellie didn't get whistle till the
stretch was reached. when he was in
third position. From there he came on
home and grabbed the race like a bull
terrier pup snaEging cooked liver. Then
IT looked as II the dopist sure did have 1t
on his incredulous sidekicker. But the
stubborn one wouldn't admit that he'd
been wrong.
His argument was that there wasn't
reason on eaftn why either Pilot or
Ellie should have been played with tin
tags. and he insisted that his buddy had
just happened to blunder upon a couple
Of Jumps OF glue that had tottered in. All
the same a good many of the fellows in
the room had their ears perked forward
from then on for what the dopist liked
at Los Angeles. His stuff began to look
good to them.
80 1T looks t me as II Durbar's in dis
gustediy remarked the picker of the pair
when the prices in the third race at Los
Angeles were pasted up, but they amt
no use sayin nothin' Z blub-nut'
You like Durbar, hey? caught I'D a
lot OF the listeners around the room, and
they creased up to the counter and
bought tickets on that one, the price oe-
II. and 2.
'Eh-huh. I know all about Durbar.
croaked the show-me one of the pair OF
down-and-outers the instant his mate
opened his face about that one. If 1t
rams. why, Durbar's postponed. and it's
Talnin now, see. out in Los Angeles
seen Durbar run in the slop oncet He
couidn't beat firkin O. soft soap runnin'
up hill in tn mud
Say. you toad-eye, mud's his game
protested the dopist, who was getting
sore He can't stand up without Ieanin'
asin fence on dry track. He'll pipe
home like blue ribbon carrier pigeon to-
day or m Finn. Watch him.
But he won't pipe home with any O.
that ten o our'n sailed on him. reso-
lutely declared the timid one You NAV
ha fell over couple o. them two-fixger