Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-09
TRACK BOOKiAKER MAY co
Old Style of Betting Steadily Losing
Ground.
NEW PLAN FOR PICKING WINNERS
Part MutueIs Favored fla Kentucky,
the Home Of American Racing
How Laying of odds BE-
came Popular.

NEW IOhhs jan os-ln Cdndud anu III
various states OF the union there is every
disposition to knock out the professional
bookmaker. Legislation is aimed at him
in the homes OF racing, and with a recent
decision against the Latonia race track,
which may put an end to the domination
of a certain element in Kentucky, atten-
tlon is called to what at one time was
considered the handspring of all race meet
inRs. Possibly this form Of betting may
be completely eliminated In course Of time,
but so long as newspapers report results
of races there will be more or less book
making or handbook betting as simple
as A, b, c, and not necessarily accom-
panied with a brass band. AS a substi-
tute betting in the pari-mutuals could be
offered TO the public if IL we're legal in
all states.
There can be seen almost every day in
the Astor House 9rotunda two we'll pre-
served men, who have done much in the
past to make bookmaking a popular vehicle
of speculation on races in this country.
These men, Henry Stedeker and Ridge
Leveln. were asked recently to tell come
thing aubout the early days Of bookmaking
in America.
You couldn't have met anybody who
knows more about it," answered Stedeker!
sIn the year 1872 the late Joe Gleason and
= o. 9tAAAAA6 .AhNaAtA A<HASN ~ AAchN VI
the old Olympic theater on Broadway,
where George L. Fox was playing in
S'Humpty Dumpty." Two years after that
both of us were dead broke and l sug-
gested to Gleason that is might be a good
idea to locate in some billiard room and
lay odds on the races then being run at
Saratoga, Monmouth Park, Pimlico and
in the west. We found a place at 384
Third avenue and began to do a little
business.
"A year or two later we went up to
Jerome park. and 1 was one of nine men
parading up and down and carrying bags
over our shoulders. offering odds a Ia
Newmarket. Among the nine were the
late Modoc Fox, S. Howland Robbins, John
McDougall, John Hackett, backed by
Ridge Leveln, A. H. Cridge and Henry
Stanford. The last named was an Eng
lishman with a long gray beard, who was
induced by Pierre Lorillard to come over
here and educate Americans in the then
unknown method of bookmaking. Howlan
Robbins also had Mr.. Lorillard's support,
not only moral but actual. In fact, as was
often the case in those days in England
when many nobelemen became amateu
~bookmakers, Pierre Lorlllard really was ar
amateur layer in this country. That was
the beginning of b~ookmaking here"
How much money did Joe Gleason &C.
cummulate?' was asked. ."
That /. don't know said Stedeker. fbut
Ebut / do know, that the amount accredited
to him was vastly exaggerated. How
ever, he had almost a monopoly of tn,
one, two. three form ofs betting Ions
enough to start the accumulation of
handsome fortune. He lived for many
years In one of the finest houses in Sara
toga. II was on Union avenue. Gleason
Used to invite prominent racing men iron
various parts of the country to partake o
his hospitality. 1t had taken the public
long time to realize that it was just a
hard-to make money betting on horses t.
be third as 1t did to pick winners straight
1t really never was 1 to 2, 2 to 2, and 3 t.
2 in his books, as some have said, but h,
framed the odds in such a way that o
course he had the best Of It no matter hov
1t would come. But even in those early day
he never tried to get the public to pla!
horses at such rulnous odds as are FIRE
quently seen quoted on the JacksonvinI
races'' N
Stedcker, w. H. Cheppu and w Atkin
son were pioneer odd layers in the ives
also. At the spring meeting at Lexington
in 1880 they were the only three layer
doing business. All three made money
Atkinson kept a fish store on Third avenue
Cheppu was at one time half owner of tn
strongest stable Of horses which ever cam
to Saratoga from the west. 1t was tn
joint property of Cheppu and Mite
Young, and was trained by Brown Dicl
the negro horseman, who developed anon
others the famous Ben Brush.
In 1877 Stedeker and a friend institute
the combination form Of betting in tn
books. and at Saratoga they made it
- A.. H.. e. mo - en tL.4 -. -.
could name the five winners which in thos
days composed the program. They wo
$4,000 that season, and had many imitator
Ten years later, p. j. Dwyer, as pres
dent Of the Brooklyn Jockey club, kIlle
all combination betting at his track, b,
cause of a scandal involving the giganti
horse eleanor, and this was the fini
blow which practically knocked out tn
anuring form Of speculation. If left
pure chance alone, combination bettin
would always be popular. but It led to 4
many mean attempts on the part Of sma
operators to correct fortune that it wa
very justly eliminated. The least offensiN
form Of correcting fortune" was by pa!
ing some trainer TO scratch a horse whic
looked to be an absolutely sure winner
the last race, which usually meant loss,
OF thousands for the layers.
Present day racegoers easily recall
period when Barclay and Fulton stree
were honeycombed with rooms whe
horses could be backed to win large sum
1t was not against the law, or IL illegs
It was not at all difficult to do business
the rooms. In the neighborhood of Broai
way and Twenty-eighth street too we
the large pool rooms OF Tommy JohnsC
and Bill Johnson. A. H.. Cridge, Kel
Bliss and William Lowell. In these room
on the night before q race could be 50,
hundreds OF eager men anxious 70 nal
wagers, and this helped to increase 1
terest in the contests at the track the ne
day. There is no such place nowaday
and many fanciers OF the turf hold tn
the time is ripe for the formation of
sporting rendezvous, where racing men
all clGsses could be found at night. Pc
sibly as racing continues with oral BETH
as the chief medium OF speculation, u
idea may terminate.
OF all the men most responsible for I
Introduction OF, bookmaking into AmeriC
Charles Reed stands pre-eminent. TT
veteran, now in his SOth year. by his o,
statement, never felt better. He is
abstainer from meat, not having eat