Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-01

Philadelphia Is the gambling centre Of
the East today and perhaps OF the en-
tire country. In spite of its laws and
them. the Quaker City is harboring the
big men of the gambling world and will
continue to do so while the ponies run
at the Havre de Grace race track.
ice" of the kind that glitters In the
cravat soft hats pulled down over the
eyes, cigars tilted at a rakish angle.
yellow ana rawn and other loud-hued
spats, flashing rings and suits OF a more
pronounced type than Philadelphians wear
bear evidence to the horde of followers
of the Goddess of Chance now in the
city.
An official of the Department of Public
Safety said today that while all the big
gamblers of the country were here at
night detectives were watching them, and
that no games of chance were being run
here.
A walk along Chestnut street late any
afternoon or evening after the special
trains from the race track get In will
demonstrate to any one that a new ele-
ment is mIngling with the regular prom
enaders In the lobbies of nearly all the
hotels in the centre Of the city the same
thing may he noted
WEALTH OF DIAMONDS.
There are enough diamonds In the city
at night to choke a herd of cows. if
diamonds were used for such a purpose
Many of them are real "rocks" torn
out of the earth Al Kimberley. Others arc
the product of the expert glazier or the
laboratory.
Why the City OF Brotherly Love is
he oh
place during the Havre de Grace season
no one knows The gamblers might go
to Baltimore or Washington, but they
do not BY far the majority flock to
Philadelphia at night to count up profits
or losses Of the day and plan out cam
paiEns for the next dav of racing,
The gamblers so TO Havre de Grace by
special trains over the Pennsylvania and
Baltimore and Ohio roads. Three thou
sand PhiadelphiRns and more than a
thousand persons haiing from Baltimore
and Washington were at HaYre de
Grace yesterday and nine-tenths of them
or perhaps more placed bets on the
ponies"
Two "bookies" had their charts un-
rolled and were on their stools from the
start Of the FIRST race until they paid on
al the end OF the last. The pasteboards
they gave 10 the bettors bore the name
of the Newark Club" and THE East
ated both books.
BETTORs ARE sUPERsTITIoUs.
Bettors are a superstitious people
Once and a while they believe that 1t is
impossible to win from a certain book
maker They look around for another
one That is why a syndicate has two
bookmakers at a track One trading
under one name and the other Haunting a
nag OF different color.
The 5000 at the track were not the only
Phladelphians who placed bets. Hand
book men last night we're In the lobbles
OF the various hotels taking bets on to-
DAYS racing. They were doing II quietly
and they were only accepting the money
Of persons they knew, for handbook men
are under the ban OF the present admin
istTatiOn.
A man who knows and one who Is at the
bar II the Nendig or Bingham House
when he is not playing poker, says that
SO 900 daily has been wageTed I'm Phil
adelphia on the results of Havre de Grace
races He did not make the assertion
boasttully. He stated the fact regrot-
fully, for money lost at the track can't
be lost 10 him.
There was betting on the races on the
1870 Pennsylvania Railroads race track
special yesterday afternoon. on the re-
turn train an Honest John game was
started IN the first car by a gentleman
who was affectlonstely called Jake by
the winners and called other names by
the losers.
Timothy O'Leary. once a high police
official who claims little interest in
the track, but who is always there
and is - OF the principal stock
holasES. that HayFa de Grace Is }Rs