Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-08
PANIC AMONG
TICKET SCALPERS
ON EVE OF GAME
Wild Scenes in Hotel Cor
ridors When Public Sale
of 81 Seats Begins
PHILLY MANAGERS COUP
Open Window at 18th and
Huntingdon Streets to
Delight of Fans

Scenes that exceeded in violence and
wild cries of dismay and exhilaration
eome OF the situations on the floor Of
the Stock Exchange In times OF financial
panic made the corridors and vicinity OF
the Bellevue -Stratford as lively as
bull fight in the terrible last hour before
the game began.
The essence Of the excitement was that
while the spectators had held on to their
tickets too long and saw with terror the
tendency OF prices TO fall, they were
still frantically trying to get as much
money as possible through all sorts OF
complex offers OF combinations OF tickets.
Again and again the house detectives
drove the scalpers from the building. but
they came rushing back again through
another door. or continued their negotia-
tions on the sidewalks outside.
This news coupled with the informa-
tion that the police were pulling the
scalpers out of line at the ball grounds
and the management allowing only the
sale OF single sets OF tickets to indi
viduals. came down TO the Bellevue
Stratford by phone. and sent cold
shock OF horror to the already cold hearts
Of the ticket spectators.
There was a sweeping tendency TO
dump everything in sight in the way
of pasteboard on to an already flabby and
tottering baseball market. but presently
there was a restoration of confidence
among the scalpers and money flew about
like rice at wedding
The Phillies' management had caused a
bad fright to filter through the scalpers
before noon by opening window at 18th
and Huntington streets for the sale of
81 seats that had not been called for II
was announced that only tickets reserved
by fans through the mail and not taken
up were to be sold.
WOMEN ENTER THE COMBAT.
Women played an interesting and un
r dignifed part in the ticket combat. both
at the hotel and at the ball grounds. a
"spec" rushed through the corridor hold
ing up a set@of tickets. They had cost
him 50. Who'll gimme $35 for 'em? Last
chance!' he yelled. The hotel detectives
were working their way through the mob
to get him out into Broad street.
i've got 'em," said woman in
blue silk dress. and held up the seven
s. bills. She was about to get them when
little old lady with a gold lorgnette
and a funny, old-world bonnet thrust S45
under her rivals nose 1t was 25 min
utes of 2, and the game started at 2.
A minute later she was speeding con-
tentedly up Broad street i'm n taxi, TAX
ing her daughter and son to the ball
game.
prominently was in aid of the complex
movement of scelpers. When these unde-
eirable citizens were pulled out of the
line they got woman confederates to 60
in and buy tickets for them. Then, after
the women had got the pasteboards they
would meet them on the corner and get
them; this kept up until the women's
faces became familiar to the police
through repeated visits to the ticket win
dow. All the late expensive tickets we're
gone by 1 o'clock
But the bleacher tickets were still being
sold as late as 1:45 o'clock. There was a
mob of several hundred persons at that
time clRmoring Wildly at the grandstand
entrance and the police vainly tried to
divert them to the bleachers. because the
grandstands were filed But the inmates
of this crazy crowd were beyond control,
and had TO be cleared out of the street.
But before this litter of humanity was
swept up, lots of persons who had tickets
were pushed far back into the seethlng
mass on 18th street and many of these
were 10 minutes late getting into the
grounds and so missed most OF the fun
that is. the anticipation just as the first
batter goes to the plate.
Scalpers were harder at work than ever
before In the history of the game The
streets of the city and the lobbies Of
hotels were turned into miniature ticket
exchanges. Prices were going up again
and the scalpers were desperately trying
20 Increase their supplies of the precious
pasteboards.
The frat fan in line after the clearing
out OF the mercenaries was f. L, Clark
of 1882 Paschall avenue. The place of
honor cost him So r. o. Burns. OF Ryer-
son, Tenn, was second. He paid 81 for
his place. M. L. Fisher, of Lenore CITY
Tenn, who won his expenses in a coupon
contest run by a drug store. was third,
Two women were IN line. One of them
refused TO give her name. The other
was Mrs. ]. r. Metzger of 71S East gst
street Erie. Pa. She has witnessed ali
WEEDS series games In the last half a
dc zen wears. with her husband. Mrs.
f.etzger picks the Phillies to win four
out of Ave games.
FANS PURSUE scALPERs.
In the city suspicious were tenfoId
greater. Fans without the price TO nav
what the scalpers asked glared SAVAGE
ly when accosted. The rooter with but
$40 wishing to buy tickets for which
$50 or $40 was asked. persisted patiently.
He tackled scalper after scalper, named
his hsure and was laughed at in derision.
One man Ia said to have cleaned up
saob without risking a cent. He couldn't
risk a cent. according to his own story,
because he was 1at broke He went TO
the Philly sale at the Park YESTERDAY v
tust for the torture OF seeing other
persons obtain tickets. A scalper offered
10 pay him $50 for a strip of So seats
While he was turning this over in his
mind one OF the men In line with a notice
emitting him 10 tickets attracted his
attention. He asked the notice holder
What ne wanted for a 90 strip.
About tiO." said the man with the
notice.
The newly established specuIator
rswung" the deal He then launched
into business for himself and soon was
buying and selling right and left. A
peculiar feature OF the crowd today was
the appearance OF men who sold their
tickets yesterday. Today they were anx-
ious to buy. The gambling fever has
made victims of thousands OF rooters
Enthusiasm for the coming games
seemed 10 be running higher In this city
4han ever before In the history OF base
ball Every hotel In the city IL crowded.
AL incoming trains brought fans anxious
20 see the classic series OF the great