Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-27

CONTINUED From Editorial Pagel
with grape-shot, until the defenders
decided to move. O'Neil eXhorted
keep on fighting on his own account.
He served one of the cannon indus
/ triously, and the enemys fire had
nothing to do with his ultimate re-
treat. His own gun drove him out,
when it kicked him in the shin.
He retired in good order into the viii
lage where he and friend continued
the struggle with muskets. He
got a presentation sword from the
people of Baltimore. and hundred
years later monument to his mem
/ orv
The fame of Havre de Grace does
not depend solely or the memory of
John O'Neil. The town is prone to
boast of two unique products in the
shape of the wind canvasback duck
and the Susquehanna shad. 1t may
be difficult to see how a municipality
can lay claim to denizens of the air
and water but Havre de Grace does
it. Her people say that the local shad
has a peculiar and distinct flavor, that
the Havre de Grace canvasback is the
last word in ducks.
Twice a year, however, when the
races are on, ducks, fish and history
retire temporarily into the back
ground. The railroads run daily spe-
cials direct to the track from Balti-
more, Washington and Philadelphia.
The main trunk auto road that con-
meets New York with Washington and
The South is crowded with scattering
jitneys bearing the crowds to the pad
dock.
The program is conducted with i'm
mense dignity and order. Persons
opposed to racing have to base their
objections TO the performance at
Havre de Grace on principle rather
than practice. There is something of
the picturesque element lacking, that
distinguished the old-time wide open"
racing meets. and those that are still
held at the smaller and more obscure
tracks-the pandemonium Of rival
hookmakers, the multitudinous takers,
the vendors of tips" and sure things.
Betting at Havre de Grace this year
is done exclusively through what is
locally known as the machine" It
has all the solemnity of playing the
Stock Exchange.
The machine occupies the big space
a hundred yards long under the stand.
bordered by a line of grated windows,
like the windows of tellers in a bank
The citizen who desires to back his
opinion of a particular horse, after
study of the odds advances on one of
the windows and buys a ticket" for
any sum from 50 to $50. He may
place his money on the horse for
straight" place" or "show'-that is,
he may bet on his choice for a winner.
or for one of the first two horses to
pass under the wire, or one of the final
three. In the former case, of course.
he takes the longer chance and stands
/ to win the larger sum. The pool is
divided proportionately among the
/ tickets on the first three horses. Should
a favorite win, the winnings are split
among large number of tickets, while
if long shot" crosses the line
ahead, the share of each bettor who
backed him is proportionately larger.
Thus the odds automatically adjust
themselves.
It is claimed that this system does
away with the old abuses, and It GER
tainly seems to contribute materially
ito the general orderIiness of the pro-
ceedings. According to some of
those who have followed the Havre de
Grace meets for years, it is not as
popular with the racing folks as was
the old regime, but objections are not
iapparent. The money is quite even
ly distributed among the large and
the small tickets A typical pool will
show two thousand 50.