New-York tribune., 1921-09-04

continue 10 make handbook with profit
newsboy whose stand is much patronized ).
racing men plays "tips" which they give b;,,
providing they coincide with his own Jude.
ment, and he made $4,000 during the Ia.
meet from the "bookies." He is canny vou,s
and instead of "blowing in" what cana !.
him SO easily he put it in the bank and v,,t
back to tending his newsstand
The police of Jamaica are little troub,.a
with crooks during the racing meets for the,
are afraid of the pinkerton men, who ou.ra
every entrance to the racing Enclosures. Ths
crowds that attend the races are orderly. and
even the large number of additional auto
mobiles that travel through Jamaica on racine
days do not materially increase the percent.
age of motor accidents. There are, Of course
some "short sports" and "pikers" at eyerv
race meet, and there are those who, having
travelled along with the horses, "go brokep far
from home and must recoup some way.
few hold-ups and burglaries are attributab].
to the racing contingent each season, the
police claim, but the number of these crimes
in the last two or three seasons has been
negligibly small. There is one game played
upon the unsuspecting which must be fnan.
cially successful to the players, SO frequently
is it encountered.
A man approaches you the street holding
an entry list and a broken pointed pencil
II just broke my pencil; can borrow one,"
he asks, politely.
You lend him one and stand beside him
while he makes meaningless marks opposite
the names of the horses on his list. The con.
versational ice having been broken, the pencil
borrower asks if you see "that little guy"
standing across the street. You do, of course,
for there is always "little guy" there to be
seen.
"He's Jockey So and Sos brother says
your new acquaintance, sinking his voice to
mysterious whisper. 81 happen to know that
his brother gave him sure thing to-day.
I'd give anything to find out what it is, SO
could play it,
'sWhy don't you ask him." is the naturd
inquiry.
"Oh he won't tell me- is the rejoinder. 1--WE
had some trouble few days ago and we amt
speakin'. just had an idea, though, he might
tell you"
Idle curiosity, if not desire to acquire
"tip' on "sure thing" prompts you to ap.
proach the supposed brother of the jockey.
Got anything good for today" you inquire
persuasively.
"Who told you to ask me? That bum over
there? I wouldn't tell you nothin', because
you'd only tell him, and he amt no good"
The idea is to enlist your interest and make
you beg for the information. If you do, it is
invariably Forthcoming, after enough hesita.
tion to make the scheme bear to the unsophis-
ticated an appearance of genuineness. After,
you are given the tip Jockey So and Sos broth
er becomes generous.
"You look like regular feller,' he 70
marks, slapping you on the back. "Te you
what I'll do for you: I'm on my way to the
track now. This here horse just give you, is
sure to come in first. It's like findn' money.
I'll take your bet down with me and put it up
with bookie that'll give you the best odds
of any one. III meet you on this corner at 3.
o'clock tonight and hand you the money. This
nag's sure winner, but he won't be no favor'
ite. Maybe / can get you 10 or Is to ! on
him."
The idea of putting up few dollars and
within a short time getting them back multi
piled ten or fifteen times appeals strongly 70
many. That is why the game succeeds. But
if you give Jockey So and Sos brother any
money you'll never see it or him again, except
by chance, for he is nobody's brother, save per-
chance Get Rick Quick Wallingford's. For him
however, the game is safe and presumably
lucrative If you hand over your money and
he fails to meet you later, but you do happen
to see him again and cause his arrest you VIII
get nothing out of it but day lost in court
For you will have to admit that you trusted
the fellow with your money to bet on race
If the horse lost, we'll, the tip was wrong
mistakes will happen, you know. And if the
animal won it's too bad, but your chance &C
quantance was delayed, reached the track too
late to put down the money for you, and has
since been hunting frantically through the
town to find you and give you back your wager
What can any magistrate do but discharge
him?
There slight variations to the game, but
it always starts with the borrowing of pencil
and always ends with a genial offer to take
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