The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-27
PEGLER'S PEGS

To lay bet with a bookie on an American track is very simple thing, although the making of book is forbidden by law in most of the states where the hayburners hike. To pay a bet is at times more com plicattd matter. And to collect one is often a job of the same dimen- ysions.
 Every fall the bookmakers doing business with memorandum slips on the five metropolitan tracks must singe their faith in human nature above 8 bonfire of those little memo randa. Hundreds of betters welch for thousands of dollars. After the Kentucky Derby last spring, many a southern better waved soggy farewell kiss to the roll he had placed on zev at long odds in the future books when some of the bus fest layers of odds disappeared on the, leg over the hills and far away.
 This sort of betting Is said to be most immoral. But 1t Is hard to find the moral good in the English bet ting system. either. In england the bookies rarely welch and the players seem always to pay up when they
  ough and orderly and business-like as betting system can be.
 Here is an excerpt. however. from a full-page advertisement in a Lon- don newspaper:
 James Mclean of Glasgow: The turf accountant with thirty tele- phones.
 [ cater, for them all-owners nak- ing large investments bookmak CTS reqriring covering accounts; profes- sional backers; the small client who wants to invest his half-crown or five shillings.
 Small clients, who do business ev- cry day, should write in their thou sands for what is the most unique and economical system for doing business by post that has ever been offered to them.
 The small fry are worthwhile in England, even with their 50-cent bets. Any man who can only afford afford that. but MT. Mclean re- veals that many of them "do business every day" We know a woman in Liverpool, the wife of barber, who bet two shillings, her husbands life insurance premium, on a horse-race taking a long chance on the fnsur- ance policy which was the only pro lection for her two children. For the old gent had developed heart failure and was an impossible risk had he gone to take out new pol icy.
 The Garden Ring has It's lucky corner. At the Polo Grounds not only all corners but the entire fight plant seems to be under a~curse.
 Leonard sat in the northwest cor ner at the Garden the night he beat Joe Welling so badly. He sat there again that other night when he went down for nine but got up again and slaughtered Richie Mitchell. Demp- sey was in that corner the night he nearly lost an ear but finally stopped Bill Brennan after gasping l2- round struggle. Johnny Buff was In the lucky spot when he put out poor little Pete Herman's other eye ana took the bantamweight title. Firpo stuffed his huge hulk into that angle between rounds when he was club ping Brennan to the floor. Charlie White mad the charmed position in his fight with Richie Mitchell, one or the greatest lightweight things you ever saw, in which Whlte was utter ly absent from roll call for two whole roisnds because of clout on the chin, but finally stopped his man.
 Harry Greb, Johnny Wilson ana Joe Lynch are the only conspicuous caulifiowers now in mind who had good luck in the opposite corner. Greb sat there between leaps at Gene Tunney the night he sent Gene home without the American light heavy weight championship--sent him stumbling home with two eyes shut his nose broken and gaps in his teeth. Wilson overcame the triple combination of Mickey O'Down, the bad corner and the seventeenth of Ireland all In one night.
 At the Polo Grounds. three losers have sat in the southeast corner In four championship fights. Both foreign lads. Criquie and Wilde, were placesl there and so was Wilson the night Greb beat him. Johnny Kilbane was the only loser in the northwest location. But every cham pion who has thus far stepped into the ring at tho Polo Grounds has lost his title. In addition to which fact, the Republic A. C., conducting the place, has consistently lost DIE bankroll on a summer program or championship bolts..
 The period between 476-150o was