New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-07-20
TICKET SCALPERS
Being RUN down
Prison Sentences to Be Asked for
Any With Fight Pasteboards

llSut "eIc given " tICheI piohOA9
on consignment but will be recalled,
J. F. Boynton. treasurer of the
Madison Square Garden Corpora
ton, testified before U. S. Commits
sioner G. w. Cotton today.
Boynton was the first witness in
the U. S. attorneys investigation of
fight ticket speculation. He has
charge Of ticket sales.
He testified that there are $4,000
seats in the Yankee Stadium for the
tight. Thus FAR $750.OOO cash has
been received for tickets and $4,000
additional in notes from members of
the Madison Square Garden Corpor-
alton who are permitted to buy
choice seats and pay for them at
their convenience.
U. S. Attorney futile. opening the
hearing. said he believed that with
in the last "a hours the law requir-
Ing the sale price of every ticket
sold be printed upon 1t, had been
violated by ticket brokers.
"If this hearing brings out evil
dence of violations I will bring
charges and prosecute, demanding
jail sentences for those convicted"
he said.
Boynton produced a table show
ing the seat arrangements for the
fight. Referring to it. he said the
seats totalled $4,000, TO which this
first Ga rows or approximately H.
coo seats were priced at $3.50: the
next IA rows at $3.50: and the next
10 rows at $11. The remainder
were cheaper.
When the seat sale began, he
said. blocks Of tickets were given
to ticket brokers on consignment,
they having the right to return I'M
sold tickets and the promoters to
call tickets in If deemed advisable.
ut was necessary to have the as
sistance of agencies because Of the
magnitude of the undertaking" he
explained.
ut is our intention to call In all
unsold tickets this afternoon. Brok-
ers will either have to return the
tickets or sell them"
1t was explained that In ticket
selling circles such notice was call
ed telling them to sell 'em or eat
EN-"
Boynton admitted that bonuses
were acceptable from purchasers of
finI -afc II ha hoI
them and there were 40 or so
clerks at the Madison Square box
office and he did not doubt that
they accepted bonuses.
1T someone gives me a dollar, !
give him good ticket" he said.
''If some one gives me a couple of
cigars. I give him a good ticket. If
someone gives me a bottle of Scotch
I give him four or five good seats"
I'm interested in money not In
Scotch" said the u. s. attorney
scotch Is worth money" said
Boyuton.
Good Scotch is" returned the
prosecutor.
Boynton produced list OF II
agencies in New York and several
in other cities which had received
tickets on consignment. They in
cluded Bob Dennis, Philadelphia:
J. M. Chapman. Newark: Sam
Molfe, Chicago: Alexander Peterson.
Boston; Charles Murray, Buffalo;
Townsend. Detroit.
He emphasized that most of these
tickets We're to have been sold at
box office prices. with no advance.
For instance. you can bet all the
tea in China that Chapman at New
ark sold the tickets at face value
only" ne said.
A report Of the internal revenue
collector at Boston was read saying
tickets had been sent in escrow to
the National Shawmut bank of Bos-
ton. for sale there by Peterson and
that 451 of the 81 tickets had been
sold by Peterson for prices ranging
from $11 to $3.50. Peterson was
arrested on a charge of failing to
mark the sale prices on the backs
OF the tickets he sold.
Boynton concluded his testimony
with a declaration that the Madison
square officials made every effort to
Keep free lance" spectators from
getting tickets for the Malonev-De-
laney fight few months ago. There
was much talk OF ticket speculation
IN connection with that fight.
we are taking the.-same precau-
tons this time" he said.
x. c. kress, clerk at the Jacobs
Ticket Agency. New York. one of
the largest dealers in fight and opera
tickets. said that before March 1,
1927 AS far as he knew no tickets
were sold by his agency for more
than so cents advance over the face
value. In March the supreme court
held unconstitutional the New York
ticket speculation law and since then
the limit has been off, he said.
Michael, one of the owners of the
agency, usually produced the tick
cts for the fights, he said.
Records of the Union club showing
1t had paid as much as twice face
value for various tickets were pro-
duced
Charles Belts, of the same agency,
said no tickets We're sold at fancy
prices for the Maloney-Delaney fight
because men were posted in hotels
and around to see that We didn't do
it."
lie did not know whether thew
were federal agents, representatives
or Tex Richard or who they We're.
That concluded the hearing for the
Gay and on Friday dealings in
theater tickets will be taken up
again.
At the conclusion of the hearing,
three spectators We're arraigned,
charged with selling tickets at adj
vanced prices without marking the
price and the name of the seller on
ts.l