The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-09
DOG TRACK TOTTERING ON
BRINK Of Financial RUIN,
SUIT FILED FOR receiver
EmpIoye Goes to Court to
Settle Affairs of Ken
mel Club.
FOLLOWERS DROP OFF
Gambler Guarantees Train
erS Their Pay and Does
Business Openly.

The Indiana Kennel Club,
Ltd, today appeared tottering
on the brink of a financial ruin
that threatens to close its grey
hound track on the Allisonville
road, where open betting
through a bookmaker, who
signaled judges for the start of
the races, was i'll progress I'M
interrupted by police or depu-
ties Thursday night.
Local and outside individual cap
ital' was solicited by the tracks
operators to settle a trainers strike
in the middle of Thursday nights
card
Suit for appointment of a re-
ceiver for the track was filed be-
fore Superior Judge Byron K. FL
lott today by Willard R. Stuart,
track employee. The suit alleged
that club trustees owe him $575 Ill
wages and he has not been paid
since May 4, 1929.
The complaint also alleged that
he organization is in imminent
anger Of insolvency.
Trustees named defendants are:
Frank w. Young, Ralph D. Lanius
and A. G. Baxter. track managers,
and John J. Darmody. local bust
ness man, who acted as club
treasurer
Elliott did not set a date for
hearing.
Gambler Comes to Rescue
Lack of patronage since the In
vestment system of betting was
stopped by the courts was blamed
by the operators for the deficit Ia
gate receipts from which the train
ers were paid.
Without a police officer or deputy
sheriff in the vicinity, bookmaker
and his assistant. ostensibly acting
independent of, although favored
by track officials, advertised odds
on each race, collected and paid
off bets with money in their hands.
After the third race dog trainers
learned that Thursdays gate re-
ceipts had been added to 500 loan
from a local gambler to pay them
for Wednesdays performances. They
refused to harness the remainder of
the dogs until guarantee of their
pay was made.
The indianapolis man who previ-
ously had made the loan was called =
into conference in the track office,
and emerged a few minutes later,
saying:
There amt chance for me to
let them have any more. I've let 'em
have 500 now"
After short delay, during which
the operators strove to produce
funds to renew the card, a young
man, we'll dressed, and wearing a
large diamond, walked into the
center of the group of dog trainers
and announced.
GO on out, boys. Ill guarantee
you your money tomorrow.
The only identification of the
operators tardy godfather revealed
that he was known in Springfield,
O., and Columbus, o., as a gambler
Of means.
Books Bets in Open
The bookmaker, familiar on sew
eral race tracks as Old Tommy, took
his position at the end of the grand
stand ramp at the first race, where
all the crowd passed to see the dogs
in the paddock, and shouted his
wares.
anybody else. Anybody else. One
to two on Tempered Light in the
first"
Odds offered by the bookis were
short, and he refused wagers Of
more than S.. AS tickets ne used
stubs bearing the words, Indiana
Kennel Club, Ltd. 1929 spring meet.
Service charge"
Numbers of four digits, the first
Of which he scratched, were ten
dered as tickets, and Tommy scrib-
bled the corresponding number, the
amount of the bet, odds and the
number of the dog on the card.
Several programs we're marked By
the bookie With odds. Tips from
known members Of the local gam
bling fraternity usually we're met By
the bookmaker with short odds Of
one to two, one TO three, or three
to five.
Wins S74 for 81
One woman, who backed Tecun-
sch Blue. the eighth dog In the
eighth race, made the only big haul
Of the card, when she collected S74
on a 50 ticket. The crowd favored
Done Lene, No. 5, booked at short
odds.
Tomny's helper, addressed as
Shorty handled the money, COL
Letter wagers, and paid off at his
masters command.
A. c. Baxter milled among the
small crowd, and lowered close TO
Tommy, whose business he noted
frequently by glances over his
Baxter regulated several of the
races, waving 10 the judges to de-
lay the start until the betting was
concluded, and then signaling that
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