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MAY REACH AN AGREEMENT. CONDON IS TRYING HARD TO CLOSE HOT SPRINGS ROOMS. John A. Payne Said to Have Been Appealed to Good Card for the Opening Day at Oaklawn Radtke Arrives. Hot Springs, Ark., rebrnary 10. The Oaklawn meeting which logins tomorrow may yet run its allotted period of thirty-one days without the opposition of open poolrooms. It was said tonight by those in close touch with the situation that an agreement may lie reached whereby the rooms will remain closed during local racing hours. Sheriff "Williams still holds to his policy of "hands off." It is rumored that should an agreement be reached it will be through the offices of the Interstate News Company, which acts as a common carrier for the transmission of race news from the various tracks. John A. Payne, who is the head of the company, is said to have leen prevailed upon to order a suspension of Ins service to the poolrooms should the managers insist upon keeping open during racing hours here. If the room managers carry out their open door policy it will mean a big loss to John Condon and the Oaklawn Club. The Missouri Club management announced tonight that they would suspend operations beginning tomorrow. Tliis is the first poolroom that has intimated that it was willing to give Oaklawn right, of way. John Wolff, manager of the Arkansas Club poolroom, when asked regarding his future policy, said: "The Arkansas Club is not aggreslve in the matter. We are on the fence. We will follow the. majority and abide by their action. If they elect to remain closed no one will have to request :s to close our doors. On the other hantf :-if Uft?deciJ6 to keep open shop during the term of racingat Oaklawn the Arkansas Club will operate on. all races and deal the usual big limit for all players." Secretary Stebbins card for the opening day filled better than the management expected. Especially "noticeable was the number which accepted the weights in the feature event. The Oaklawn Handicap. The horses representing the Memphis contingent in the event were on the ground early, while those of Ed Trotter and the Hayman-Lowe confederacy arrived from New Orleans during the course of the afternoon. Not more than thirty of the older division have arrived thus far from Memphis, but this number is strongly augmented by about five carloads from the Crescent City. There are two-year-olds galore, however, with J. O. Keene and Louis Cella the most strongly represented. Radtke, who will undoubtedly prove himself the star among the pigskin artists, arrived today from New Orleans. With him on the same train came L. Wilson, J. Dennison and McLaughlin. Ilelgesen and Cherry have been on the ground for several days. Many improvements have been made since the last winter meeting and the plant in every particular now represents an up-to-date one. Considerable attention has been paid to the track proper, but for the opening day the going promises to be only good, on account of recent rains.
