People Who Do Harm to Racing, Daily Racing Form, 1907-06-23

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PEOPLE WHO DO HARM TO RACING. As an Illustration of the fact that the people Avho do most harm to the interests of racing are of. a low order in morals and intellect, a contributor to the Morning Telegraph recits the following as an iucident of the recent meeting at Graves-end: "After the fifth race Tuesday evening I Avent out and boarded one of the Ti? R. T. trains that was headed for the bridge and by the merest chance obtained a seat for myself. All the other seats in the car Avere soon gobbled up, and those Avho got in late had to lie satisfied with a strap hold. Two big. tough-looking individuals scrambled into the car just as the train was moving out, and, as all seats and most of the standing room were already taken, they had to be content with one strap between them. "They had been In the field inclosure and evidently had been picking them Avith rare bad judgment, as their coiiAcrsalion indicated. One said he personally knew every bookmaker in the field to be a second-story man, and that none of them would take as much as a bet unless he had an ace in the hole. The other said he didnt believe there Avas a square race run on the track. Both agreed that horse owners, trainers and jockeys Avere all crooks and should be in jail and the keys thrown aAvay. It was finally decided between them that they Avere the only two honest men Avho had been tin the ground that day. "Just then the conductor came, crowding his way through the car, collecting fares. There was barely room for him to squeeze his Avay through. He Avould stoop down and collect from those Avho Avere seated first, then he would straighten up and collect from tho straphangers, .When the conductor straightened up opposite the two kickers from tko field, and asked them for their fares, both spoku up together and told him he had already collected. " I guess not, said the conductor, I did not get your fares. " But we say you did, and they said It In such a tone that the conductor evidently thought he Avaa mistaken and passed along without further argument. "Here were tAvo men who had been denouncing; everybody connected with horseracing as crooka and cheats, Avho, as Ihey loudly proclaimed, should he iu jail and the keys thrown away, cheating tbt conductor out of their fares, AA-hlch amounted to but 10 cents each. But, then, Avhen one stops t think it over, such a thing as that should causa no surprise."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1907062301/drf1907062301_3_3
Local Identifier: drf1907062301_3_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800