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BOOKMAKING ON NEW YORK TRACKS. Trials and Tribulations Brought to the Layers by the New Law. Bookmakers so-called, have just finished the hardest year in the history of the American turf. Many of them because of operations on the Jockey Clubs tracks have been arrested and indicted by the grand .jury, while others have skipped out leaving unserved warrants behind :them. Tho passage of the anti-bettlug law came upon the bookmaking fraternity like a thunderclap. For a dozen years they had been permitted, under the provisions of the Percy-Gray law. to gamble openly with the public, which consisted of thousands of persons each day. Under these conditions the bookmakers sat In a circle in a huge betting ring, each with his crew, consisting of cashier, sheet writer and outside man, about him. Cash wagers were handled without limit, also recorded in such a manner that there was little ground for disputes. In a word. Iwokmaking had grown Into a business, requiring labor, skill, money and brains. But the Hart-Agncw law knocked this business into a cocked hat. Overnight the whole complexion of affairs changed. There was no longer any betting ring, except a bare place patrolled by blue-coats. There was no longer any system of betting. In fact people were quickly made aware of the fact that even to whisper a bet of one dollar on some horse or other was liable to result in a jail sentence. In forty-eight hours after Governor Hughes signed the bill the great crowds of former days were gone. From an average daily attendance, exclusive of Saturday, of 18.000 men and women, the figures fell off until 2,500 was a liberal estimate. Where did these people go? Did they stop betting entirely. Many have since declared that poolrooms and handbooks gobbled up their patronage, but whether that was true or not. the fact remains that persons who used to visit the track and bet . . or disappeared suddenly and did not return. Who made up the 2,500 who came to the races day in aud day out with clock-like regularity? Perhaps fifty former bookmakers were there, each with four helpers. Then there were 200 deputy sheriffs, policemen in uniform and plain clothes, private sleuths and up-state gumshoe artists, all looking fcr violations of the law or perhaps something more agreeable. Trainers, owners, jockeys, stablemen, breeders and horse dealers made up another band j of perhaps 500 more. Track olficials. stockholders, j lawyers, waiters," bartenders. Pinkertons, laborers and others amounted to another 500 perhaps. That Idft a trifle more than 500 real live bettors, who had credit with the so-called bookmakers just so long as they paid their obligations. It has not been recorded just how many welchers there were, but it would be glossing it over to say only a few. And. by the way. it must be remembered that the former bookmakers, had to settle up each day in cash on pain of banishment from the track, but there was no way they could collect debts from recalcitrant bettors. But these were not the greatest hardships which the layers suffered. Under incessant police surveillance, they were always on the watch for sleuths or stool pigeons. They had to keep their eyes open for all kinds of traps set for them by the detectives hired by various district attorneys. They did not dare to trust a casual acquaintance for fear that he might be trying to get evidence against them, and in the course of time they were simply living in a reign of terror. Though arrested at Gravcsend in .September, both Sol "Lichtensteln and Tom Shaw were among those discharged by Magistrate Geismar the other day. To any regular who watched these two men from day to day it was clearly apparent that they were carrying on an extensive business with friends on a credit basis, but to prove a case against them was another matter. Lichtensteln. formerly the best-known bookmaker in the ring, stood on the lawn every afternoon chewing a black cigar. Three men were constantly at his elbow, leaning over very closely whenever Sol had ii whispered conversation with a player. No odds were shown, no money was flashed, and as far as any one could see no records were made. For that reason the authorities in Kings. Queens. Nassau, Westchester and Saratoga counties could not secure sufficient evidence against Lichtensteln to make out a case against him. It was the same with Tom Shaw. A six-footer, he was continually on the move, with three of his men at his heels. By nodding or shaking his head he showed whether he wanted a bet or not. hut. like Litchtenstein. Shaw did not show prices of any kind, accepted no money and did business so quietly that he had the sleuths baffled beyond a doubt. George Rose did business all season without being arrested. He. too. was. so careful that it was impossible to get the goods on him. He was told to quit at Sheepshead Bay and readily agreed to do so. at ithe same time declaring that he was 50,000 ahead, and all on credit betting, too. Rose acted as a sort of clearing house for the other bookmakers. He took any kind of a wager offered him and then let the horses run. At Belmont Park the day Golden Legend won Rose quoted 40 to 1 to his customers and lost 2,700 on tho colt, which was the only one backed, us the big Californian would not accept a dollar on Lady Sellna. the favorite, at 1 to 2. That was going some, hut Rose, it must be remembered, is an exception. "If it had not been for the gameness of the bookmakers," said one of them the other day, "the tracks would have closed up long ago. We could have quit and gone to other tracks where there was real business with no annoyance if wed wanted to. but we did not feel like surrendering under fire. So. we stuck it out, though subjected to persecution, blackmail, grafting and all sorts of things that did not go when the old law was in effect. Few of us have made a dollar, but weve been able to keep our crews at work, which was something. Poor I fellows, they dont know any other business, and If we quit they will go to the wall. Weve gone to j the end of tho season along with the track owners" j for the purpose of doing what we can to keep the turf game alive, and we feel that there will be a turning point la the present rocky road."
