Old-Time Mutuel Methods, Daily Racing Form, 1915-07-08

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OLD-TIME MUTUEL METHODS. There p.- ■ vast differeaee between the haprored 1 mntnel machines operated today on the Kentuckj track* and those installed when this system of bel ting was tii-i Introduced on the race courses ol 1 America. The devices as now operated ith the late improvements devised by Jobs Hachmeister at Duog-las .. Park form an Interesting rohiparfaina to those of lone, ago in the old times there were only one or " two booths al which li.J.cts were cashed and for a 1 v| 1 1 1 . 1 1 . , i- to pel ins « inniue; money qatekly it was | necessary to place himself al the merry of ticket scalpers, some of whom waxed fal at ihis business. L..r a long True oniv tickets were s..id la the machines and those were only on a here to win, the devices being In operation for several years before place an. I le.w betting was Introduced. In the ; throng al Douglas Park one day Ibis seasna was an old lino- friend of Major Dru n I. the original calculator of the pari-mutnel machines in r 1 1 i — coim 1 r . and it may be noted thai the Bguring of will aiag tickets today ts dene by the same system of ,- calculation thai Major Drummond Introduced more « . than tortj rears ago. Said Ibis old-timer: "Never will 1 Forget the scalpers operating is 11 Id days. There were three of them. One was ■ Jen known ,, ■is leu John: an.. I her was an old tinier from Nash Mil. nam.. I Langford. and the other was an Italian , aai I D iiii.k Collizxia. They furabihed much I, amnsemenl in their eagerness to beat each other ,. in business and cnl rates continnall] to oatdo eaeh , ot her. "To discredit each other with Iheir patrons they y would make all kinds of charges, but in spite of all l their basis* ■ rivalry, off the race track they were ,. good friends Thej weal annuel with a handbag , strapped over their d klers. in whk-fa I luy, kepi 1 their I. ill- tu pay ••IT Willi and to hold the tickets s which tbey cashed. After a rare was settled ap they I took the tickets tbej had aecnatalated to the cash tors window and had them redeemed. It can be e said i.« their credit thai they conducted the -■ . I pins business in such i manner thai no complaint ever reached the track management, though mam a ker players were scalped by them and were none the a .. r. They always had an alibi If a victim called I hem, and a! once made .-.|| claims good, heme keeping complaints ir..;.! reaching the manag I ent, "What Langford regarded the worst accusation " ever made against him bj his business rivals was thai be had cashed a railroad ticket for a mutnel ;j card, and it is s.-.i.i thai ix-b a happening actually occurred. Some players rangbl him in a rush and : having -ir-li a card looking like a mutnel ticket, pal i it through. The amount was trifling, mi it made him the hull of his rivals for a long time. "These three characters have king since ill ap peat .1 mm the race tracks, hut tl Id timers win d never forge! them. Their lik will never be seen a agaia, a tbey !«•! nu p. the past,"


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1915070801/drf1915070801_2_4
Local Identifier: drf1915070801_2_4
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800