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Show Romantic Type Passes Away with Phil Dwyer Fortunes Staked on a Single Race Gates and the Memphis Poker Players. H BY J. B. SHERIDAN". H TfHEJ recent death of Phil Dwyer, H H whoso name wa-a a household H word among American boys and H young men thirty yoars ago. brings to Hl mind the passing of tha glories of tho sport of kings, tho decaying day of tho H ' running turf, of tho race horse, of tho 8 h Jockey and of tho big gambler. t Tho names of tho Dwyers, Mlko and. H 2?hll. aro woven in tho woof of the once Hj great, now dying, American running turf. H They owned great raco horses Hindoo, H;, unbeatable; Hanover, Kingston, IUinda- Hl manthus, Miss "Woodford, George Kln- Hl ney. Longstreot, Luko Blackburn, Trp- Imont, Dewdrop, Pontlac, Passover, Ben Brush and Handspring. They employed groat trainers Jimmy Rowc, who now trains for H. P. "Whitney; Frank JIc-Cabo JIc-Cabo and others. Tho great Jockeys, Blms, Maher, Sloan, Taral, Griffith and scorcB of others, Miko Dwyer was one of the mightiest plungers tho betting ring has over known. Tho Dwyors owned many great , race tracks around Now York, and wcro tho creators of many classic stnkos. They woro among tho strongest props of I tho Amorlcan running turf in tho days ' tt its glory about Now York, Chicago, i Louisville and St. LouIb. Phil DwyorB death la coincident with ij tho beginning of tho end with tho run-I, run-I, ning turf In tho United States. It still exists ex-ists In Kentucky, Canada, and sporadically sporadi-cally In New York and Maryland. Can-i Can-i ada has been a haven for men who like to raco horses, but Canada Is talking about stopping tho sport this summor. C It Is a drain on tho puroos of the pooplo, now busy with tho expenses of war. i Virginia Mother of Racing. ! Horse raolng has boon callod tho sport pf kings, because, no doubt, nono but Hl icings could afford It. Thero are no kings Hj 1 In tho United States, but thero aro many H I tradesmen richer than tho kings of the H ' eighteen century. So horse racing took H I hold in tho United States, first in Vlr- H glnl. to which It was fetched by tho 8 cavaliers, who wero nobles in England H s.nd loved good horses, thon in Kentucky, 8 Vound bone in race homes. California and H pthor states grow flno horses, but they H never endured. They did not got tho lime H thoy needed to mako their bones firm. H Bo thoy dovolopod ringbones, spavins, H jpllnto and other bono diseases early In H Ihelr Tho early Virginians and Kontufxiani H whither' it who taken by tho doicendantn H pf the Virginian gontlomon. From Kon- H tuolcy it sproad all ovor tho Wont, B Tho bluo grrau district around Lcxlncr H ton proved to bo tho trroateet nuruory o( Hl raolng Htook in tho United Btatos, aoort H ffrflou, shado troon and Hmantono mibpoll Hl fnado it w. Ycru miwt lime In tho j frrn and In the wUor if you want Ut put H rnwit horeee on Uio HnnllPli fiiylofo? 8 jtport. Of owre,-thpy were not Above .' - b betting, but they did not mako racing a mere gambling tool, as was done outside out-side of Virginia -mc Kentucky. Planters would bet huge sums on their cvn horses, break themselves at times, biit raco meetings wcro only of a few days' duration and tho spectators. In genera), did not wager heavily, it was cttrwl?o in Now York, Chicago and San Francisco, St, Louis, New Orleans am other places where racing becamo popular. It was a sport among tho Virginians Vir-ginians and the Kontucklans. It was a gambling gamo overywhero 0I30. It grow to such mighty proportions that It suborned politicians, controlled legislatures, legisla-tures, and oven assumed to nominate and to elect governors of states. That was fifteen years ago. Had raolng endured and grown as business and llnanco has grown, It would ba larger than tho United States now. In fact. It was a question or whether racing would rulo some of tho states or the states should rulo racing. As a general gen-eral thing you will notice that when any oporl or business assumes to dictates to a great stato that sport or business loses. Itaclng attempted to nomlnato and to elect governors In Now York, Illinois and Missouri, California and Louisiana. Tho pooplo got up and smoto racing, Just as thoj 6moto Standard Oil and tho railroads, rail-roads, both of which were, by some, believed be-lieved grcator than tho United States. Governors Folk in Missouri, IIughc3 In New York and Dlnnocn In Illinois dealt racing deadly blows. Dwyers Honest Sportsmen. Tho Dwvora wero nrcs In th annrt of kli:gs, but they wore butchers when thoy started. They had grown wealthy dealing deal-ing in meat about Brooklyn. They drovo good horses when they owned but ono butchor wagon. Tho got and drove trotters trot-ters later on. Then they got Into running run-ning horses and thoy owned somo won-dors. won-dors. Thoy were honest mon. No ono can deny them that. Mlko Dwyer was a high roller or tho firsc water, ono of the blggost bettors tho American turr ever saw. Philip, Who died tho othor day, was not a big bettor. Ho played a safer and wiser game. Mo owned race tracks and good commercial properties. Phil Dwyer died a rich man. Mlko died poor. That's the way most gamblers do die. The Dwyers and tholr horses sot the American youth on lire thirty years ago. Evory boy in tho land knew nbout Hindoo. Hin-doo. Hanover was a groat race horse. Miss Woodford was ono of tho greatest raco mares that ovor looked through a bridle. Kingston was a really great raco horse. Thero ha3 beon few grcator than Bcr Brush. Ho was only of pony etzo, buL ho had tho speed of the wind, tho uwui ut ii nun. ucuiyo jvimicy uiiu Lcngstrcot woro great. Trcmont, not great for distance, wa3 ono or tho rastest sprinters that over passed under a. wire. The "red with bluo sash" of the .Dwyer brothers was known on every race track In tho United States. Great woro tho horsos that carried It, and great were the sumo wagered upon thorn. Mlko Dwyer was ono of the great plungers of the American turf. His famous fa-mous losing wager of $100,000 maao against $10,000 on Kingston in a match race with "White Hat McCarthys mare, Sunflower, was ono of tho great shocks sustained by tho hotting world. As tho oddt show, it was doemod a cortalnty thf t Kingston would win. So oortaln did hi ohancoa Boom to bo that ovory homo ontorod In tho moo, nnvo tho strange Cellfornla mnro, wan withdrawn by his ownor, Hunrtowor wan in to toko a work, ou: and ueoond monoy. A olnoh tho bopkmnKorn pnjrt, Bo thoy laid ?l affnlnPt flQ that Klngpton would lone, .No bet-tow bet-tow dure to tnlto puon Piiort prleeo. Vou sund to looo bin money-It your-fcorio u' bcaton and If ho wln3 your winnings are nogllglblo. Dwj-or liked to bot on his own colors. Ho was proud of his reputation. repu-tation. Ho was a natural born gambler. So ho sent "Circular Joe" Vondlg Into the ring to bet ?100.000 against 510,000 that Kingston would win. The California Califor-nia maro beat tho great geldbng by a noso and Dwyer lost 5100,000. Sacked His Judgment. Dwyor never cared about tho prices laid against his horsos. If ho thought tboy would win, ho bet Just the eatno. He died poor. Tho Dwyor nnmo 'etches up recollections recollec-tions of other famous high rollers of thj Amorlcan turf. Of course, when you speak of tho great turf gamblers everyone every-one will cry "Pittsburgh Phil." It Is true that George 1 Smith, known as Pltts-buigh Pltts-buigh Phil, was a big bottor. Moro than that, ho died with $600,000 In cash to his credit In tho bank. Phil was a big bottor. Yet tho lata State Senator Patrick H. McCarren or tho Borough of Brooklyn probably was the biggest bettor that tho American turf over has known. McCarren was polit ical manager or tne btanaara oil in tns State of New 1'ork, and, generally, in Eastern States of tho Union. Hlg ln-ccm ln-ccm was estimated at 32,000,000 a year. McCarron died relatively poor. It has been calculated that he wagered $1,000,-000 $1,000,-000 every year. How much of this bo won or how much he lost deponent say-oth say-oth not. This much Is known: Many of the mon who acted as betting agents for McCarren, the mossongers who places his monoy, becamo rich off tho commissions commis-sions they received from tho bookmakers for bringing them the patronage and off the presents mado them by McCarren when he won. James A. Kocno, tho famous stock exchange ex-change spooulator, owned many groat race horses, but never wagored any rabu-loun rabu-loun sumo on them. The Bermonts, father and pon, aleo fancied tho turf, but never became famous for their betting exploits. Harry Po-yno "Whitney, probably prob-ably tho loading horo owner of today, always has had a ctable of cracks, but never the reputation of being a bettor. Vin' ot -Dwyor and "Plttoburgh Phil" were the only owners of horses who achlovod fame ai big bettor i. Pittsburgh Phil did not become an owner in a large way. His horses, on tho whole, wero of moderato class, useful use-ful as bottlng tools, not famous as winners win-ners of great rares. The Dwyera loved ahorac for tho sake of the horse. "Pittsburgh "Pitts-burgh Phil" was a gambler puro and simple. McCarron did his bottlng In a qulot way. No great noise was mado about any coups mailo by him. Very probably he did not engineer any great bottlng exploits. In volumo or monoy wagered every day in the ring ho exceeded ex-ceeded all other men known to tho betting bet-ting sheds of the United States. Gates tho Tlunger.' No doubt tho most famous, for the time being, gamblers the American turf has known were John A. Drake and the late John "W. Oatos. Gates, who was the commieBioner of the partnership, always mado a noise when he won. Tho famous Royal Fluoh coup In England netted. Drake id-patea .1260,500,-Thftt la.notn lmmenso sum to win on one race. Many British, Hungarian and Russian noblomen have won and lost much more than $250,-000 $250,-000 on a single raco. "Tattcrsall's," tho London establishment whero responsible bottors meet to sottlo overy Monday, has frequently soon moro than $250,000 paid over by or to an individual bottor on a slnglo race. Somo of the South African diamond field millionaires have lost and won more than $250,000 on a single race. Then It must bo understood that Drako and Gate3 bet only $25,000 to win $250,-000 $250,-000 on Royal Flush, It will bo soon that tho wagor was not In any wlso extraordinarily extraordi-narily largo. Tho Estcrhazys, Hungarian noblemen, who raced horses in England, have been known to wager as much as $300,000 on tho result of a raco. Many of the great Russian and Polish nobles, tho Radzlwllls. for Instance, have been high rollers. Tho famous sporting marqulo it Waterford, a turf figure of the 18C-, bet as much as $50,000 on ono raco. That J twlco as much ae Drako and Oatos bet whon they mado tholr world-roioundlng coui . onRoyjki FlHtfc. n vjl-plrjt4 horse, who was bought for a song from his English owners, and when trained by Enoch "Wishard, tho Yankee, proved tractable trac-table and ran a remarkable race. Thero Is no doubt, howover, that Gates was a fearful gambler. It Is told of him that whon commissioned by Drako to bet on a certain horso In Now York, Gates wagered $100,000 In a fow days. "Whon he told Drake what he had dono, Drake suggested that Gates had bot too much money on vory avorago sort of a horse, who had a vory averago sort of a chance. "Anything tho matter with tho horse, John?" asked Gates. "No," said Drako, "but $100,000 Is ajot of monoy to bot on anything." "All right," replied Gates, rollovod. "I was afraid somothlng was tho mattor with the horso." Gates, a natural-born gambler, never thought of such a thing as overbcttlng. To his mind tho bottom of your pocket or tho end of your bank account ac-count or tho limit of your credit was tho only reason for ceasing to gamble $35,000 in Coin Toss. Gates nover know whon to stop bottlng. If ho was not ono of tho big bettors of tho American turf, ho was ono of tho great gamblers of hlH ora. It Is related when Gates visited Memphis tho members mem-bers of tho famous Cblckasha Club, who had hoard of his poker playing, got up a game for his cntortalnmont. A ayndl-cato ayndl-cato subscribed $35,000, ond thrco mem-bora mem-bora of tho club wero chosen to play tho monoy against Gates. Tho Chlckasha fli.V. V.n rnnintlv Vnnn rllaanK'swl At tlia tlmo of Gates' visit, 1SS9, It had among Its mombers somo of tho very finest pokor players in tho world. They had played cards up and down tho Mississippi In tho golden days, and did not feel that their -superiors ever sat bohlnd a bob- , tailed flush. "I am sorry, gentlemen," said Gates, whon Invited to play, "but It must bo a short game. I must leave Memphis at 10 tonight." "But, Mr. Gates," explained ono of his hosts, "wo can mako It worth your whllo to stay longer. Wo have $35,000 to loso." "Can't possibly stay any longer, gentlo-mon,'' gentlo-mon,'' Bald Gates, "but I toll you what we'll do. "We'll nip a coin for tho $35,000." The Memphis men wore artists, not gamblorn. Thoy wanted somo entertainment entertain-ment for their tlmo, and, anyhow, they woro conndent that their skill as poker players would not bo overcome by Gate. Tnoy could not seo tho wisdom or taking a chanco for tholr monoy. Poker looked Ilk'. a sure thing to them. "Walton, tho "Jubllco Juggins," a famous- plunger of tho British and Amorlcan Amor-lcan turfs, thought very little about wp.Bcrlng $50,000 on a race. Walton Inherited In-herited his wealth from South Arrlcan sourcos and bot It with royal hand. Ho did not live very long. Plungers Plung-ers nover do live long. Thoy may repress re-press their nerves and stand cool as Ice while horses arc racing for their thousands. thou-sands. Just tho same, thoy dlo young. Stralr. gets them. Tho lire Is easy enough; open air, short hours, healthy bams, but still as thoy may soem, they bum up Inside when tholr monoy Is bo. lng shot away by somo boy, young, in-experlcncod, in-experlcncod, perhaps weokoned by reducing re-ducing to make tho low weights roqulred or a Jockey. $300,000 for a Horac. C. E. Sevlor, tho Australian millionaire, million-aire, who once owned the great English mare, Scepter, was a tremendous bettor. Btvier paid something like $300,000 for Boepter, when the was a 8-year-old, She won all the great raooe opon to hor nex and many opon to horson of both Boxes, Bovlor wao a terrino bottor. 'Tla naia raco, and that he once wagored $10O,0W b ig on Scepter. Tno stewards of tho Kng- t, 'a llsh Jockey Club, tho most exclusive or- y'-M ganlzatlon In tho world, did not like lfefl Sevier's frco and easy colonial methods any moro than thoy liked tho winning ways of tho Americans, Gates and Drake, or tho Yankee shrowdness of Enoch "Wishard. It was Intlmntod to Hevlet that his room was prcrerablo to his com- -J peny. He took the hint, Bold his raclntr ' stablo and retired from tho turf. w McCarren, Gates, Drake, Mlko Dwyer $ and "Pittsburgh Phil" wore the groat .jj bettors or the American turf. Gates and Drako woro Westerners from niinols and c Missouri, but tholr major operations were contlned to traoks around New York. "t They raced and bet, lator, around Chi- ) cago. "Pittsburgh Phil" was, ns his i name indicates, from Pittsburgh, and j wao not known to Western tracks. Dwyer raced horses all over tho coun- try and his monoy was on them wherever J the startod. . The big bottors of tho Mlddlo "West !j have not boon numerous, unless you wish vi to cnumerato Drake and GatcB among them. Ed Corrlgan, who was tho major racing man of tho Mississippi Valley, was a track owner and horso ownor, and jj would bot on his own animals, but not vnst sums. Corrlgan was, In somo re- J srects, a commercial racing man, played 7 the game "Inside," was not abovo hav- j lng a program mado up to suit his own , J9 stablo on his own tracks, so that he 1, would win a majority of hi3 owa purws -J vIth his own horses, but he was, at bot- "1 torn, a horseman who loved to raca hcrscs. Ho would bet, too, but not In 43 oxcoedlng sums. Corrlgan was quite as "8 much a lover of horses as Mike Dwyer but jiot qulto so great a gambler. But Jfl Corrlgan was enough or a sport to race $jn horses for fun, or bet horse against horse Jj Just for sport. Ho owned a great stablo .jg of horsos about 1U01, and had somo $3,- iB 000.000 invested In breeding farms, raco -38 tracks, eto. JH Tho reform wavo wiped out Corrlgan's j9 foilune. Ho is still racing horses In a -H small way In Kentucky and on tho Cana- J9 dlars tracks. He went up and ho went down with his ship. Ho iovcd a nno race . 38 horso and was, after all, a man. ,ga Racing In California was part of the Southern Pacific eystem. Tom Williams. who was tho chief legislative agent of tho great railroad, was tho solo owner of tho raco tracks about San Francisco. Williams took racing Into tho Logislaturo iM undor the shield of tho railroad Inter-ests Inter-ests and protoctcd It for many years. Williams was not a big gamblor. Nor did a.S tho Golden States turn out any great bet- iJt tors to Its raco tracks. 'MJ Chinaman a Big Bottor. JJ Tho biggest bettor that over came from California was a Chinaman, tho famous, f'M or infamous, "Littlo Poto." This smiling La - Cclostrlal nlmn.f a, .v. . . . , , I ism " - vi.uu me uootwiiu.ni; " fn crazy when ho won somo $350,000 in a fow weeks. Everything "Littlo Pete" bet on seemed to win. Eventually It was as- ' 1 'M certalncd that tho Chinaman had all the j "i3 leading Jockeys In his employ. His agents I ' H' J arranged" tho races, but his money, j and the Jockeys carried out orders to tho i letter. Thoy saw that tho races were '3 run as "Littlo Poto" ordered that the7 jl "' should bo run. Half a dozen loading Jock- ) . 3! oys wero ruled off and "Littlo Poto" did i , not break any more bookmakers Ho was I klllod some years after in a tong war In '; Chinatown. San Francisco. ! It has been said that Chinoso gamblor? j Jjj aro always ncrupulouol'y honest until se- y! ducod into dishonesty by some white man. Tho inferonco is that tho white ! . brother put "Littlo Poto" on tho wrone ! track. ; "Pote" was a sport, though. Ho died j game. Somo tong forbado him to enter . r a certain district. Dlsobedlonco meant . . doath, Poto wao gamo. Ho wont Into K barbor shop In tho forbiddon dletrlot. ; -i Somo hluhblndor took hln boftd olean o ' j |
