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Show POOL ROOM BOOSTER tt There are two poolrooms m this citv 1 1 whore one may bet on the varlo, II races throughout the country vne ever thero is a fight en, eucli as Z M Nelson-Corbett mill was, ne can place his money on his choice. The house, charge a percentage on all bets H Although in some places poolrooms H aro regarded as sink IioIcm 0f ininX- H in this part of tho country the? a tolerated because people like to bet H And as a rule people who bet want Bl square deal. 8 Of late however these poolrooms H have been infested with a parasite H known as the "booster" whose tires H' enco ought to be forbidden. There Is H no uso denying his existence because H Truth has had an ocular and oral dem H onstration of the accuracy 0f this H statement. The booster pretends to H know tho outcome of every race In ad- H vance. Ho is aided in his work by H a second booster, whoso duty it Is to H direct attention to the conditions. For H instance: H Ono of Truth's staff wandered Into a poolroom a short tlmo since, with no particular object in view. He hadn't 13- been in more than a minute when booster No. 1 accosted him with a IB question. "Do you know that man H over there?" On receiving a nega- H tivo answer the grafter next made the K assertion that tho party In question H must bo "next" as ho had won on cv- H ery race ho had tackled. This asser- H tion was followed by a request to Truth's representative that he go and H ask the chap's judgment in relation Hj to the next race. The newspaper H man, smelling a rat and desiring to H see what it would lead to, complied H with request. Booster No. 2 was about R as mysterious a party as one would 9A want to meet. Ho spoke in whispers mm and with great caution, lest some one 11 overhear him. Ho was an accommo- WM dating cuss too, hecauso ho evinced a willingness to "tip" or "tout" the scribo to win without making any In- iM qulrles and all he asked in return was that tho latter "say nothing to no- Mi body." Having extracted this prom- 9 ise ho cautiously looked around to be rffl sure that no one was listening and m then confidently said: H "Just give me your money and I IB will placo It." IB Now of course that's a hit raw on IB an old hand, but It catches many a ! sucker. It is needless to say that In ! this instance no money changed ! hands. II Tho night of tho Corbett-Nclson II fight these same two boosters were II soliciting bets, saying the fight was II fixed; thoy knew who was going to II win. "Just let mo havo your money II and I will place it." Ono sucker l placed a ?5 bill and lost It, showing II that the booster's knowledge of the "fixing" was not as extensive as it 11 might have been. 1? Now this sort of business has to stop. If it does not thero is going o be doings. These boosters have got to W go. If a man wants to go to a pool M room and bet, all right, but these par- asltes shall not flourish. They never n tackle a man' whoso presence is fre- K quent, but lay in wait for strangers m Cut them out or something will s f started that will mean shut down. II |