OCR Text |
Show bookmakers' association's accounts for 1000 had been lost. It was shown that $C"3 was paid to several members late In 10"0 by the association. Evans said this was a pro-rata share. The witness denied this $G03 was a pro-rata assessment levied on members mem-bers In 1908 for the purpose of flijht-Inpr flijht-Inpr the Agnew llart bill. The witness sM he never paid dl rectly or indirectly any money to fight anti-race-track legislation or to Influence any. r with tho Mutual bank. Ho had Httlo success. Amaza Thornton, a New York lawyer, law-yer, who spread the pro-racing views of certain clergymen, according to August Belmont's testimony yesterday, told how he earned a fee of $250 from the Westchester Racing association. Richard T. Wilson Jr , tho preside nt of the Saratoga Racing association since 1909, explained that he did not take office until after the Hughes antl-ra-clng program had been carried through, and that, therefore, he knew nothing of the activities of the aeso-i aeso-i elation In 190S, when the books of the association show that it spent $1S,541 ' for legal services, as against $2,15 the year previous and $S,7u0 the year following. John J. Evans, of the Bookmakers' association, wits the most important witness of tho day. He repeated again and again that as treasurer he kept no books and no correspondence, and that he could not be expected to remember where all the money went that passed through his hands, or where it came from. Ho did keep a check book and a bank pass-book, and the entries and stnbj In these pave the assistant district attorney hints for :noRt of his questions Mi. Kresel. for Instance, sought to find out about a payment of $1,500 lo Edward Burke, chairman of the association asso-ciation "The way I did was this," explained Evans. ''We were at the track and v, o were talking about the way business busi-ness was going and he said: 'John, I got a bill for $4 500, and I wish you would give me the money.' " 'All right, what fur,' I asked. ""Legal expenses,' he said. 'When do you want It?' " "I want it now.' '"Check or cash?' '' 'Want cash ' ""I went and borrowed tho cash from a man at the track and gave It to him." "Burke is now In Havana. Evans did not know when he went. "I had never asked him, or when ho would be back; Burke," he addtd, ''was a very uncertain man." Attorney Kresel asked Evans to note that on May 12, 19'S, he deposited deposit-ed .2O,00ti with the Mutual bank and asked what Jt was for aud where it came from. "I don't know," replied the witness, wit-ness, after some parleying', "isn't It a fact that $20,000 was collected as a result of a special assessment?" "Not so far as I know." Tho witness said he would try t find out. He admitted that the day after the $20mr was deposited ho took out a deposit slip for $15,000 for counsel fees. Evans admitted , to payments of $12,500 to other attorneys, but said this was not for fighting the racetrack race-track bills, but to look after members of the association who might be arrested. ar-rested. It was made to appear from pay. ments of loans lo the Mutual bank that in 1908 the bookmakers association associa-tion borrowed about $19,500 in two loans, one of $12,000 and one of $7,-500. $7,-500. But it was Impossible to prove this, because a ledger containing the TURF MEN ALL HAD FAULTYJ1EM0RIES NEW YORK, Dec. S. Missing books, missing witnesses, faulty memories mem-ories and tho easy-goini; business methods of the Metropolis Turf association asso-ciation (the bookmakers' organization) organiza-tion) netted the mills of the joint lvg-Iblative lvg-Iblative committee only a meagre grist if new facts l:adero Krepel, assistant counsel for the committee, tried to get John J. Kvans, treasurer of the Metropolitan Turf association, to explain the origin of $2o,00o deposited depos-ited to the credit of the association, |