A BOOKIE MOBBED..

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 453, 13 April 1909, Page 2

A BOOKIE MOBBED..

Auckland, April n

A disgraceful scene occurred at the end of the last race of the Auckland Racing Club’s Easter meeting on Saturday. A young man had laid a double of 50 to 1 with a bookmaker. When Dogger Bank won the last race the backer’s hopes had been realised, and he went along to the bookmaker to claim his winnings, £25 1 os. It is then alleged that the bookmaker passed a wad of notes to a confederate, and turned round to the successful backers with the story that the cash bad run out, but that the money would be obtained from the bank, and all made right next day. Fury thereupon seized the crowd, and things would have gone badly with the bookmaker, his clerk, and the alleged confederate, it the police had not stepped in and taken a hand. The men were taken to the stewards’ stand, but as most of the stewards had departed, an inquiry was postponed till Monday. The crowd then took a hand again, and things looked very bad for the two. With many imprecations they were seized by the throats, by the hair, by the collar, in fact everywhere a hand could be gripped. For the time all was riot. Potplauts went crashing over the stairs, flower-beds were trodden upon and crushed, and pandemonium reigned supreme. Eventually the man paid straightout odds, and the police got him away.

Another bookmaker, who earlier in the day failed to make good his wagers, was with his clerk, brought before the stewards, who, after hearing evidence, ordered his immediate removal from the course, and recommended that no license be issued to him in future, and that he be warned off all racecourses in New Zealand.