TURF FRAUD SWINDLES.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 158, 22 September 1883, Page 15

TURF FRAUD SWINDLES.

■ ♦■ SWINDLING SWEEPS AND THE SWEEPS WHO SWINDLE.

The Melbourne Herald of September lltli contains a long article, under the above and several other lively headings, giving a circumstantial exposure of four big frauds in sweeps. The sweeps called " The Orient," " Australasia," and "Bonanza," were dissected and exposed by the Herald's " detective," in its issues of the 4th, 6th, and Bth of September, and the fourth, dealt with in its issue of the 11th, is « THE MELBOURNE TURF CLUB," the capital of which is £20,000, to be distributed on the Melbourne Cup, " all prizes, no blanks." The Herald's detective alleges that after due investigation he finds that Mr. Bentley's sole justification for designating his sweep " The Melbourne Turf Club" is that ho possesses a horse, and his father is a greengrocer. The detective first saw Bentley on the flat at Flemington on the Zulu Cup Day, when he wore " a coat of many colours," and addressed the crowd thus : — " Pop it down, gents ; a shilling a-piece, and ten bob the :winner ; the game's fair, and the monkey don't care !" ' _ . The oilier component part of the Club is a barber, sUree or wbo>n are now running sweeps iyin Melbourne, which revives recollections of North, wlnx-ftm away to "Frisco \vith £5000, and posed among waiters and toufca as an English Marquis. " ~~ ■— •. ... The barber partner, when ha Las adjusted the io*veju proceed in this fashion : — Hazior go eusy, sir? Yes. — Bu&iuess-jiot very brisk .just now F No. — Lots of money invested in »wetip"s at this time of tbe year? Yes.— Well, I speculate a pound or two myself occasionally, but I only know one square one out of the lot. Which is that?— The Melbourne Turf Club. I know a woman who drew the first prize last year in the same man's sweep, and she got her thousand pounds all right. Yes ?— Yes, and I suppose I know half-a-dozen others, all poor people, who have drawn starters at different times. See that hotel opposite ? Well, the man who owns it bought it with money he won at different timeß in these 'ere sweeps. — Customer departs, posaibly with the intention of chancing a pound in the sweep under notice — possibly with the determination not to do so. Anyhow, the barber has done his best to advertise the affair, and will explain its merits in the same fashion to his next customer.' /Letters addressed to " Thomas Bentley, M.T.C., Melbourne," are detained at the Post Office there until called for, as the Club is unknown, so that investors are sending their money to persons who are afraid or ashamed to allow their proper names and addresses to be associated with the M.T. Club's advertisements. TH v proji;vi>r.« of iiiis weep are not connected with the, iih/tr. .-ire not k lown, and would not be truHtssi by =niy recognised metallician. iThen, the detective at--ks, hnv, Vould they "make a book,", v.'hen they would he unable to^find one solitary. •Ic^ni lnytiV ••"- i>;uker to bot with" them. Bentley cannot beyin iiU he has f^ot his clients' money in and chnvni hia sw^op. which would allow him one week to main a .v 15,000 booh and "get round,'' i.e., to stand to win either way. "He j cannot predict the winner of the Melbourne Cup, i ox- he would hardly go to the trouble of running | swindling sweeps." ' ■ i' But money is rapidly flowing in. The Herald concludes thus : "There are degrees in knavery even, and for downright, unblushing effrontery, the pair of rogues who compose the ' Melbourne Turf Club ' stand unrivalled." Does not this more than bear out what we h»ve contended all along, that the Gaming and Lotteries Act is a hollow sham, the clumsy blundering^ such theoristsas Sir William Fox, which intensifies the worst evils of gambling, without affording any safeguard for the people who are victimised. Will some kind friend forward us as soon as possible copies of the Melbourne Herald of September 4th, 6th, and Bfch. .