Whether one agrees or not with Lord Beaconsfield’s uncompromising condemnation of the Turf as a vast engine of national demoralisation, it is impossible to deny that the racing world provides an exceptionally fertile field for the practice of fraud and trickery that is akin to fraud. Nowhere else do knaves prey upon fools so easily, so safely, and so profitably. Take first the case of the tipsters. It is well within the mark to say that nine-tenths of these gentry live by lying. If they did not tell lies they could not sell their tips. Many of them circulate absolutely fictitious lists of winners that they have found, and practically all of them make pretences as to the sources of their information and the infallibility of their prophecies that they know to be false. If their judgment or prevision enabled them to foresee the results of races with the consistency that they claim, it stands to reason that they would not be offering to sell tips to all and sundry when, however small their capital at starting, they might be piling up a fortune by backing horses for themselves. But this obvious consideration never crosses the mind of the gullish herd of backers. No story of his successes that a tipster puts forward is too steep for them, and as fast as one lot of dupes is disillusioned he gets another. The following is a list of some of the false prophets of the Turf whom I have pilloried during the past twelve months:—
E. W. Beston, Birmingham.—During the flat-racing season, which is also the principal flat-catching season, this individual issues a weekly paper called the Midland Referee, nominally priced at sixpence, but sent out gratuitously, in which vituperative attacks upon rival tipsters are mingled with extravagant puffs of “Dan Bruce,” “Miss Flossie Beresford,” “Percy Macdonald,” “James Brown,” “Reginald Vernon,” “Walter Hooley,” “George Leslie,” “George Graham,” “E. Allsopp,” “Hugh Owen,” “George Westwood,” etc. All these are aliases under which Beston himself carries on business as a tipster from a number of accommodation addresses in Birmingham and the neighbourhood. He bamboozles people into buying his tips not only through the medium of the Midland Referee, but by means of advertisements in his various aliases in many English and Irish newspapers, and by extensive distribution of circulars through the post. Not long since I gave a case in which a greenhorn paid Beston as “Flossie Beresford” £3 for twenty sixpenny telegrams containing forty predictions, of which only four came off! It is unnecessary to cite examples of the unblushing mendacity of this Protean rascal, or to describe in detail the artful dodges that he practises, but one ramp that he carried out last October is worthy of notice. Besides the Midland Referee, Beston publishes the Winning Guide and other rags which he represents as sporting journals. In October, some days before the Cesarewitch was run, advertisements appeared announcing that a specimen copy of the Secret Special, containing a “certainty” for that handicap, would be sent free to any applicant. The copies so supplied were dated the Monday before the Cesarewitch, but were not posted in Birmingham till the following Wednesday evening, three or four hours after the race had been run. It is easy to prophesy after the event, and these copies of the Secret Special named the outsider which won the Cesarewitch. But Beston knows his public, and no doubt many mugs, too obtuse to see that this wonderful “tip” had been printed when the race was over, were bagged as subscribers to the Secret Special—a mere tipster’s circular—at 5s. a week.
Fred Cobb, 6 Ludgate Arcade, E.C.—Styles himself the “manager” of a diminutive tipster’s publication called the Peerless Special, for which subscriptions are invited at the rate of 5s. a copy, or £5: 5s. for the racing season. On at least one occasion last season he circulated specimen copies which, though dated before, were printed after an important race, thereby enabling him to give the name of the winner. When he really does “tip” prior to a race Cobb is less successful. In one number of the Peerless Special he gave fourteen horses, and among the whole lot there was not a solitary winner.
Macdonald, 14 Whitcomb Street, Pall Mall.—Publishes a small four-page tipster’s sheet entitled the Turf Pioneer, besides supplying “guarantee wires” and “invincible daily telegrams.” One number of the Turf Pioneer named six horses for races that week. Five of them never started; the sixth was beaten.
Fred Rickaby, 45 Regent Square, Brighton.—Nine losers out of ten selections was this prophet’s record one week; nevertheless, he at once issued a circular in quest of fresh customers, claiming that he had given seven winners and only three losers.
“R. Ormonde and Co.,” 14 New Street, Birmingham.—Represent themselves as “part owners of several useful horses,” and specially circularise such persons as the “head boots” at hotels.
Charles Robinson, Smith Street, Epsom.—Refers in his circulars to that “estimable journal, Truth,” but, needless to say, does not mention my warnings against Charles Robinson.
Arthur MacCall, Archdale House, Marlborough Road, St. John’s Wood.—Offers to return the money paid by any one dissatisfied with his tips. Having paid 20s. for five wires, all “wrong ’uns,” a victim asked for the return of that sum. MacCall replied by sending a circular bragging of his “march of triumph,” and offering more wires at the same price!
“V. Vee,” Morion House, Newmarket.—Pretends to be an owner of race-horses. There is reason to believe that “V. Vee” is an alias of the above-mentioned Arthur MacCall.
“John Kingfield,” otherwise “Frank Foreman,” the Post Office, ——.—Through the supineness of the Postmaster-General, this travelling tipster is allowed to use the Post Office in different towns where races are being held as an accommodation address.