100-DOLLAR BILLS FOR THE GIRLS 



dollars one week and had nothing left. That was in 

 New York. He was staying with me at my hotel on 

 one occasion two or three weeks after that loss and 

 came to me one morning when there were races at 

 Belmont Park. I was going to drive my wife with a 

 friend of hers out in a car, and Grannan said he would 

 come too. He asked me if I had any money and I 

 told him not a nickel. He showed me 10 dollars he 

 had to begin betting with, and I knew that was about 

 the strength of his bank roll. At all events I got a box 

 at Belmont Park and he went down and began. He 

 backed the first winner and then the second and the 

 third. He had run into money by this time and had 

 6000 dollars on the fourth race which went down. At 

 all events before the end of the day he had well over 

 5000 dollars left and brought the girls a clean 100- 

 dollar note each and we were all right. 



At another time I knew he had put 6000 dollars, all 

 he had, on a horse for an event in the future, and he 

 came to a mutual friend of ours and asked him for a 

 loan of 500 dollars. 



" Are you broke already ? " said the man, " why I 

 know you have thousands on the next race ; can't you 

 wait for that ? " 



" No, I can't : I want to put some more on ; he can't 

 lose, I tell you, and you must give it to me. I wish I 

 had fifty thousand to put on him." 



He would never hesitate for a second when he had 

 made up his mind, and when he had a real fancy would 

 empty himself of ready money and get all the credit 

 he could cajole. 



In 1900 Grannan came over for half the year to 

 England but I didn't see so much of him. He had 

 begun to bet on Lester Reiff and was going very strong, 

 as were two other Charlies — Charles Quinn and Charles 



155 



