270 LIFE WITH THE TEOTTEES. 



family as E. C. Walker lias a brother James, that has the 

 same qualities as a newspaper man, and also the love of the 

 horse in his character, he being an owner and breeder at 

 this time. 



Some of the other noted characters that I have met on 

 the turf are the pool-sellers and book-makers. Ira Bride, of 

 the firm of Bride & Armstrong is one of the best known men 

 in the business, he having had the pool-selling at different 

 times on all the prominent tracks in this country. He has 

 the dignity of a bank president and this, coupled with his 

 handsome appearance and gentlemanly manners, makes him 

 a very popular man. 



Frank Herdic is a native of Pennsylvania and as a talker, 

 pool-seller, and a violin player, he cannot be excelled. 



Charley Stiles is willing to talk anybody in the world a 

 race of mile heats three and five and is just as willing to bet 

 on his ability there as he is to guess the winner in a horse- 

 race. 



Ed Morse, a Yankee pool-seUer is a very steady man 

 about fifty years of age. His business methods are first class, 

 his friends would make an army, and he would like to find 

 a rule so that every man who buys a pool-ticket might get- 

 a winner. 



In the West the pool-selling on trotting tracks has of late 

 years been pretty well monopolized by George Wild and Al 

 Swearinger, a couple of young men who are about as well 

 known and liked as any in their line. Wild is a Britisher 

 by birth, but for all that the trotter is his ideal horse, and 

 if it were a choice as to whether he should see the Epsom 

 Derby or a free-to-all pacing-race George would be with the 

 side-wheelers every time. 



Jim McCrea, Herdic' s partner, deserves more than a pas- 

 sing mention, he having been for years connected with pool- 

 selling and perhaps has business relations in that way with 

 more men than anyone else in the business. Jimmy is not a 

 sport in any sense of the term, and never plunges, no matter 

 how good the tip. The price of a barrel of fiour laid. 



