THE GENTLE GRAFTERS

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12075, 28 February 1925, Page 8

THE GENTLE GRAFTERS

BEATING THE BOOKS A TARANAKI RECIPE. It was race day at a small course iu Taranaki. Bookmakers had net then gone out of business, and "no reply” wires were comparatively easy to arrange for. Several of the ornamentti of +l>e turf who attended the meeting were possesird of “no replies” winch went to considerable limits. Luck had been against tl.ejn. and their part of late had beentodo the paying. To-day 1 hev were going to get even They had their heads ‘ogether quite a while—picking the card, of course — and their council of war was interrupted billy by a fight which suddenly cropped up opposite the post office The news spread in a Bash. “There’s a fight down by the post office!” All thi3 village turned out to see the en Counter, and the ornaments of the turf, too. hurried to the scene. That day their luck was in. They •backed the whole programme. Eight winners, and a bundle on every one. The bookmakers Were hard hit, and as they sat in their city offices they marvelled at the phenomenal success of the hitherto ' unsuccessful bettors. The run of success was so remark able, in fact, that payment was withheld ponding s little investigation. And in the end it was revealed .that while the postmaster and all 'his staff were out watching the fight, one of the sports slipped into the host office and put the clock back, with the result that though the wires containing the bets were handed in after the races were run they were timed ns having been lodged at the post office before starting time., b The gentle grafters «vore not paid And before long it was discovered that even the fight was »-tage managed, as a draw for the postal staff, co that one of the pair tv could get the chance to slow the clock.