The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-27
NOT A GOOD LOSER.
A Pool Game That Seems to
Have Been Fixed.
so CAPT. SWIFT WANTS TO KNOW
He Had 500 on the Game and Thought
He Was sure winner-Which
He Wasn't.


duroy Kid" and Finch Wider. a we'll
known young man about town. played a
match game Of pool at the Columbia beer
nan wednesday afternoon. Reese won by
score of 100 TO S. and walked away with
a cool 500 that had belonged 10 Capt.
swift OF the steamer Mabel
Swift thought he knew all about the
game before 1t started, and this led him TO
put up 100 on Wider. Just before the end
came he thought he got a glimpse of inner
light, and in addition to asking Pete Bau-
man. who had been agreed upon as stake
holder, 10 hold the money pending an in
vesugat.on. told Wider he would give him
SO If he could pull out the game Reese.
however. had the vantage. and punched
the one hundredth ball into the corner
pocket Reese admitted yesterday after
noon that Swift looked as IL he would fall
in faint when he discovered that he had
lost his money. The business being over
and Reese having obtained Swift's 500
from the stakeholder, II is almost needless
10 say that the captain retired to Sc
cluded nook and commenced 70 figure out
the meaning OF the words double cross
and fall guy" Finally he came to the
conclusion that he had been swindled, and
that as a matter of fact he was the only
one who had put up any money on the
game, and. while he thought he was GER
tain TO come out even If he did not win.
in reality he was sure to lose. In this
frame OF mind the captain went 10 the
police station yesterday afternoon and got
Detective Cudihee to arrest Reese. The
plain English of the charge is bunko. but
whether the law will fit the facts as they
have been picked out of the tangle Is
different question.
Capt. Swift, accompanied by Detective
Eudihee. had a long consultation with
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Morris late
n the afternoon, but no conclusion was
reached to complaint. because the
matter will have to be passed upon by
Prosecuting Attorney HASTE Swift re-
fused to tell his story to Post-Intelli-
gencer reporter. but in discussing differ
ent points in the case he said that he had
been played for all there was in II by a
man, Reese, whom he had tried to be-
friend.
According to the story Swift told the
police and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
Morris. Reese had been following him
around for about two weeks trying to get
him to put up money for a match game
of pool. Archie Noyes was also repre-
scented as wanting to Back Reese Swift
and Noyes met a week or so ago. but
nothing was done about a game. They
met again last Wednesday, and Noyes
agreed to put up 800 on Finch V,dler If
Swift would do the same for a game with
Reese. Under pressure from Mr.. Morris
Swift admitted that he expected Reese
would let Wider win. and thus a tailor.
whose name is not known, would lose the
money he was going TO put UP on Reese
Swift said that Pete Bauman was selected
as stakeholder and he handed over his 500
to him. being told that Reese had put up
the money for his sdE- Noyes according
TO Swifts story, went out to get his 800
which was to be bet on Wider, but before
he got back the game was under way.
The game was as quiet as any ordinary
mr. at & Sf Cu-tff cd
TO get suspicious. Bauman, the stake
holder. said last night that by the way
the men played at the last of the game
ne was satisfied something was wrong.
Neither player appeared anxious to finish.
and when he. Bauman. called game Reese
said that he had another ball to go. II
/ had had any :dea," said Bauman. that
the game was not on the square l would
not have allowed them to play in the hall.
In fact. did not know anything about it
until a short time before play COM
menced. / was coming out of the Abbott
house when Swift and Reese called me
over TO where they stood and said they
had match game arranged. They asked
me to hold the stakes. and l said: Well.
/ guess | can 40 that SwS. put up 800
in cash and Reese put up So. Later
Reese put up Si6o N cash and also depos-
TIED check for 500 Noyes, they said.
was 10 put up 800. but he did not get
and so paid the money over to him when
he made demand. All there is TO II.
Swift thought he had a sure thing and
got caught at his own game"
Reese was seen at the police tation last
evening just after he had been consulting
with his attorney, B. j. Humphrey. He
is comparatively small man, with a clear
blue eye and his face shows that he en-
joys a good joke. 1t was evident that he
did not have much sympathy for Swift by
his talk. Il viii tell you how IT hap
pened.' he said. In the beginning the
match was on the square. hut Swift came
to me. and said that / could make more
money by losing than winning. l said:
All right, go at him hard Well,
Swift put his money on Wider. and l ran
out the game"
How about this tailor that was sup
posed to back your"
AS a matter of fact" replied Reese
There was no tailor in the game; that was
talk / gave Swift. You see / could not
raise the money myself, so / had TO Dor
row. The money put Up belonged 10 my
self and friends. whose names / do not
care TO give, as they had nothing to do
with the game"
Wider was quite indignant that he
should be dragged into the sensation. as
he claimed 20 be ignorant OF the affair.
otherwise than the game Itself. Il was
driving along the street" he said, We'd
nesday. when Reese came running out and
stopped me. He took me up 10 Swift. who
said | was 10 play a match game OF pool
with Reese and he wanted me TO win.
told Swift that PLAYED an even game
with Reese. II there was a game to down
swift had no hand in H. and am sure I
did not get any OF the sl0e."