The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-20
SKINNED THE POOL ROOM
THEY ARE NOW IN JAIL
Used the Telephone TO Send in False
Returns OF the Eastern Races
and Beat the Room Out
OF e486.

To show his gratitude toward the
men who befriended him. J. M. Bell. or
Red" Bell. or Fatty Bell. with the
aid Of a confederate. Is believed to rave
skinned his b~enefactors out of Sass. and
as a result Of his ingenuity he now
languishesI In jail. So does his confed-
crate. The people from whom the
money was obtained are the proprie-
tors of the Centennial pool rooms.
Emil Hansen. Tony Towner and stoney
Clark.
1t may be explained that the Cen
tennial pool rooms get the race returns
OF both the Eastern tracks and the
Ingleside track The latter results
come direct to the room by telegraph,
and an operator Is there to take them.
The results from the Eastern tracks.
however. are received at the Centen-
NAL by telephone from Butte. In order
TO do this. the Centennial employs a
young man named Herman Bender.
who gets the results at the pool room
In Butte, goes to the central telephone
Office in that city and sends them to the
Centennial. For this he was paid IS
a day. Bender would first send the
winners. and and when the Official
came. he would send that too. Bender
was Implicitly trusted by his en-
ployers.
A short time ago Fatty" Bell came
TO town. He was broke. Being an old
time gambler and race horse man, he
went to the Centennial and told of his
hard luck. He was b~efriended at once.
The Centennial people held him up
for a Ions time. They provided him
with money for board inc lodging.
II happened to strike the mind of
Fatty" so II is claimed. that he could
make a stake by working the thing
right. As the belief goes. ne went to
Butte and conferred with Bender. The
two are alleged to ave come to an
understanding readily. They fixed
up" a card h a was to win to-day.
Three horses were picked at random
for each race. Bender was to tele-
phone these names as the winners to
the Centennial, regardless of the real
winners. Fatty" was to plank his
money on these horses.
Yesterday Fatty" showed up at the
Centennial with a wad of money. The
poo. room men were somewhat sur-
prised to see Bell with money. but
passed the matter with the thought
that he had made a raise" somewhere.
Bell put up some money on the first
race. Soon the telephone bell rang,
and sure enough Bell won. He then
played the second race He won again.
The third race he won likewise. Bender
not only sent in the first returns. but
also confirmed them with the ''ofi-
cial." Bell got his money. He won
Sass.
This happened a little before 3
o'clock. The pool room men talked
over the thing. n as they talked II
over the more suspicious they became
concerning Bells winnings. They WON
dered where he got so much money.
and they wondered at his sagacity in
| calling three Strai0hf raaaG II na-
CURED to Toner then to ask the Butte
pool room direct as to the winners.
The Butte room had entirely different
WHINE from those sent down by Ben
der. In the meantime Bell. IL is said,
had taken the 3 o'clock train for Butte.
Hanson and Toner and Clark repaired
to the county attorneys office and As
sistant County Attorney Self filed n
complaint against the men in Judge
Kennedy's court. charging them with
obtaining money under false ~pretenses.
Telegraph messages were sent to Butte
for the apprehension OF Bell and Ben
der and they were arrested by the
Butte officers last evening.
The pool room. as soon as II learned
the real winners OF the races. paid the
holders OF tickets on 'he horses. Some
Of the tickets had been torn up and
flung away. but the paid these
as well. so that nobody lost a cent ex-
cept the owners OF the room.
The telephone service has cost the
room a good deal Of money before. In
a former trick turned bv unknown par
ties. II Il likely now that telegraph
service for all the races will be insti-
tuted.
of course. II cannot be positively
stated whether the men are guilty or
not, but there is no doubt In the minds
Of the pool room men that Bell and
Bender Matched up the conspiracy. II
II possible that Bell may have actually
called the races on his own account.
but such is not believed to be the
case.
Deputy Sheriff McGuinness went IN
to Butte last evening and returned
with both Bell and Bender in custody.
The two men were locked up In Jail.
When arrested in Butte. each of them
had a railroad ticket for San Francisco
and IL was clearly their intention to
leave for the coast this morning. h
prompt acton of the officers. however.
prevented their leaving the state and
they are now safe behind the big iron
door.
II Is said. although not authoritative
ly. that Bell made practically a COM
plete confession OF his part I'm the tran
saction. About $500 was found upon the