The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-23
Color-blind Crook Loses $4,000
and His Reputation.
BIG WIRE TAPPING JOB
MISTAKES TIE SIGNAL AND
BACKS THE WRONG HORSE.
Warning Handkerchief Was yellow,
But the Color-blind Crook
Thought It Was White-He Man
aged to Escape From His Confed-
crates After a Hard Fight.

Il went down to New Orleans {
couple of months ago to get a youns
fellow who was pretty badly wanted il
my town for a two-months' campaign
of highly successful check kitirg las
summer" said a Pittsburg detective
who dropped into Washington on {
hunt last week. Il got him all right
and he's now doing his three years.
found him to be a pretty decent sort o.
a young geezer, although a born crook
l don't remember ever having had suci
an entertaining travelling mate as ht
was on the trip up from New Orleans
Before we started / asked him if ht
was going to be good, or if it would
be necessary for me to put the brace
let's on him. He gave me an on-the.
level lcok and said:
mo, 1 don't think it will. But
pass 1T up to you. I don't want Il
throw you. All [ ask is, don't give mC
too much of a chance if you keep the
iron off OF me-. L wouldn't be jay enough
to try a window-jumDing stunt, but
don't give me a show to make either
one of the car doors. If you do ]. may
have to give you a run for it.
well, I could see that he would be
all right without the cuffs, n so ]
didn't put 'egn on him.. He rode with
-2AO III 1L1 lG1P1 Oil ~ R0S 49,
New Orleans to Pittsburgh let him
do the sleeping, though, of course-and
he had a drink when I did and played
quarter ante when 1 did, and none OF
the rest of the passengers was any
the wiser. He was a climbing good
talker and he told me a lot of interest
ing stories of queer propositions that
he had been up against. For instance,
when we were running through the
h1Tra-o~acc rAOina of KpnfuNkV he
turned to me and asked me where the
blue grass was. l told MIN that the
term blue grass vas largely ornamen-
tai, and thar while the grass down
there was no doubt high grade and the
limit as fodder for thoroughbreds, I
thought it was mostly green, like grass
the world over.
COLOR BLINDNESS COSTS s15,OG G
We'll, I'm blooming glad to hear
you say that he replied. 1t proves
that I'm not color blind on h whole
gamut of colors, anyhow. If you'd said
there really was blue grass in these
fields We're running through, I'd have
given myself up as a bad job in the
matter of distinguishing colors. But as
long as the grass is green like other
grass-well, there's some hope for me-
Color blind, Ieh% L asked him.
Yes, | guess l an, more o. less he
replied. I never knew it, though. until
last spring, and it cost me $4,000 to
find it out
Expensive information said I.
How'd it happen?
IF you'll undertake to forget about
it by the time we get to Pittsburg. I'll
tell you he said. I was fooling around
one of the big towns-one of the big
gest towns-en this side of the Missis-
sippi last spring. wheH L me up with a
couple Of wiretapperS that got me in
terested. They were the real kind-nOt
fake tappers who rope fellows into
giving up coin just by showing 'em
phony instruments in shady rooms, but
professionals, who really knew how to
tap the wires and pull down the money.
had been working together for
some time, and when 1 happened to
meet them they had just pulled off a
swell hog-killing up in Toronto n had
two or three thousand each in their
They had only recently struck
the big town, and as they had never
operated there before, they didn't have
to do any sleuth lodging. Neither did
I, although I was doing a bit of bust
ness in the check line occasionally, and
was about a thousand to the good when
met them. We hitched up together.
the three Of us, for a drosky whirl, and
then they told me that, While they
made it a rule not to let outsiders mi
their game, they thought I was good
TO be admitted to d good thing
they were about to pull off.
One of the largest and best pat !
of the poolrooms of the town
was way on the outskirts of the city. I
The duck that runs it is worth close
1n to z million. and the ticket writer's
laVe instructions never to turn any
mans money down. no matter how big
he sum or how l~ead-pipey the cinch
le appears to have. Jumps of $40. 600
$4,000 have frequently been taken
)ut of that pOolroom on single tickets,
and it's one of the few poolrooms in the
country where track odds are given.
BIG OVERLAPPING JOB.
My two new pals had sized up this
,utGt. and when l met them they al
'eady had Things fixed to pail down q
comfortable wadS. They had rented
vacant frame cottage about 800 yards
.cr0ss a big vacant lot from the. pool
.oom, and by a little night work-they
both practical wiremen, as well
IS expert telegfapners-had got the
wire into q room on the second floor
f the house all right.
lone of the fellows had formerly
worked in a poolrooTn himself, and he
lad the race code down as pat as but
or. They took me out to have & look
It the layout, not because they wanted
dollar out of me-, for they were on
-elvet, but simply because they both
eemed to take a kind o shine to me,
nd it surely looked gCo'. It was good,
Il right, that layout. and when they
all ready to begin work | was in
n the play.
I'VE decided to make the first kill
ne the day The Belmont stakes were
So, % Nr.--,- Dol roo /
-gainst their starting il of on such a
ig stake event. especially as the race
)cked to be such q mortal fer Ham
urg: but they said stake events were
5 good as selling races in their bust
ess. and 50 we had a little rehearsal
nd stood by. hiy end Of the job was
D happen in the p0oirOom. l was to
there by a d-ust-covereG window
hat looked out OF the poOlrooIn across
bis vacant lot to the frame cottage
Here the layout was installed. and
ait for the signal. The signal gas to
c made by means OF q handkerchief
-aved in the air by one Of the fellows
-om the window. The color Of the
andkerchief was 20 tell the name Of
Re winner, For instance, if Hamburg
q white handkerchief was to
at the second-story window; if
owing Brook captured the stakes. a
handkerchief was to be the sig
and so on. When I got the signal (
was to put the money down on the =
inner, the Taper was TO hold the re- :
lit from the pool operator for FIVE l
to give me time to get the Y
down, and then l was just to I
ait for the poolroom operator TO an 4
ounce the race. 1t was the easiest c
ling in life, and it would ave gone \
trough with a rush, not only on that !
zee, bat on a whole lot of other ones
ter on, If l hadn't been color blind. /
PREPARATIONS FOR THE COUP. !
was ON hand in the poolroom on
lie afternoon that we were to do
lsiness, and l put a few dollars down
/ the first races at Morris Park. just 1