The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01
COLOR BLIND ON YELLOW.
4 CRooK'S Loss OF $4,000 AND HIS
REPUTATION.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 31.-"I won't down I,
New Orleans n couple OF months ago to get
Young fellow who was pretty badly wanted In
my town for q two months campaign OF high.
ly successful check-kitinR last summer" said
a Pittsburg detective who dropped into Wash.
lngton on a hunt last week. II got him al
right. and he's now doing his three years,
found him to be o pretty decent sort OF q younu
geezer. although a born crook. I don't re.
member ever having had such an entertain
ing travelling mate as he was on the trip IN
from New Orleans. Before we started 1 asked
him II he was going to be good or II It would
be necessary for me to put the bracelets on,
He gave me an on-tbe.level look and said:
No. 1 don't think it will. But l pass It nm
n you. l don't want to throw you. All 1 ask
i. don't give me too much Of q chance II you
keep the irons of OF me. l wouldn't be jay
enough to try a understanding stunt. but
don't give me q show to make either one OF the
car doors. II you do / may have to give you
q run for it.
We'll. I could see that he would be all right
without the cuffs. and 80 1 diin't put 'em on
him. He rode up with me In the sleeper all
the way from 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 l did. and none If the rest of the
IhSSCHktLo "ob ou9 u WIb6E. lie MAS n
cllnkiug good talker and he told me a lot OF
interesting stories OF queer propositions that
he had been up against. For instance. whom
we we're running through the Blue Grass re.
zion Of Kentucky. he turned to me and asked
me where the blue grass was. told him that
the term blue grass was largely ornamental.
and.that. while the grass down there was no
doubt high-grade and the limit as fodder for
thoroughbreds. l thought It was mostly green.
like grass the world over.
We'll. I'm blooming glad to hear you say
that he replied. Tt proves that I'm not color
blind on the whole gamut OF colors. anyhow.
II 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 rs the
grass is green like other grass-well. there's
some hope for me-
color blind, ehH 1 asked him.
Yes. l guess l am. more or less he re-
piled. I never knew 1t, though, until last
spring. and it cost me $4,000 to find 1t out
" Expensive information said /. How'd
It happen?
" II you'll undertake to forget about it by
the time we get to Pittsburg. I'll tell you no
said. I was foollng around one Of the big
towns-one Of the biggest towns-on this side
OF the Mississippi last spring. when I met up
VIA q SouplO VI WiIOLippeTS tndU ROJ me In
terested. They were the real kind-not fake
tappers who rope fellows into giving up eoin
Just by showing 'em phony instruments in
shady rooms. but professionals. who really
knew how to tap the wires and pull down tho
money. They had been working together for
some time. and when l happened to meet
them they had just pulled off q swell hog-kill-
Ing up.in Toronto and had two or three thou
sands each in their clothes. They had only re-
Gently struck the big town. and. as they had
never operated there before. they didn't have
to do any sleuth lodging. Neither did I. al
though 1 was doing a bit OF business In the
check line occasionally. and was about a
thousand to the good when I met them. We
hitched up together. the three Of US. for q
drosky whirl. and then they told me that,
while they made 1t a rule not to let outsiders
into their game. they thought I was good
enought to be admitted to a good thing that they
were about to pull of.
One of the largest and best patronized
OF the peolrooms OF the town was way on the
worth close on to a million. and the ticket
writer's have instructions never to turn any
R aum or mSS aS le aSwnl no the Rst einob hG Gs s elT sns
frequently been taken out Of that poolroom On
My, two new pals had sized up this lay;
Jul IA WlltH J. met In5ul UIty dlECduy u
things fixed to pull down a few comfortable
wads. They had rented a vacant frame cot
f fpS9 f aSe bo3 3G9 Tord and feF S2 g i Z 5tg D YsGtt1 Mo lt
they were both practical wiremen as well as
expert telegraphe5Isahad get the wire Z, into a
auented territory. and they had no trouble in
they, carried alongside a picket fence to the
TT2 S I b Of The he 'f f2tn a 81, and aasts thence snS , TpstadiE o;
and dash that raaphad the nOOlrnnm ra0iS-
tered also in the second floor OF that cottage.
"'One OF the fellows had formerly worked in
down as pat as butter. They took mo out to
have a look at the layout. not because they
velvet. but simply because they both seemed
70 take a kind o shine to me. and 1t surely
ii9 IN she : sSSd, bo sgen fro 1EG room o5 sh WSe as'e sbe ia2s
out was fixed. and the chap who was expert
with the racing code BROKE the report direct
himself. after having mastered the operator's
style at the track end OF the line. and the pool
was good. ali right. that. layout. and when
they were all ready to begin work was In on
we decided to make the first killing on
the day the Belmont Stakes were to be run
for at Norris Park. ! was against their start
a. the race looked 10 be such a moral for Ham:
burg, but they said stake events were as good
had a little rehearsal and stood by. My end
OF the lob was, to happen In the poolroom; !
vas TO locate tnere Dy a uu5t-coVereu WlnOoW
that looked out Of the poolroom across the big
vacant lot TO the, frame cottage where the lay
out was installed and walt for the signal. The
signal was 70, he made by means Of q handker-
chief waved in the air by one OF the fellows
from the window, The eolor Of the handker-
chief was to tell tho name OF the winner. For
chief was to show at the second-story window:
~ Bowling Brook captured the stakes a yell
hspdkerchlef was to be the signal, and 50
money down on the winner. the Taper was to
hold the result from the pool operator for five
minutes to give me time to get the money
down. and then | was Just to wait for the pool
room operator to ANNOUNCE the race. II was
the easiest thing in life, and it would have
gone through with a rush. not only on that
race, but or a whole lot OF other ones later on.
II | hadn't been color blind.
~ was on hand in the roOlroom on the af-
ternoon that We were TO do business and / put
a few dollars down on. the first races at Morris
Park. Just for the sake Of, getting the ticket
j had d pretty fair line on the horses In tram
ing then and won two or three out OF the bets
tnat / played simply on form. The fourth
race on the card was for the belmont Stakes,
and after the third race had been confirmed
and the first line OF betting came In on the
yiT dow and looked untntereateu. But L had