The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-30

/ their business had extended until they
| had twelve stores in different states
This wonderful success was the begin
ming of my downfall. / made money so
easily that l spent it recklessly, and 1
| became the talk Of the country. Gamblers
hocked in to see the gayest young man
| of the state squandering thousands on
women, wine and cards. Gamblers not
only came from Kansas City. st. Louis
and California TO get at my money, but
they brought pretty girls with them.
Result lost heavily and in five
months spent the larger part of the rev.
enue OF the six stores l was running in
what was called the Kansas and Missouri
circuit. My brother ran the Arkansas
| and Indian Territory stores
When he took charge and went over
my books he found 1 was $4,000 short
His severity touched my boyish pride,
and like a fool l went to California, leav-
ing a great business behind: secured a
Job as advertisement writer and easily
q ade 800 week in fees from the-mer-
chants and commissions from the news
papers. But I was soon in debt. Up to
this date I had sQuandered no money
not our own. Mother sent me funds in
emergencies. tens OF thousands Of dol
lars. Had I worked as hard and shown
as much ingenuity in building up the
business my father left as I have in de-
vising new methods Of rascality I would
be worth millions today.
My San Francisco fiasco occurred in
1891. and as everybody had the Mexican
fever I followed Jack Fcllansbee and
some California millionaires to Chihau-
hau. where everything was booming. Ny
money soon vanished and I hit upon a
plan to get more. A Chihauhau telegraph
operator told me of the big fortunes
weekly transmitted by wire from the
states. He said that one Goodman had
received $4,000. telegraphed him from the
Boatmans Bank in ST. Louis
Instantly I saw my chance. I con-
suited the operator and arranged a deal.
He agreed to help me out for one-half
the proceeds. Then l called on the Nc
Mannus Brothers. of the Commercial
Bank of Chihauhau. and said had money
on deposit in st. Louis and wanted to
get it. I was informed that 1 would
have 1t telegraphed through the Boat
mans Bank That concern was their
agent. and they had a code by which
their money was sent.
1T took the operator a few minutes TO
write fictitious dispatch and put on all
the official earmarks of a genuine mes
sage. It purported to be from the Boat
mans Bank in St Louis, saying that l
had deposited $4,000 there. On showing
this dispatch I received that amount
no MI ha 10
that McMannus & Co. were anxious to
transfer money by wire. They should
have made about $500 in exchange on
that one transaction.
'T gave the operator 900 Mexican
dollars net. and like a fool he instantly
locked up his office at midday and took
to the wilderness, leaving the country on
foot. when he had fully five days time to
get away before the st. Louis bank
could be heard rom by mail. He should
have closed his Office later at night. 1
took the train that evening for FL Paso.
'McMannus. however. happened to
have a telegram to send and finding the
office closed. concluded something was
wrong. After waiting five hours he noti-
fed the police and ordered my arrest.
TO FL Paso and taken back and kept in
a horrible dungeon for five weeks. Il
was impossible for me to communicate
with anyone. The Mexican law DEGREES
that a culprit must be cut off from the
world to prevent false testimony or his
getting influence TO his aid.
Fortunately, during the next three
weeks. the news reached my home and
the Fort Smith papers published the
whole story My mother secured strong
letters from the governor OF Arkansas
and the supreme court judge of the
state who had known me from infancy.
She also had the necessary money .
repay the bank the s25. 600 taken by the
operator and the s., 600 / mad used of the
money in paying my debts. The oper-
ator. by the way. is still a fugitive and
has never been heard from. The case
was finally settled and l was sentenced
to three years imprisonment.
Later. because of my youth and the
refunding OF the money of my brother.
together with the personal appeals from
officials in Arkansas, / was paroled in
the custody of the governor of Chihau-
hau. Miguel Ahumada, whose secretary
1 became through knowing how 10 use
the American typewriter. In this ca
pacity / served nine months. when.
through petitions from leading men of
Arkansas. l was pardoned in the latter
part of 1892. took the train direct for
New York, and 10 this DAY have never
returned to Fort Smith.
Il reached New York with about $500
in my pocket, but l had enough expert
ence and knowledge 10 I'll a house Dur
ing my nine months as secretary TO the
governor there was little to do. so 7
studied for all 1 was worth. I studied
day and night 10 rid myself of certain
mispronunciations and mistakes in Eng
lish grammar. l also mastered Spanish.
already knowing Polish, besides getting
fair smattering of French solely by
my own efforts in studying from books
Later l studied etiquette ana prepared
myself for a wider field abroad.
In New York I found employment
again in writinS advertisements and read
ing matter notices for business firms.
and became expert at the business
determined to make money honestly ana
lead a proper life ! published guide
for shoppers. opening an Office in one
OF the Broadway sSyscrapers and taking
rooms in an uptown hotel
But. alas. with money the devil re-
turned In the shape OF evil influences.
and I was soon playing the races and in
debt up to my neck. Like a coward I
went TO Baltimore TO escape paving nv
debts. met the proprietor II leading
Baltimore paper and posed under the