The sun., 1903-12-13

quantleS explains why tneTe are only tnTee
professional wire tappers to-day.
In January, 1901, we decided on going
after something big. That was the Gin
cinnati and louisville rooms, a. string
running from New York to Louisville, KY,
With Buffalo, Glenville Cleveland Toledo,
We had hard time finding this wire, as
II was very cold testing around Cleveland
In January 1t took us twelve days to find
the wire.
After finding it. we s located e bin, in a nsth little
which Is nine miles west of Cleveland.
When we cut the wire there, which was very
difficult, owing to the Ice on II, we
had Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati and
Louisville at our mercy.
This string was known al the one that
could not be tapped, the operators In the
various rooms declaring that they could
detect the different styles Of the sending
operators. Nevertheless we stole fifteen
changing the post time, the bettors picking
the winners from the second betting, the
same az at Montreal.
We sent in Lady Kent Saragamp and
two others, winning this day, which was
Feb. 8, 1901, nearly $50 900 and putting. a
rolls.
They noticed the different post time
the following day. when the Western Union
blamed the Dayton poolroom for the job,
CIuiilIlS u NdS WOThtu IIOIu tIIdJ IOcIu,
and that the bettors were all from Dayton;
but this was not correct, as the bettors
were from Detroit, where we arranged
the signals. The Dayton room lost 81, 900
that day to us. We we're located nearly
$50 miles from Dayton.
This job set the poolrooms and the West
ern Union on fire. In trying to arrange
some way Of protecting the bookmakers,
they came to the concl lusion. that IL they
had two wires running into the poolrooms
md tnl h1,l I he
impossible to tap them; but this was what
we wanted. The rooms thought that they
were protected, and all we had to do now
was to overcome their protection, which
we did.
We cut the two wires just before they
branched out at Jersey City, and on March
we sent in four wrong winners over the
two circuits, each OF the two circuits con-
firming the results sent out over the other.
After this deal they tried In every way
would give $4,000 to be declared in with us.
After this we rested for six weeks
to let things quiet down, and on April IL.
1871, we went over to Niagara Falls and
cut in on the Falls room. but the night
before we were going to operate heavy
storm blew down several poles near our
tap, and the linemen while preparing the
breaks found IL,
Next we started after the Toledo room,
holding the races up by changing the post
from Toronto, got oyeranxious while wait:
ing for the description of the race he had
bet $500 on, and when the operator in the
room called the horse he had bet on
as the winner he hs kaew 1t .nd ten
left upon seeing the mistake he had made.
As far az the practical part Of the job
is concerned, it Is very easy. It is gem
orally the betting end that weakens or
tips us off; Another thing we have ave to Q
our share Of the winnings from the bettors!
who generally hold out more or less OF
the winnings.
On Dec. we cut in on a string
Terre Haute, Evansville, Anderson. Knox:
Vile. Nashville, Paducah, Lexington and
Frankfort. We were located four miles
north of Independence. KY, having rented
room in log cabin from colored woman.
1t was so dark that We could hardly see.
1t was the last day at the Bennings meet.
We were supposed to send certain de-
scription to let the fourteen bettors In the
rooms mentioned above know that we had
contrGi Of the wire The signal M III was ta.stsae some
Along shot at the quarter by, length,
choice third. Same at the half r.,,
But my partner was sick this day, and
the three-quarters he sent the stretch,
then the winner. This being three mile
race, we were .queered right then. Major
Mansir won the race. We disconnected
our instruments and came back to Gin
cinnati,
We then travelled around the country for
three months searching for new circuits and
rooms we had not already cut in on. when
on March is, 1903, We came across the West
Baden Springs wire running, or, at least,
legged on from Louisville, KY. the wire
running over the Monon right Of way.
About this time another gang tried TO
tap this wire and got caught at 1t. This
delayed us for a couple OF days, but on March
dilapidated house, the property OF Freling..
huysen Hatton, which had been unoccupied
for years on account of its uncanny reputa-
ton We arrived at the house about
found an old German tramp. who had made
it his home for two months:
We decided on making this one day
job by sending in wrong results. The
German Count who was our bettor at the
Springs was the best man we ever had
to look after the betting end. He won
every cent the bookmakers had, They
even apologized for paying him the last bet
in twenty dollar notes.
The system we used was a new one. He
was to bet on n 20 to shot in the first New
Orleans race; II there were two 20 to shots,
bet on the first one alphabetically; should
there not be 20 to shot, bet on the nearest
one above.
lhlS was easy 1Or us. we JUST Sat tIleIe anu
copied the first betting going through: then.
when the sending operator said They're
off," we threw switch and relaye d the
description, inserting the 20 to shot as the
winner. After this we threw the switch
back and let them work direct, We threw
over gain when the sending operator sent
the confirmation of the race, and we con-
firmed the 20 to shot as the winner, which
was Florham. Safeguard, the favorite,
to 2, won the race, Florham running
bad last.
The Count was schooled to bet on Is to
1 in the second race. He bet on Rastus,
and we sent that horse. in as the winner
Henry Of Franstamar, the favorite, to 3,
won the race, Rastus running sixth.
The third was to be an to ! shot,
which fell on Silver Fringe W no won natural.
The fourth was to nave been a IL to shot,
but owing to the bad weather the line
was working very poorly and the wire was
switched. the sender using another wire
for the race results. throwing us out and
preventing us from doing further damage
to the bookmakers' bankroll.
However. it turned out TO be all right.
The Count, knowing after he cashed the
third ticket that he had all their money.
left, meeting us in Louisville, where we
divided Sl2 900 three ways.
The Count threw of all suspicion on
leaving the Springs, saying he was going to
Louisville to have his teeth fixed, Placing
the winnings in an envelope, he told the