Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-28
LOSE $4,000 ON RAC[
Two Sioux City Men Fall Vic
tins of Wire Tappers in
New York
THEY HAD A "sURE THING
Now They Arc Trying to Get Their
Coin Back and Have Hired Lawyers
to Help Them-First Tip Was a
winner-John o'Rrien and J. D. Pat
ton the Victims.
Special to Times-RepublIcan.

Special to Times-Republican.
Sioux City, June 2S.-Ten thousand
dollars Is the price paid by two Sioux
Cityans who fell victims to confidence
men and alleged wire tappers, in at
tempting to beat the ponies" on the
race tracks of New York city
| John O'Brien and j. d. Patton, both
well known in Sioux City, were the
victims, and the story became public
when efforts were made to recover the
$4,000 counted out by the Sioux City
ans when they got tip by having the
] wires tapped in New York, giving them
assurance that the horse would win.
| But the horse did not win.
| And that is why there is $4,000 less
on deposit to the credit of O'Brien and
Patton In the banks of Sioux City. The
tip was worse than stable tip"
1t was what would be called in news
paper office bum steer" But 1t
cost $4,000 Just the same.
Patton and O'Brien left Sioux City
little more than month ago. O'Brien
had some acquaintance in New York
city, $50 he said, who were dead" next
to the way to beat the ponies so bad
that the white horse with the black
hind leg would never know that he was
in the start
Patton, who has "wad,"l went to
the race tracks with O'Brien. O'Brien
said he knew two of the fellows who
We're tapping the wires. but was lit
tie week in confidence when it came to-
guaranteeing the third party.
But to try out the rating of the al
legged wire tappers O'B.ien and Patton
put $25 on tip they received the first
day they were i'll Gotham. They had
a stranght tip from Wire In the field
a straight tip from wire in the field
that a horse by the name of Black
Easy Mark or something like that was
sure to take the lead and make some
one bunch of money that could not
be lost at Monte Carlo in life time.
Bright and early the next day the
Sioux Cityans received telegram that
their horse had won. They pulled down
an even $500 each on an investment of
$25
That looked good compared with the
per cent paid by the savings banks
of Sioux City.
Next day the Sioux ,Cityans were up
with the sun and went to the headquar-
ters of the alleged wire tappers 1t was
in the sixteenth story of the sixteenth
building on Wall street, and must have
been near rs Broadway from the way
the bottom fell out of hopes and went
on an everlasting vacation.
There was room with a telegraph
instrument and some acquaintance OF
O'Briens who took $4,000 from each Of
the Sioux Cityans, who stood to win
100000 The money was showed into a
safe which was set in the wall. 1t
was afterwards learned that there was
a door on each side of it.
The wire tappers went out. The tips
came in. The money was placed and
after struggle the electro- magnets on
the telegraph instrument managed to
get out the four letter word
"L-O-S-T."
Lets go home" said O'Brien.
81 should say so,' said Patton.
1t was Saturday night. Patton went
to church next day and got to think
ing about the deal. He says he be-
lieved at that time that he had been
robbed He went to police station
and told his trouble to the desk SER
geant.
Where you from?" asked the SER
geant.
Iowa" said Patton with blush.
''Dubuque?" inquired the man with
the star.
"Nope. Sioux City"
chats where some of them come |
from said the sergeant with a cold |
broad smile, Eve will look the matter i
up, but it's a felony in the state of .
New York to tap wires"
A prominent Sioux City attorney has !
been employed by Patton to recover
the money. but up until today all sight
drafts drawn on New York City have
been turned down cold.