Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-07-14

guns were spiked. He had no other local means
of attacking the franchise or the cardinal, and
any way the deed was done All wondered what
he would do.
They didn't wonder long. AS fast as a rail-
road king can get over the rails, Joe Dale came
to Lacedaemon He almost literally threw the
Daily Planet out of its Office windows, murdered it
and jumped its corpse. He fired Pat O'Brien
from the presidency with force and arms. 1t would
have been tragic if everybody had not been grin
ming at Dales futile wrath. AS it was, the only
satisfaction the irate railroad king got out of it
was to tell a few party leaders who besought
him to continue the paper or SELL that he would
let the Western Associated press franchise ex-
pre rather than another fool paper like
that in Lacedaemon. Even this small satisfac-
ton was essened when Pollock insisted on his
salary being continued to the end of an iron-cad
four-year contract. Mr.. Dale went back to New
York with new ideas about city bosses and their
ways.
The episode for 1t was only episode in the
life of busy LacedaemOn, soon almost forgot
ten The cardinal had shown Joe Dale that he
was boss of the town Joe Dale had chopped off
the cardinals presidential head in retaliation
John Dale continued his business friend and Gus
toner, and the whole affair dismissed from
the cardinals busy mind as closed, with honors
even.
But Joe Dale was not through with Pat
O'Brien. 1t is a railroad kings prerogative to
punish, as well as to reward, and for the punish
ment of OBrien, Dale laid a trap the effective
ness of which lay entirely in its simplicity.
Came John Dale one day to the cardinal and
said: Pat, have a private tip that a big kill
ing is coming off in Nipper stock. Buy me ten
thousand at the market and hold on until
tell you to let CO."
"All right" said the cardinal, and bought
other ten thousand well for his own account.
Nipper advanced a point. He called in a few
al aud TOD
heavily. Nipper advanced two points. five points
Pat bought more; he would pull out when John
Dale did and retire from active business with his
profits
John Dale himself had gone to New York on
the day he gave his order to O'Bren. Within a
day Nipper began to sag. Then it dropped below
the buying point. The pool put up more mar
gins. The stock still dropped, swiftly now, and
the other members of the pool became alarmed.
Pat treasured them. They're shaking out the
small blocks of stock" he said, Then you'll see
her sky-rocket."
Nipper continued to toboggan Pats friends
were seriously concerned. They talked of sell
ing and pocketng their losses, but he showed
them his hand. Look here" he said, John Dale
is in this thing up to his neck and we know where
he gets his private tips. Here's what he
has my books alone AS long as he holds on
and keeps up his margins, I'm satisfied" His
friends knew the CARDINAL they knew he, too,
Suddenly Nipper went down like mercury in
blizzard weather. The friends were wildly
alarmed. They insisted that John Dale was giving
Dick the double cross" Though he did not be-
lieve it, he wired to New York for special and
private investigation of John Dales movements
there. And after a little delay tidings came that
made the pool-sharers very sick men, John Dale
had gone to New York had a short talk with his
father, then gone straightway to his broker and
sold short ten thousand Nipper at the market The
profits on the sale as the stock went down would
pay his losses on the Lacedaemon purchase
Meanwhile Joe Dale would see to It that Nipper
did go down until Pat O'Brien was utterly
swamped.
OF course the pool made haste TO sell out. John
Dale's private tip had been prophecy. killing
had been made and O'Brien and his friends
the slaughtered ones. When the debris was final
ly swept up the cardinal, who had plunged fierce
ly on his own private account found himself poor
er by some s750OOO. 1t had cost him that much
to disobey the mandate of a railroad king But
he still owns Lacedaemon