The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1910-08-06
YOU BLOCK rHAr FRANCHISE
or YOU WON'T Be PReStDeNT
Oe TIE RANer COMPANY LONG.

guns were spiked. He had no other local means
of attacking the frapchise or the cardinal, and
any way the deed was done. All wondered what
he would do.
They didn't wonder long. AS fast as rail-
road king can get over the rails. Joe Dale came
to Iacedaemon. He almost literally threw the
Daily Planet out of its Office windows murdered 1t
and jumped on 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 Dale's futile wrath. AS it was. the only
satisfaction the irate railroad king got out of 1t
was to tell few party leaders who besought
him to continue the paper or sell, that he would
let the Western Associated press franchise ex
pire rather than see another fool paper like
that In Lacedaemon. Even this small satsfac
ton was Iessened when Pollock insisted on his
salary being continued to the end of an iron-clad
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, was soon almost forgot
ten The cardinal had shown Joe Dale that he
was boss of the town. Joe Dale had chopped OF
the cardinals presidential head in retaliation
John Dale continued his business friend and Gus
toner, and the whole affair was dismissed from
the cardinals busy mind closed. with honors
even.
But Joe Dale was not through with Pat
OBrien. 1t is a railroad kings prerogative to
punish, as well to reward, and for the punish
ment of O'Brien, Dale laid trap the effective
ness of which lay entirely in it's simplicity.
Came John Dale one day to the cardinal and
said pat have private tip that 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."
"An right" said the cardinal, and bought an
other ten thousand as well for his own account.
Nipper advanced point. He called in few
chosen friends who formed pool and invested
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'Brfen. Within
day Nipper began to sag. Then 1t 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 skyrocket."
Nipper continued to toboggan. Pats friends
were seriously concerned. They talked of sell
ing and pocketing their losses. but he showed
them his hand. Look here" he said John Dale
is in this thing up to hts 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.
was up to his neck" they held on.
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 1t, he wired to New York for special and
private investigation Of John Dale's movements
there And after little delay tidings came that
made the poolsharers very sick men. John Dale
had gone to New York, had short talk with his
father, then gone straghtway 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 the Lacedaemon purchase
Meanwhile Joe Dale would to it that Nipper
did go down until Pat O'Brfen was utterly
swamped.
OF course the pool made haste to sell out. John
Dale's private tip had been prophecy. A killing
had been made and OBrien and his friends were
the slaughtered ones. When the debris final
ly swept up the cardinal who had plunged fierce
ly on his own private account, found himself poor
er by some $750.000 It had cost him that muck
to disobey the mandate of railroad king BUT
he still owns Lacedaemon