The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-11

had gone so far astray that he tried
10 make up the monetary difference
In the stock market Once more he
WAS right He was a bold, quick
trader. had good knowledge OF Sc
curities and whatever he took hold
of he gave his undivided attention to
mat subject until he got through with
II. He made almost as much ;,rofit
In this deal as In the first one ana
once more put the money out OF
temptation by purchasing real estate
in Dallas.
Few persons make money in Wall
street without the fact becoming
known. Runkle was credited with far
more profit than he had garnered, so
he told those who Congratulated him
the truth as to his winnings, ana then
ne informed them he was going To
Keep every cent. for he was not
foolish enough to believe he could
continue beating the stock market
Enough Texans had been cleaned ont
BY the Wall street pirates, he said.
and he was going 10 be the one who
fooled the sharpers by holding on to
what he had. Then he explained how
he had put into real estate all he
had won In Wall Street Nothing could
be safer. The city was growing tile
property he had purchased was in
IL
good revenue and was enhancing in
value pidly.
Runllle got the reputation OF being
the best balanced and most successful,
man in the Red River country and
was proud of it. He had lot of
energy and no end OF ambition. Grad
ually his sphere of operation widened
until he ovcrshadowed every other cot
ton man in Northeastern Texas. In the
flush OF harvesting times he would
keep dozen clerks busy. AT night
he would send out scores OF kilograms
and cablegrams TO Eastern and Euro
pean spinners Offering cotton. From
the opening OF the cotton market I'M
til its close he was in constant touch
with New Orleans or New York. He
would have a hundred calls TO the
telephone some days. Merchants,
planters, buyers throughout eight or
nine counties found more satisfaction
in dealing With him than with 90 per
cent, of the othcrs. He did not bag
gle.
Quick to decide, he was prompt with
an offer or refusal When he needed
cotton to fiji contracts he amazed some
persons By the rapidity with which he
got t. Sometimes he suffered n loss
by this rapid fire style OF his, but more
~
phlcgmatic about Runkle despite his
German blood He was chain light
ningsin business and he was thorough
in everything. In nothing was he more
thorough than In his failure No one
expected IL except Runkle. Men who
knew him best hardly could credit the
news when the failure was announced.
II was nearly week before the ex-
PLANTATION came. Runkle had been maxi
ing money year after year IN business
and losing most of 1t in Wall Street
His announcement of his adieu to the
stock market had been made in good
faith, but he had drifted back to tho
game, gamble fashion. for another try
at 1t. once he had begun to lose he
would not stop. Finally 1t came to
point where ne had exhausted all his
surplus money Then he began to
plunge in earnest. Those who nves-
tigated his affairs were astounded by
what they discovered. The Dallas
property had been disposed of at
sacrifice without any one noting tho
sale. The gins and the interests In
various congresses the stores. the
farms. the cattle, the crops. the ma
everything RunltIe owned had
been sold or made over TO dummy for
an expressed consideration. Money had
been borrowed right and left from
banks, cotton factors and others. Most
of the men who lent the money had lit
tie TO show for it, Juicy s,s IS
Colonel Moody, sitting in Ills arm
chair In Galveston. got the news of
Runkle's failure and frowned. Runkle
had borrowed $4,000 from Moody, but
by some mischance Runkle had repaid
S25.000, so only $4,000 and the in
terest remained due. Colonel Moody
frowncd again when he got the re-
a m h. Is
cast Texas to sec just what Runkle
had left. fHt
Not enough to wad gun" said
the man. Twas the s.ickest piece OF
work I've ever seen in my life. You
may think you got stung, colonel. but
there arc some foreign spinners who
are in for the shock of their lives.
Runkle sold good middiing cotton to
them and drew on them for H. When
they open the bales on which they
have paid freight across tho ocean
and accepted the draft they may find
more East Texas sand and soil than
cotton. Oh. there's going 10 bic a sore.
lot Of Dago. Russian, French and Eng
lish spinners whom Runkles baled real
estate gets to the mills"
The colonel did not say anything,
hut asked clerk n few weeks later
10 ME the Rumble note away In the
safe along With judgment the house
of W. l. Moody & Co had obtained.
1t seemed waste Of money to get n
Judgment. for Runkle had not enough,
to pay one mill on the dollar, and that
would be absorbed by the lawyers. N;
There arc some persons who say
Moody never has failed to collect a
debt due to him. That probably is
unteuH. II is true. however that per.