Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-09-20
.sANkER DALLEsv, tHo coNTR'
DurGp ,seeoo 70 MABRAv oANo,
cAsHEs LAST CHECK.
John 4. DoBSlNs CASE
VOW DEFoRG suPREME COURT
Eossbins Appsars = Hear .ssion and
i FIRST Hears o. DaIIsws psath-Deb.
bins Tho Man Whe Get DanI<sr Int
swindis Crews hst- psath May Ind
Litigation.
'pecial to rimes-Republican.

Special to TimeS.Republicah
Des Moines. Sept eo.-when John
b. Dobbins. alleged to be greatest OF
all the Mabray steerers, arrived q I, :
state house today to await the decision
OF the supreme court. as to whether or
not he is guilty Of grand larceny, he
heard for the first time Of the death OF
4. w. Ballew. the banker mike OF
Princeton, No.. the alleged $4,000 vie
tim Of the conspiracy which eliminated
in the final breaking UP Of the great
Mabray get-rich- quick scheme.
The Dobbins case was submitted last
spring and q decision Is expected any
minute from the supreme court MI.
Dobbins and his wife. contrary to GUS
tom. attended the court sessions at the
time Of the arguments, and he arrived
here yesterday to hear his fate. IN
this case he was convicted In the court
OF Judge Green, now member OF con-
gress. Of larceny by embezzlement or
direct theft Of $4,000 of the Balle",
money. This was one Of the cases IN
which the federal law could not very
well be invoked because use of the
mails in enticing the victim was
avoided.
Only cass to Supreme Court.
on the trial of the Dobbins case. the
only one involving the Mabray scheme
OF getting money without earning At g
reach the Iowa supreme court, no ev1.
dence in defense was introduced ana
the defendant did not tell his side OF
the story. The defense rested on de-
claring that the whole transaction.
whatever else 1t might be called, was
not strictly larceny under the Iowa
CODE 1t was not denied that the $780,
900 was taken and that Baliew was the
victim, nor denied that Dobbins got
his $1,000 as his percentage on the
deal: but it was denied that the money
was stolen. The. contention was that
It was gamble and the money was
lost on a bet.
The state relied upon showing, In ef-
feet. gigantic conspiracy to defraud,
by which Ballew was inveig!ed to 60
from his Missouri home to Council
Bluffs to help out friend and to per-
NIT use of his credit in scheme to
swindle some reputed millionaires on
fake horse race. The state took charge
OF the case and H. w. Byers. then at
torney general, personally conducted
the trial before Judge Green and also
before the supreme court.
DaIlsw an Easy Victim.
II 1t had not been that Banker
Ballew was an easy mark the Mabray
series OF .swinGles might have been go
ing on yet, but also he proved to he
the one to enable the, conspirators to
make the biggest and best killing" In
q series which netted over quarter
million dollars before the game was
broken up. No other one Of the so
called mikes" gave up as big roll as
did the Princeton man. And while he
dropped 1t easily he was not content.
as q hundred others were, to keep still
about It.
John r.. Dobbins had lived in the
town where Ballew did his banking.
He knew Ballew well enough 80 that
he could 90 into debt TO him few
hundred dollars without any security.
That was his hold on the banker. Ac-
cordinE to the evidence addused in the
case, man giving the name of Martin
appeared in Princeton about three years
ago with letter from Dobbins to
Ballew, In which Dobbins said Martin
had q schemo~for making a lot OF mon
ey and IL fBallew would help him Dob
bins would be able TO pay Ballew what
he owed him. At hrst the banker de-
INJURED. but later at a conference held
in Kansas City with Dobbins and Mar
tin he agreed to 20 to Council Bluffs
and help in the scheme to fleece some
alleged millionaires on a fake horse
race.
Features Of the Scheme.