The Green Forest tribune., 1912-07-26
CHAN WooLEY's STORY.

T was the principal figure" said Chan Wooley, "in what was known as the Dobbs Ferry mystery, and if 1 had not a good strain of blood in me somewhere, an innocent man would have suffered a severe penalty, and there were certain circumstance connected with the case which might have resulted in his being put to death.
 The man who makes his living out of thievery, if he wants to be sue cessful, must always have his eyes and ears open for tips. The tips that he gets may sometimes be like the tip from the race track tout, but to get the most out of the business everything must be followed to the end. My old side partner was Andy Spangler who was the son of a preacher and we'll educated, and we went into trade together as card sharps. At one time there was no better game than this, provided al ways that you did not go against pro- fessionals, who were ready to scrap at the slightest sign of crookedness. We went about the country as gentle men of wealth, and were in any kind of business that would be likely to gain the confidence of our neighbors and lead them into a game with an idea that they would get a fair chance
 Tt was Andy's proud boast that we never skinned a man who could not afford to lose the money, and it has been my et1ort in all the crooked divide only the wealth of men who would not miss a few dollars. This shows you the effect of example and sound teaching. It is the petty crook, the mean thief, who would take the last dollar from poor man, who is despised and brings discredit upon all classes ol thieves.
 Andy and I had many a trip on the Mississippi in the days when the high rollers used to put up a cotton crop on a single deal, and with all our cleyerness we sometimes got the wrong end of the stick. The longest trip that we ever made was around the world, and pack of cards paid our expenses everywhere. We played about all the games known in the diff ferent places we visited, and often lost money, but when we got a chance with our little pack there was noth- ing that any one could do to touch us. When we became too we'll known all over the country to do business with hotel guests, We dropped the cards and went in with big Jim Shandley and his gang of bank wreckers on the famous tour which they made in this country and Can ada. We went everywhere, and cleaned out safes with rapidity that set everybody's tongue a-wagging. and made people take their money from banks and lock it up in a stock ing at home.
 Tt got tired of being a sport with an income, and when I got a good show I drifted back to New York and went in with Andy and Billy Peters in the gambling business. There wasn't any protection from the po- lice then. All you had to do was to throw open the shutters and begin business. We started two places; one at the corner of Sixth avenue and 18th street. to catch the hotel people, and the other at the Bowery and Houston street, to cater to the dead game sports, who were ready to shoot at moments notice. We made money fast, and Andy and I left the running of the houses to Peters, who had the reputation of going on the level, while we tried the Wall street game. This was a game, and the first one we had ever struck, where we were the suckers. They got our coin as fast as we put it in, and when our luck was the worst, Peters gave us ripping dig, by skipping away with the bank-roll, which was a big one, because the games then were run without limit.
 While I was trying to pick up something out of the wreck, and kept the game going on borrowed capital, I met young fellow named Robert Temple, the son of banker. He came to me with complaint that the house owed him $3,500. He claimed that he had won that amount while Peters was in charge, and did not dare dispute it, for We had not made it known that Peters had given us a cold shake, as, if We had done that, we would have lost our custo- mers in a night. Gamblers are a su- perstitious lot, and none of them will play in a house where the bank-roll has been stolen. Temple seemed to me a pretty good fellow, and I paid him his money. He played steadily for a couple of days, and I got the money back and more with 1t. I had many talk with Temple. and found that he lived in Dobbs Ferry, in a splendid mansion. judged that he was the black sheep in the family. for his brothers were all in business, he told me. and he did nothing but blow in an allowance which he re- ceived from his father.
 During one of our chats he told