The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-01-16

AY EW YORk.-Money flashing in big
W wads; hoarse voices calling bets,
telephone bells ringing; messen-
gers dashing hither and thither; tele-
graph saunders clicking; excited
groups circIing about bulletin boards;
everything in tense yet subdued
hubbub as John j. Felix hurried
through the smoke-laden atmosphere
and thrust $4,000 into the Cashier
window OF fake poolroom TO bet on
fake horse, running in a fake race
duly progra mined to yield half mil
lion dollars by means Of fake wire
tapping scheme. 1t took in actual time
Just six ticks OF the clock for talon
like-hand TO reach through the Cash
Ter" window. grab the $4,000 and jerk
the notes back TO the other side of
the partition. That was the last that
Felix ever saw OF his money.
Ii was the afternoon OF February 6
1905. when this famous bet was made.
The pooIroom was very close to the
old Fifth avenue hotel, and it was
fitted Up TO play the plausible, pool
room part in most natural and con
yincing way.
Felix was a manufacturer or musical
instruments. with u place in East
phirty-irst street. Just of Fifth ave
uue. He was a man who took an In
.erest III observing the various meth
DDS by which an opinion on a hazard
might be backed with money. Some
how Felix's prediction for paying
attention TO pastjmes OF chance be-
came known until It reached westward
through Thirty-irst street to the vi
cinity of Broadway, where men of rap
id-fre gambling tendencies congregat-
ed. Il also became known at the same
time that hidden in a secret compsrt-
ment OF the Felix Office safe were 80
$1,000 bills. Just aching to be taken
out for Il walk" as the Broadway
gamblers and crooks put it.
At THE corner OF Fifth avenue and
n Thirty-trst street, four O'Clock
February ). 1905-the day before the
$4,000 was grabbed by the talon-ike
hand OF the fake Cashier" an i'm
maculately groomed and CARRIED gen
tleman gave his mustache final pull
and pat as he mentally closed all
the details necessary to properly APP
proach Felix and acquire the 10000.
Tracy entered the Felix office the
Guintessence of urbane suayity Pro-
fusely, yet not fulsomely apologize,
and i'm crisply polished phrases. he in
troduced himself as one who had met
Felix in a hazard parlor" and had
been attracted TO him by his sports
manlike bearing. Passing by he had
noticed the manufacturer entering his
place of business aud had recalled him
at once. It was impossible to with
stand the temptation to renew ac-
quaintance. so he had made bold to en-
ter
Felix was really glad TO meet Tracy
or MIR Charles j. Tompkius. as the
king styled himself for this ven
ture-and you needn't smile in sar-
castically superior way to see how
easily the clever crook wormed his
way into his victims confidence.
Tracy. Just as he was saying good
by at the door, turned in most casu-
al way and expressed polished regret
that Felix did not have the time to
learn of a magnificentIy good and
sure thing" that had been impaired
10 him by a gentleman "on honor" not
TO diyulge 8 single part of it, Felix
had the time and insisted that he had
~ alp " NV
Tracy and was eager TO discover how
he might become an associate of his
visitor This Sas the sure thing"