The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-02-28

nothing to Kennedy. and pay him
nothing. I'll tend 10 that. He knows.
I'm wise, and I'm of" said FOX
briskly,
And while you're up there, III slip
out in the state little way and see
an old bird | know out there He's
ripe. I'll have him all ropcd by the
time you get back"
Thus John Parks and Bill Fox
gamblers and confidence men, laid the
foundation for ono of the great and
picturesque swindles OF, recent times.
They started with a modest capital
anda without conlederates save the
prize lighters, wrestlers and Jockeys
they used in their first operations. In
but little time, however, they drew to
themselves other crooked capital and
half dozen minor conspirators, In
couple of years they were the heads
of an organization that was stalking
fixed fights, races, wrestling matches
and what not, in five or six states.
Victim after victim was bled and not
n man "hollered" 1t would wreck
his future for any Of these small town
magnates to admit connection with
such things.
Parks and Fox and their smooth
lieutenants were always on hand In
Kansas City, Omaha, st. Louis ana ST.
Joseph about the time the great ship
ments OF cattle came in. They knew
where to meet the prosperous ranch
ers. knew how to spend money on
them, amuse them. cultivate them. In
his pocket notebook, in a private code,
Parks had names and facts jotted
down and he made use of them as
fast as he could get around to them.
Year after year the thing went on.
In the period from 1905 until 1910 ap-
proximately $1O,OOO,000 was mulcted
in this way from the rich men Of small
towns Each was played according to
his weakness. One was fond Of horse
racing. He was skillfully got to bet
a considerable sum on a horse. The
bet was never less than $4,000; often
$4,000. Parks told his man that the
race was fixed against the other side
usually represented by secret confed-
crates. Then something happened.
His horse broke in the stretch; 1t
stumbled and fell. More than once
the horse carrying the victims money
dropped dead in the stretch from n
broken blood vessel caused by the
jockeys expert pulling.
In the spring of 1910 Parks turned
up nthe little town OF x, Mo-. to
try his wiles on Amos Pindell, a
banker. Parks had met him on one
of his occasional excursions to st.
Joseph and had won a few dollars
from him on prize fight. Later he
had allowed Pindell to win 1t back.
The easy money trap was set and
baited. Pindell had agreed totbct $780,
900 on prize fighter called the Syca-
more Kid, in a matched bout with an
other called Young Ford. Both these
men were ex-champions in their class,
now fallen into defeat, discard and
evil ways. The agreement was that
Parks also was to bet 100000 on the
Sycamore.
Parks had played the i'll will Of the
town Of Y against Pin
dell's cupidity. Ho told the banker
that the fight would be fixed in favor
of the Sycamore Kid. On the other
hand, he convinced Pindell that the
sporting element in Y had been con-
WINGED that it was fixed for Ford.
Shrewd as the rough old banker
was he had been utterly taken In. He
had seven agreed to put tho stake
money into the hands of Bill Fox, for
whom Parks vouched, and whom he
summoned from st. Joseph on the
Wednesday preceding the day OF the.
fight, set for a Friday night, The
men we're to appear at Pindell's bank
and get the $4,000 put up by Parks
and Pindell
1t was 4 O'Clock on Friday afternoon
when Rlll Fox and Parks stood at the
side door OF Pindell's bank and