Evening star., 1922-09-17

old ! wanted to come to New York city.
did so. and the only place l could
think of to go when I arrived was the
through the association a good job. and
learned the show card and sign paint
ing business. But l was as green as
grass at the beginning.
l wandered into a pooiroom and was
asked to shoot a game. My opponent
was likable chap and taught me to
play "one ball. He cleaned me fiat
While l was broke I met a pair OF
gargsters. ] didn't know it at the
time. but they used me from the first
| How, | won't say, but / was innocent.
From them and others / learned all the
| tricks of the gambler ] learned them
right, too. Well, it wasn't long before
l had cleaned up big and had a 'shil.'
or helper Before long l was a polished
criminal. / tired Of the slow money in
| the small games we played and tried
| being a dip" which is nothing more
nor less than common pickpocket.
What l got out of that try was a part
ner who was a real pickpocket. We
had an apartment in the SOS and Cen
trail Park west. and many would-b be
gamblers lost all they had and little
more in that fiat. 1t was a well known
house and the custom was fine.
T REMEMBER one day in the sum-
L mer We were sitting at the window
| trying to cool off when We saw a horse
drop from the heat, and a typical New
York crowd quickly gathered. My part
ner conceived a brilliant idea. l was
| 10 represent myself as being an investi-
gator and we'd work the crowd. We
saw the owner OF the horse give a boy
quarter to run for a vet. He took
the quarter from one of those old fash
-ioned leather bags. 1t was easily foot
| long and filled with silver. l dashed
| through the crowd and began to ask the
owner fool questions and my partner
got that purse. 1t contained over $50 in
change, so you can imagine the weight
| of it, and not a murmur from the vic
I tim. Oh. money was soft in those
| days!
| ] was in the Army for eight months
and / never had five minutes military
|
private and ] slept in a regular bed and
| never rolled out in the morning before
| breakfast time. | was clever with the
cards and dice and have the knack OF
being able to give graft Why
even had car at Camp Lee. 1t was a
nice little war for me, / was dis
charged in August. 1918, and went to
Philadelphia. While l was there
cleaned out the University of Pennsyl-
vania. Those students thought they
were scrapshooters! The next year
came to New York.
I've CLOSED over large part of my
life. Well. if you'll look me up you'll
see that I was sent up for long
SPELL I was caught in a big raid
downtown. There are several charges
still confronting me. but they are a
long time dead and ! think it best not
to open old sores
| I've only two more things to tell
The first is how l started to take drugs
While / was an innocent young man, a
long time ago, l was invited to go to a
dope party. This one was in a house
which stood where the Pennsylvania
| Sldt AOW StdfuS. lHtIS WSlS dUpu'
| twenty couples there. and when l ar
rived a servant was passing around this
white powder. l saw all the others
shifting it up, and 1 had to be good
sport, so ! copied them. Soon / was
! "all charged up" 1t was &C." and
have told you already the effect OF
concaine. That explains what followed
+, My moral fibers were so weakened that
1 lived disgraceful life. Most users
of drugs started just the same way
did-by being good sport Either that
or lust to see what it's like" They
never forget what It's like"
| The last part of my story is to tel
your why I'm telling it at all and let.
| ting you see what might send me to the
! island again. It's just this: I've de.
| cided to quit the game. Just that
From this minute l stop using and sell.
ing all dope" Of any description ant
work at my trade, show card writing
Horton is my name and l don't car,
| who knows it.