The Washington times., 1925-11-13
The Authors Own
Fascinating Story
of His Long But
Losing Battle
For Freedom
and Health

i least $4,000 by my nefarious op'
erations, working along the same
lines that jackson had used at
Fort Worth.
OF course, I knew I needed
every bit Of mental alertness OF
which was possessed, and that
had no business trying to hood
wink astute business men while
! was dull and dopey, but my
impaired brain told me I was
in prime condition, one Of superla-
tive adroitness and perspicacity.
In view of what happened /
am inclined to think that must
really have been in such a con-
dition, cunning induced by alcohol.
I had no trouble whatever in get
ting established with one Of the
Houston banks, where left
about half OF my cash on deposit.
The next day, still drinking,
and after another verona1
''sleep," I went to Galveston and
repeated the operation. also
went to Beaumont. Near the end
Of the week my various bank &C
counts showed q total credit Of
several thousand dollars, and !
tnexplicable reason, my nerve
failed me at the last moment.
Instead Of drawing to the limit
On my accounts. / only nibbled
ct them, and that night found
myself with only 81 500 in cash.
instead of the several thousand
that might have had II
hadn't funked.
at Galveston, and, instead Of get
ting away from there and from
that section Of Texas as fast as
could, I went to the Hotel
Galvez, intending to remain for
the weekend.
Only q drink-crazed man would
have done that. No man in his
right mind, after doing what I
had done with the banks, would
have remained In the vicinity:
Might Have Had 5000
Instead Of remaining at the Gal
vez Cor the weekend, stayed there
ten days. drinking and running up
IN enormous bill. ! spent money
like water. IIl-gotten gains are al
ways spent that way. And all the
time ] kept excoriating myself for
not having made the best" OF my
opportunities. had definitely
placed myself In line for the peni-
Tertiary BY getting away with
$500. So Tar as moral delinquency
was concerned. I had ben - culps
able a. could have been. E,
might just as well have had 50 900
instead Of 5000.
I couldn't get over my unac.
countable show OF weakness just
when q little more nerve meant
the difference between thousands
Of dollars and hundreds OF dol
lars. BY my acts. I had placed
myself In the ranks OF men
wanted by the police. I had
counted on that beforehand. but
had expected to have something
TO show for it-enough to show
for 1t 30 that / would be able to
20 get my family and fit away
to some new locality, and try to
begin all over again and be hon.
est.
Yet, after making the terrible
sacrifice, there was with a pal
try few hundred dollars, and the
prospect Of being run down should
I remain in Texas. don't know
just what process of reasoning
went on within me. All know is
that I felt utterly reckless and
abandoned. drank heavily. I
began taking veronda tablets in
fWos and threes. I went out on
several Joy rides. I went in swim
ming into the Gulf. in March,
and nearly drowned before I got
back to shore. after discovering
that my physical strength had
been Slapped almost to the vanish
ing point by alcohol and license.
Back to Houston
Bootleg liquor was plentiful at
Galveston and real" whiskey
could be had at $25 a quart.
drank lots Of the real" kind-or
thought I did. At last I man.
aged to pull myself together suf-
ficientIy to pack up and get
back to Houston-the worst place
I could have gone to.
/ checked in at the Hotel
Bender. It was Saturday after
noon. Next day, In what seemed
20 be q lucid interval, I deter
mined to use what money I had
left in another attempt at the
same trick, right there in Hous.
ton. In making that decision I
might just as well have gone up
TO q judge and asked for e SEN
fence to the penitentiary. Ny
previous operations had, Of course,
ell come to light. Ny description
was in the hands Of every police
man and detective in the South
west. All banks had been ad-
vised to look out for So-and-So
giving the different names had