Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-03-05
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
WALTER O'HARA was killed

WALTER o'HARA was killed
w in a head-on automobile
smash at Taunton, Mass, FRI
day.
1t was his love of trouble
which, back in the Fall of 1887,
cost him a job with a fabulous
income as the boss of the Mar
ragansett horse yard at Paw
tucket, R. l., and revealed to
the people of the state the fact
that this legalized gambling
joint had serious designs on the
state government.
O'Hara fatty said he was the
boss of the state government,
and calmly threatened to call
the Legislature into special ses-
sion and impeach Robert Quinn,
the governor, for interfering
with his management Of the rae
ing plant.
He said he owned two-thirds
of the Legislature.
Quinn finally won out by call
ing troops to police the track
which was placed under martial
law and closed in a silly but
alarming travesty of American
government.
The track lost the revenue OF
its Fall racing season and,
eventually, OHara was forced
out of his job which paid him
$4,000 a year in salary and ex-
pense allowance alone.
His income was augmented
by dividends on his stock in the
plant. which enjoyed legal
rakeoff of 6la per cent Of the
mutuel turnover.
OHARA needn't have lost his
" job. His trouble was that he
loved trouble and would leave
the safe side of the road to
seek il.
Success was dull without trou-
Bile, so he went into politics and
began a daily newspaper in
which he attacked his political
enemies and boosted of his con-
tribution to the campaign funds
of public officers.
Finally, one day, In print. he
called Governor Quinn a swear
word liar. and the governor.
apparently holding this to be lese
majestic, called 300 young men
away from their jobs and their
classes in school to take the
field in a military expedition
against O'Hara.
The force soon was reduced TO
so men. but they held the occu-
pied zone in solemn fashion. and
the vehicles and arms of war
were arrayed on the premises
while the horsemen, touts.
mutuel clerks and gamblers
moaned the dismal days away.
Up TO that time, in less than
four years, the track had ham
died more than 100000, 900.
which meant that the owners.
including O'Hara, had received
as their share more than So. 500,-
600 on an original investment Of
considerably less than 81 .000. 900.
1t was the greatest gambling
concession in all the world. but
O,Hara found life dull without
a little trouble. so he stirred up
some just for fun.
LIS revenues were so great
IL that he could swing cleo
tions, and his patronage, in the
form of jobs at the track, gave
him a strong political machine in
a small, compact state.
O'Hara said he had elected
Mr.. Quinn, personally, and he
regarded Mr.. Quinn's conduct
not merely as ingratitude but as
indiscipline.
The whole of Pawtucket was
O'Hara's in the political sense,
and reporters who disparaged
Walter were barred from the
city hall.
The people of Rhode Island
had unwittingly given OHara
this power by ratifying racing
and granting him this monopoly
for the sake of little revenue
TO relieve their tax burden.
There are going to be traffic
troubles yonder when Walter
O'Hara masters the gearshift of
a cloud. Bishop, king or angel.
he will slam right into their
clouds and knock them looping,
because he just won't give over
for anybody.
Copyrighted by United Features synd., Inc