The Saturday preceding the Sunday of my arrest was one of rain. I was reading in my room when a knock sounded at my door; I opened it and found one of my acquaintances of the underworld standing there. He also was “working the rattlers,” but on a much smaller scale than I. I invited him inside, and in the course of our conversation he mentioned the fact that he had a gross of Stetson hats which he was anxious for me to dispose of for him. The proceeds of the sale he told me were to go to procure a “mouthpiece” (a lawyer), to secure the release of his pal by habeas corpus proceedings. I told him I thought I could do as he desired, and asked him the whereabouts of the hats. It seems that they were at that time hidden out in the woods[Pg 75] on the outskirts of the city. The stuff was too much for him to handle at once, so he came to me. Our reputation in the underworld was such at that time that I frequently performed the same services for other gangs.

One day, several weeks before this incident of the hats occurred, a young fellow whom I knew kept a “fence,” but with whom I had never dealt, performed a service worth while for me and asked me to remember him when anything “good” came off. On numerous occasions, in appreciation of his act, I had sent him gifts of various things, such as cloth for suits, socks, and a general run of men’s furnishings and the like. He continued to remind me of my promise to let him get in on a “good thing.” I thought of him the first thing when the question of the disposal of the hats was brought up, and in a minute or so I had him on the phone. I told him that there were about a gross of the hats and asked fifty cents per hat for them. He was pleased immensely and we struck a bargain right off. So eager was he for them that he offered[Pg 76] to furnish the horse and wagon to carry the stuff off.

About 2 P. M. that day three of us in the wagon went to the place where the hats were hidden. He was delighted with his find, immediately paid me the money, and drove off with his hats. Forty minutes aft............