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FURTHER LIGHT ON THE RINGING CASES. R. W. Dunn Makes a Confession to Pinkerton Operators Says Freckman Was Never Stolen. New York, January 1. It. W. Dunn, a Nevada horseman from whom it was said Freckinau, which was entered as Cataract at Jamaica, was stolen, has made a confession to the Pinkertons which proves conclusively that the men T. T. Cromwell, of Pine Bluff, Ark., and Ben A. Chilson, of Ukiah, Cal., recently ruled off the turf by the Jockey Club for complicity iu The Fiddler "ringing" case at Morris Park in 1903 were justly punished. Punu declares thai Chilson and Cromwell were the ring-leaders of a gang that made a business of "ringing" horses at various racetracks and that they cleaned up 50,000 on the different coups that went through without detection. According to Dunn, Cromwell and Chilson began operations with the horse McNamara, who was "rung" at New Orleans in the season of 1902-0.-! as Hiram Johnson. The latter was an old "skate" which had never won a race and the event looked like a walkover for Sam Hildreths Major Tenny. McNamara was painted for the occasion, his bay coat being changed to a deep chestnut by peroxide of hydrogen. As "niram Johnson" the horse won easily and suspicion was instantly aroused. But when A. Mathieson, in whose name the "ringer" won, was asked to produce him, it was discovered that the horse had been stolen. It turned out that the conspirators had beaten the Butte poolrooms out of 1906.sh3,000, with 0,000 more picked up at Hot Springs and ,000 additional at the track. Dunn asserts that McNamara was concealed at Death, New, until The Fiddler coup was ready, when-the horse was quietly shipped to New York. The gang had purchased The Fiddler and won several races with him before sending him to Morris Park, where lie was entered in a cheap selling race. McNamara was substituted and the trick netted 10,-000 for the combination. The Fiddler lielng shown in the paddock two days after the race when the stewards began an investigation while McNamara was taken west to another hiding place. As The Fiddler, McNamara, according to Dunn, was run at Hot Springs in the early spring of 1901 but was not recognized by Judge Joseph A. Murphy. Later lie ran several races at Union Park, St. Louis. In August of that year The Fiddler died and the gang had to get another horse. Freckman was selected and ran in Dunns name on several occasions until it was decided to make him disappear. Then Dunn admits that he started the story that the horse had been stolen from him. Freckman was taken to Death, Nev., where he was kept under cover until last September, when he was shipped east. Then an attempt was made to "ring" him under the name of Cataract, but the scheme was nipped In the bud and the horse was found to have been painted. Dunn also asserts that the gang "rung" the mare Abba L. at Hawthorne as Florista in 1004 and beat the books out of a bundle, of. show moneys,- -..It was : persistent work "on. the part of the P,inkertons that led to the exposure of Cromwell and Chilson, who will never be allowed to indulge in racing on any of the tracks in this country or Canada. Cromwell, by the way, still Insists that he was an innocent party and believes that in time he can convince the Jockey Club that he has been unjustly treated. The exposure has put racetrack officials on their mettle.
