CHAPTER XII.

Ben in St. Louis--First Entree into Parker's Landing--Opens a Free-and-Easy--Trouble with the Authorities.

Shortly after the incidents narrated in the preceding chapter, Ben made his way to St. Louis.

On his way to that city, and while in Cincinnati, he met with O'Baldwin. Ben had intended, on arriving in St. Louis, to give a sparring exhibition, but O'Baldwin got in ahead on this project, and took the cream of the town.

Gallagher was at this time in St. Louis, getting ready for his fight with Allen. When Ben reached the city, he called on Gallagher, and was surprised at the remarkable powers which he possessed. He interested himself in behalf of his fellow pugilist, and did the latter good service in the capacity of trainer.

After remaining some time in St. Louis, Ben took a farewell benefit, which was held in Jack Looney's hall. Gallagher, McCool, and a number of others volunteered for the occasion, which proved in every way a success.

Leaving St. Louis, Hogan returned East, going to Oneida, N. Y., where he acted as trainer for McLaughlin, who was preparing for his match with Homer Lane. After a month spent in this manner, Ben was seized with a desire to go back to the oil country, and, accordingly, made his way to Petroleum Centre. He reached that town dead broke; borrowed five dollars of Tyler, and struck out for Parker's Landing.

When he reached that small but by no means unimportant settlement, our hero had just thirty-five cents in his pocket. His first entree, therefore, in Parker's--for by that name it is familiarly known--cannot be said to have been altogether encouraging. But if his capital in money was limited, Ben had any amount of pluck and energy, and these soon gave him a fair start.

His first venture in Parker's was in the gymnasium line. Charley Green, to whom he made known his plans, advanced him forty dollars, with which he opened a place. He stopped for a time with John Eckert, who now keeps a popular hotel in Auburn. The gymnasium was opened in a hall, and among the distinguished pupils were Eph Parker, Doc. Karnes, Charley Green, Tillinghast, and others. Eph Parker may be said to have been the mainstay and cornerstone of the concern. Whenever Ben became hard-up--which he did frequently in those days--Eph would generously advance him fifty or a hundred dollars, wherewith to bridge over the temporary troubles. Eph was a good-natured sort of a fellow, who spent his money with more freedom than wisdom. He had a great weakness for boxing, and believed himself to be an expert in that line. Ben very quickly discovered this susceptible point, and turned it to practical account. He would tickle Eph's vanity by telling him that he was the greatest boxer in the world, and follow up this stupendous flattery by borrowing a hundred dollars.

This sort of thing might have gone on indefinitely, but for the fact that Jim Linton opened a free-and-easy in the town, which made sad havoc with Ben's gymnasium. In fact it broke it up.

Bent upon taking advantage of this misfortune, Hogan proceeded to set up a free-and-easy himself.

Both of these places were what might properly be termed red-hot, and of the two, Ben's was a little the hotter. Parker's was a town at that time unlike any other spot on the face of the globe. The inhabitants grew accustomed to such exclamations as "I've lost my ear!" "I've lost my nose!" "I've lost my pocket-book!" This last, perhaps, was the commonest of all. It was a place where a man found so much life that he was apt to stumble upon death when he least expected it.

It was the red-hotness of the free-and-easys which finally led to their being pulled. Ben and his partner, Col. Adams, were not arrested. This, however, was no fault of the officials. Hogan received a telegram to the effect that a deputy sheriff was coming down on the train to close up his establishment, and he therefore found it convenient to get out of town very suddenly.

Some of his friends fared less fortunately. Ben Savano, Charley Green, Billy Casey, and Doctor Booke, were all arrested and placed under five hundred dollars bonds.

Meantime Ben had made his way to Petroleum Centre. There he called upon some influential political friends--a Senator and Congressman, among others--and obtained a letter of introduction to Judge Nulton.

He happened to meet the judge at the doorway of the court, where he was making inquiries with regard to the free-and-easy arrests.

"The only man we want, now," observed the judge, just as our hero made his appearance, "is Ben Hogan!"

"Yes," said Ben, joining in the conversation, "Hogan ought to be hung."

"Well, I don't know about that," returned the judge. "In fact, all that I do know about him is what I have heard others say. He seems to be a pretty desperate character, but it would hardly do to hang a man on hearsay evidence."

"Well, he's certainly a hard character," said Ben, with emphasis.

"Do you know him?" asked the judge.

"Yes," was the reply. "I know him better than any one else in the world. I happen to be the gentleman myself!"

The judge stared in blank amazement.

"Will you do me the favor and read these letters?" continued Ben.

Finding that Hogan was not after all so terrible a person to meet with, the judge proceeded to give him some points as to how he might get out of his present scrape. Acting upon these hints, Ben furnished straw bail, which was the best he could do.

The men who had really been responsible for the arrests were Golden, and one Christy--a lawyer not overburdened with clients. Naturally enough, Ben and his companions entertained no very friendly feelings toward Golden and Christy, and at a later day they took occasion to square up accounts.

While the case was progressing, Ben and Charley Green put up at Reynold's Hotel, where they dealt a quiet little game of faro in their room, and made three hundred dollars during the night. It was encouraging for the indicted gentlemen to find that some of the court officials were their best customers.

The upshot of the trial was that all the parties under arrest signed a contract not to open a free-and-easy in the town within three months. It is only justice to add that Booke had in no way been connected with either of the establishments, and that he had simply been drawn into the matter with a view to extorting money from him.

All the persons concerned in the case left Parker's, with the exception of Ben. How he managed to live up to his contract, and at the same time to run a free-and-easy, will be explained in another chapter.