Brilliant Minds in Captivity. Roger W Upchurch

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СКАЧАТЬ put together a Top Ten Rogues’ List. I do not know exactly when this will come about but we will get it done and I promise we really have some qualified candidates.

       I would like to thank the posters who remembered and appreciated the play of Johnny Drane.

       Somebody made note of Weldon’s one-handed talents, which reminds me of an interesting match. Weldon and I were in Denver where we had both bested a young Danny Medina on the bar table in a tough Mexican joint. Eddie “The Hat” Burton had insinuated himself into our company, not something we really wanted, so Danny got all his money back playing Eddie even up bar pool.

      After some good-natured matching up, Danny spotted Weldon the five and the break with Weldon having to shoot one-handed. It was no contest. It looked almost as if Junior played as good as Danny. This is not meant to denigrate Danny’s game. He was noticeably young and within a couple of years, he played about as good a game of 9 Ball as anybody.

      Dennis Porterfield, from a well to do family in Albuquerque, was good and tight with Weldon and me and oftentimes would accompany us on our expeditions. He is a sharp guy who moves well although his pool game was suspect. Dennis was the straightest guy I ever knew then, the most unlikely individual to ever drink, smoke, or take drugs. Then I found out that he found his way to Seattle where he had married a wonderful woman who took real good care of him and he had quit the bad habits entirely. He still loved the pool and it happened that he was getting some decent action in a local bar, but Dennis’s game had not improved. After about a three-month period he found himself $10,000 loser. He discovered that I was going to be in town for an exhibition. He got my phone number, called me, and arranged for me to come out a couple of days early. “I don’t care about the money, Grady,” he said, “I just want to see this guy beat. He’s really a creep”.

      I do a first-rate job of “lemoning” this guy and after a couple of nights, I am $4,000 winner. He does not know that Dennis has anything to do with this play, but he is suspicious, even though I really laid it down well. When he had Dennis $10,000 stuck, everything was hunky-dory, peaches, and cream, laughs and giggles, etc. He did not like being stuck one little bit. His recourse was to contact the bunco squad. Like Dennis said, a real creep.

      I referred in my last post to a negro being tarred and feathered incident. This took place in Lamar, Colorado, home of a man-made lake in Two Buttes reservation. I got slapped one night for telling a young lady that she had two beauts. We found a tavern in Lamar where the activity seemed lively and the place had a pool table and a bowling machine. After introducing ourselves, Dennis, Weldon, and I began trying to drum up some action. The owner of the place was present, and he said, “I’ll play any of you on this bowling machine”. We responded by offering him a pool game. He declined that offer and it looked like nothing was going to happen. Dennis called us off to the side and said “I can bowl fairly good on that machine. Why don’t we have either one of you guys play him 8 Ball while I bowl against him? I’ll win at least one game out of five on the machine, and you’ll have to hold him scoreless at the pool”. So, that’s what we did and after we were about $500 winner, the owner said to the tough-looking crowd in attendance “Didn’t we say we were going to tar and feather the next pool hustlers that came through town?” Another of Dennis’s talents emerged and he talked our way out of there, with the losers liking us and with us keeping the money.

       One time in Cochrun’s, Weldon had come all the way to the west coast mostly to spend some time with me. As we were sitting at the counter, somebody eased up and snuck Weldon’s Balabushka out from between his legs. That really broke my heart, and his, because that was a much-prized cue.

       All this talking about my old friend has made me miss him more than usual but my old numbers for him are no longer good. If anybody has a good phone number for him, please pass it on to me at [email protected].

       I hope you enjoyed these musings. Grady

      Chapter Four

      You must be careful trying to help people

      as it may land you in prison.

      Sam is an Amish man I met and play cards with. He loves to go to the chapel where there are TV’s and you can install DVD’s and watch movies. I thought the Amish did not use electrical things like that. Sam is just trying to do good and thought he was helping people. Here is his story as per Kentucky Today

      By TOM LATEK, Kentucky Today

       LEXINGTON, Ky. – An Amish farmer has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for selling improperly labeled herbal salve.

      U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves handed down the sentence against Samuel Girod on Friday in Lexington. Outraged supporters of the rural Kentucky farmer pledged to seek a pardon from President Donald Trump. Girod, 57, had been making and selling Chickweed Salve for years from his farm in Bath County, a half-hour drive east of Lexington. The Food and Drug Administration labeled Girod’s salve a drug, which brought it under federal regulation.

       Prosecutors accused Girod of manufacturing the herbal salve in an establishment that was not registered with the FDA and packaged in a container that “failed to bear labeling containing adequate directions for use.”

       Reeves ordered Girod to pay $14,239 in restitution and another $100 per count assessment equaling $1,300. In addition to his sentence, Girod was ordered to three years of supervised release after which he could resume making his products in a legal manner.

       Girod, who represented himself, declined the judge’s invitation to make a statement at Friday's sentencing.

       “I do not waive my immunity to this court,” Girod told the judge. “I do not consent.”

       Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said Girod “brazenly placed the public at risk” by manufacturing and selling homemade products to businesses in numerous states that do not comply with FDA regulations. Shier said one of his products was dangerous when used as recommended and all three products were advertised in a way that did not comply with the law.

      Girod’s products were marketed to treat numerous health problems, including skin disorders, sinus infections, and cancer.

      Prosecution evidence showed that a federal judge in Missouri ordered Girod to stop manufacturing and selling his products in 2013 until his labeling and advertisement of the products met FDA regulations. Despite the court order, Girod continued to make and sell his products in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

       As part of the 2013 order, inspections of Girod’s facility in Bath County were required to ensure his compliance. In November 2013, two FDA Consumer Safety Officers tried to inspect Girod’s facility, but they were prevented by Girod and others on his property.

       The U. S. Attorney’s office said after the criminal case against him began, Girod tampered with a witness, failed to appear for court proceedings, and was a fugitive for several months.

       Girod’s appointed standby attorney, Michael Fox of Olive Hill, described defending his reluctant client. “Early on, Sam told me the only counsel he would follow was from Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, when you do not have someone familiar with the legal process, there’s likely to be a bad result.”

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