The Leon Reporter Leon, Decatur County, Iowa Thursday, December 10, 1914, Page 1 Ballew Lumber Yard Sold. The T. W. Ballew Lumber Co. have sold their big lumber yard in Leon to A. L. Crawford, of Diagonal, Iowa, who will take possession next Monday. The yard will be under the management of C. M. Richardson & Son, of Allerton. Mr. Crawford owns a lumber yard at Diagonal and also other yards at other points. The Ballew estate is disposing of all their yards as fast as possible and will retire from the business. Mr. B. E. Evans, who has been manager of the yard here for the past year will remain here for a time settling up their business, but has as yet made no definite plans for the future. Appearing in subsequent column: DOBBINS RECEIVED FULL PARDON. Was Convicted of Implication in Fleecing Millionaire T. W. Ballew John R. Dobbins, who has been residing in Leon since Nov. 5, 1913, on parole, last week received a full pardon from Governor Clarke, and is now a free man in every sense of the word. Dobbins, who was born and raised at Princeton, Mo., was well known in Leon when it became known that he was connected with the fleecing of T. W. Ballew, the millionaire lumberman who owned a lumberyard at Leon, out of $30,000 on a fake horse race at Council Bluffs on November 13, 1908, by the famous Mabray gang, who operated extensively in various parts of the country. Of all the men connected with this game, which was operated from coast to coast, Dobbins was the only one ever convicted in the federal courts, about fifty other men being convicted or plead guilty to the charge of using the mails for fraudulent purposes. After being fleeced out of his $30,000 Ballew made a relentless pursuit after the fellows who got his good money, although many persons thought he only got what he was trying to give to some one else, and Dobbins was finally arrested in New York City, where he was running a billiard and pool establishment. He was brought to Iowa and tried in Council Bluffs and sentenced to Ft. Madison. His case was appealed to the supreme court and while awaiting for their decision Dobbins was released on bail and conducted the Hotel Garland at Bedford, Iowa, and made a splendid reputation as a hotel man. When the supreme court affirmed his conviction, Dobbins immediately surrendered himself, and after serving about eighteen months of his sentence, was paroled, and came to Leon, as he could not leave the state while on parole. Now that he is a free man again, Dobbins is going right back to Princeton, Mo., where he was born and raised and is going to make good where he is best known having leased the big new hotel which is being erected in that town, and we believe he will a make a big success of the undertaking. Transcription by Sharon R. Becker

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