the afternoon they would retire to the poolrooms and play the
races, and, when the races were over, they would then visit the
faro banks and gamble until midnight or later. Later on they would
proceed to another resort on Louisiana Street where Dodge really
lived. Here his day may be said to have begun and here he spent
most of his money, frequently paying out as much as fifty dollars a
night for wine and invariably ending in a beastly state of
intoxication. It is quite probable that never in the history of
debauchery has any one man ever been so indulged in excesses of
every sort for the same period of time as Dodge was during the
summer and fall of 1904. The fugitive never placed his foot on
mother earth. If they were going only a block, Bracken called for
a cab, and the two seemed to take a special delight in making
Jesse, as Jerome's representative, spend as much money in cab hire
as possible. The Houston jehus never again experienced so
profitable a time as they did during Dodge's wet season; and the
life of dissipation was continued until, from time to time, the
prisoner became so weak from its effects that he was forced to go
under the care of a physician. A few days of abstinence always
restored his vitality and he would then start out upon another
round of pleasure.

During this period Jesse maintained a close and vigilant personal
espionage over the prisoner. For over ten months he slept less
than four hours each day, his fatigue being increased by the
constant apprehension of treachery among his own men, and the
necessity of being ever on the alert to prevent some move on the
part of the defense to spirit the prisoner away. During the summer
attempts were repeatedly made to evade the vigilance of Jesse and
his men and several desperate dashes were frustrated by them,