A group of prominent businessmen in Lee’s Summit had a high stakes poker game every Wednesday night. Everyone knew about the game including a small time criminal by the name of Bobby Ash who robbed the game at gunpoint. In court, he was defended by an attorney by the name of Robert Duncan. Robert and I were drafted on the same day and spent two years together in the infantry. He was a brilliant and colorful criminal attorney. They tried Bobby for robbing one man, and he was acquitted. They then tried him for robbing each of the poker players and he was found guilty each time, sent to prison under the habitual criminal act. Robert appealed the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and lo and behold, they heard the case, reversed the decision saying it was double jeopardy since he had committed only one crime, which was robbing the poker game. Bobby was freed from prison and later killed by a prostitute in Kansas City.
In the meantime, Robert became famous, wrote a textbook for law students, traveled around to law universities on the lecture circuit, and became wealthy. He would call me when he came through on his way to St. Louis or Jefferson City and we would meet at Union 76 for coffee. When Robert went in a bar or restaurant before the waitress could say, "My name is Sally and I’ll be your waitress for the evening", he would say, "Hi, My name is Robert, and I’ll be your customer for the evening."
Robert bought a big complex in the Bahamas and was going to start seminars for continuing education for lawyers, and went broke. Almost everybody in our army outfit came home alcoholics. Robert and I were no exceptions, only I stopped before it got me. Robert had requested a pair of glasses, his favorite book, a flashlight, and a quart of bourbon be put in his casket when they buried him a few years ago.
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