{"id":464,"date":"2018-02-01T17:12:09","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T22:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=464"},"modified":"2018-02-18T14:10:50","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T19:10:50","slug":"fwd-red-arnold-red-skeoch-scam-artistd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=464","title":{"rendered":"RED (ARNOLD “RED” SKEOCH…SCAM ARTIST)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Subject:<\/th>\nRED (ARNOLD “RED” SKEOCH…SCAM ARTIST)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date:<\/th>\nThu, 1 Feb 2018 13:47:28 -0500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
From:<\/th>\nAlan Skeoch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

NOTE: \u00a0Only sending this to a few people\u2026to assess whether it is just to offensive for sensitive ears\u2026please comment)\u2026errors will be corrected\u2026some irrelevant\u00a0<\/span>stories \u00a0will need \u00a0to be deleted\u2026especially the bank deposit\u2026the test.<\/span><\/p>\n

RED<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Arnold \u201cRed\u201d Skeoch\u2026scam artist)<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
Jan. 20118<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cHold my hands, don\u2019t say a damn thing, \u00a0Look straight ahead and\u2026above all, \u00a0do not smile\u2026and never tell your mother\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy, Daddy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHush up…No talking..just do what i said.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere are we going?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u2018Into the bank.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
This \u00a0is my Dad, Arnold (Red) Skeoch\u2019 \u00a0His critics said \u201cThose poor<\/div>\n
boys, Eric \u00a0and Alan.! \u00a0In our opinion he was \u00a0one of the great characters in our lives.\u00a0 Lovably imperfect.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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\u201cPardon \u00a0me, could I see \u00a0the manager, for a moment?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes sir, wait here\u2026.cute little boys.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cRight this way, sir.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cName’s Arnold \u00a0Skeoch\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a \u00a0single parent\u2026working\u2026doing the best I can\u2026but a \u00a0little short of money this \u00a0month. \u00a0Could you see your way<\/div>\n
clear to advancing me a few dollars? \u00a0 Tough raising two children alone.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes,..do you have an account with us?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo but planning to open one.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/div>\n
Eric and Alan \u00a0Skeoch in High Park about the time when Dad figured out two scams for us to implement\u2026<\/div>\n
1) the Raceorse Entries scam<\/div>\n
2) The dropped \u00a0winning ticket scam<\/div>\n
We loved both.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
SCAMS: EARLY EDUCATION OF ALAN AND \u00a0ERIC \u00a0SKEOCH\u20269 AND 7 YEARS OLD\u2026.SCAMS<\/div>\n

(Year: 1947)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0Eric and I did our part of the attempted \u00a0bank scam. \u00a0We looked pathetic. \u00a0Did \u00a0it work? \u00a0Not sure, Dad always needed \u00a0money for the horses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just how he got that money was \u00a0never explained. \u00a0Did the \u00a0bank manager advance him some \u00a0cash\u2026Was \u00a0the manager a soft hearted mark?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0I do not know. \u00a0One thing for sure is that event really happened and \u00a0got permanently lodged in my memory. The was 70 years ago and I can<\/div>\n
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even remember the bank and the frosted \u00a0glass managers\u2019 \u00a0office on \u00a0a \u00a0corner near Dufferin and Bloor Streets in West Toronto The year was 1947.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOK, boys, you can bugger off home now. \u00a0Just between us, right? \u00a0No need to tell your mother. \u00a0I\u2019m going to slip into the track \u00a0for a while. Away you go.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"2012412-dufferin-race-track-aerial-1930-f1244_it2421.jpg\"<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
This is \u00a0Dufferin Racetrack as it looked when we were kids.<\/div>\n
Our rented flat was about the closest house to the track. \u00a0For good reason.<\/div>\n
Abe Orpen, one of the great characters in Toronto racing history, bought<\/div>\n
Dufferin Racetrack and ran \u00a0it until 1955 when it was \u00a0converted \u00a0into<\/div>\n
Dufferin Mall, a shopping centre.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

In 1947 the \u00a0Dad \u00a0realized having two sons could \u00a0be useful rather than a pain in he ass. \u00a0So he devised ways we could be part of his gambling addiction. \u00a0Addiction? \u00a0No, wrong word. \u00a0Gambling Adventures. \u00a0Attempt to level the cash income playing field.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose \u00a0rich bastards have more money than they know what to do with. \u00a0So who gives a \u00a0sweet goddamn if I take a slice?”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cBoys, I think \u00a0we can \u00a0make a little money over at the track gates.\u201d. he used the term \u2018we\u2019 as if he would be part of the scam. \u00a0And he was \u00a0part of it, a silent partner. \u00a0We \u00a0were the front men\u2026the point men of \u201cThe Dufferin Racetrack Racing Form scam\u201d.\u00a0 I was \u00a09 and \u00a0Eric was 7\u2026perfect ages . We looked as innocent as a pair of warm and cuddly kittens. \u00a0Men rushing through the track \u00a0gates \u00a0would either ignore us or give us \u00a0a pat on the head or tell us \u00a0to \u2018Get the hell out of the way\u2019. \u00a0Perfect.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cBoys, there are two kinds of men going to the track late. \u00a0Men leaving and men \u00a0arriving. Both groups \u00a0are in a rush. \u00a0The leaving men are rushing away to work or heading home fast so \u00a0their wives won\u2019t know they\u2019ve been playing the horses \u00a0The arriving men are rushing in to place bets on the fifth or sixth race.\u00a0 Both groups are in a \u00a0hellfire hurry and that\u2019s where you come \u00a0in. \u00a0The leaving men will throw \u00a0away their Entries forms\u2026the arriving men will need Entries forms.. \u00a0Gather up the forms \u00a0from the pavement or the garbage bins. \u00a0Only the good ones. If they are torn or covered with tobacco juice then they aren no use to us.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhat do we do with them.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cSell the the Entries forms to the arriving men. \u00a0They need \u00a0to put their money down fast. Sell them the forms for 10 cents. \u00a0Keep the forms<\/div>\n
you don\u2019t sell. We \u00a0can sell them tomorrow.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cDo the same horses run every day, \u00a0Dad?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cNo. \u00a0Different horses but arriving men will not know that. \u00a0They are in rush. \u00a0A lot just bet bu mi be.\u00a0 In short, they do not know their ass from their elbow. \u00a0And \u00a0they will think they are getting a deal\u2026a lot cheaper than those the track sells\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
“But Dad, \u00a0the arriving men are getting tricked.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cNo matter\u2026.fools are born every minute. \u00a0Just get the money.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Dad: \u2018Fools are borne every minute.\u2019 \u201cBankers \u00a0have more money than I do, so<\/div>\n
let\u2019s get some of it.\u2019 \u2018Move fast before the track security guys can get you.\u2019<\/div>\n
\u2018Do not tell your mother, this scam is our little secret.\u201d \u00a0etc. etc.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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\u2018What will we do with the money?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ll look after that. \u00a0if there seems to be trouble run like \u00a0hell for home. \u00a0The arriving men will never chase you.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And so Eric and I \u00a0were now \u00a0employed. \u00a0 Our School \u00a0was right on the north side of the Dufferin Racetrack. \u00a0Our home was a rented \u00a0flat at 18 Sylvan Avenue, right in the centre of Dufferin Park. \u00a0We knew the territory. \u00a0We were also \u00a0getting \u00a0ice to the ways \u00a0of the \u00a0world. \u00a0were we petty criminals? \u00a0No. \u00a0Criminals \u00a0steal things. \u00a0We \u00a0are providing \u00a0a service\u2026recycling racing foms.\u00a0 Granted \u00a0our business was \u00a0a bit shady since day old forms meant the arriving men were \u00a0betting on non-existent horses.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We \u00a0learned a hard \u00a0lesson when we saw the Nosey Boys stealing boxes of candy from the Robertson Candy truck. They got a good load \u00a0and ran down Dufferin.\u00a0 When the cop arrived, Eric and I were there innocent as Cherubs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDid \u00a0anyone see who \u00a0stole the candy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyessir, we did. \u00a0It was the Nosey Boys,\u201d (so called \u00a0because their noses were always \u00a0running gobs of nose \u00a0nectar.)<\/div>\n
\u201cDo \u00a0you know \u00a0where they live?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYessir, down \u00a0the street.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan you taken me there?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyessir\u2026suppose we could.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
And so we proudly jointed the forces \u00a0of law and order by trailing the cop down to the Nosey Boys house.<\/div>\n
Their mother answered the door.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you have three sons, madam.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cyes.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan I see them for a \u00a0moment?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBoys, there\u2019s \u00a0a \u00a0policeman here, wants \u00a0to see you.\u201d<\/div>\n
And the Nosey \u00a0Boys arrived \u00a0at the door and looked \u00a0at us\u2026at Eric and \u00a0me.<\/div>\n
\u201cAre these the boys that rifled the Robertson Candy Truck?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes sir\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Somehow \u00a0being on \u00a0the side of law and order began \u00a0to lose its appeal. \u00a0We had become snitches.\u00a0 Cherubs \u00a0no longer. \u00a0 Next day we got a good \u00a0jumping from the Nosey Boys. \u00a0 From that day on I wondered if police use witnesses that way. \u00a0 Being Honest became dangerous.<\/div>\n
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What has the Nosey Boy incident got to do with our racetrack scam? \u00a0A lot. \u00a0The Robertson’s \u00a0Candy factory was beside the broad entranceway to the Suffering Track. \u00a0 That was Nosey Boy \u00a0territory. \u00a0So we had \u00a0to keep our eyes peeled for a \u00a0Nosey Boy \u00a0trying to get even while at the same time hollering, \u201cGet Today\u2019s \u00a0Entries here.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Then there was \u00a0Abe Open, the owner of the Dufferin Track, whose agents printed and sold the \u201cToday\u2019s \u00a0Entries\u201d brochures at a profit to the Open. \u00a0We \u00a0were cutting into his business. \u00a0So we had to be blatant and \u00a0fleet of foot at the same time.<\/div>\n
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The scam did not last long. \u00a0Perhaps a week or less. \u00a0Once Mom got wind of it, our semi-criminal scam was \u00a0abruptly closed down.<\/div>\n
How \u00a0fit dhr gin our. \u00a0Somebody snitched\u2026either Eric or me.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/div>\n

But Dad was on a roll. \u00a0His discovery that his kids could be useful led to the \u2018Scour the Rail\u2019 job.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBoys, \u00a0listen up, \u00a0we \u00a0have a change \u00a0of \u00a0plans. \u00a0This time \u00a0keep your goddman traps shut. \u00a0Your mother does not need \u00a0to know everything we do. \u00a0There is a kind of honour among men,\u201d an expression Dad borrowed \u00a0and changed a little by substituting men for thieves.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the plan, Dad?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cAfter the 8th race I want you guys \u00a0to collect all the tickets \u00a0dropped \u00a0below the rail. \u00a0Move fast. \u00a0Slip into the track as \u00a0people \u00a0are hustling out. \u00a0No one will catch you. \u00a0Then collect the tickets\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cAll \u00a0of them?’<\/div>\n
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\u201cNo, just the best looking. \u00a0If they are sitting a pool of spit\u2026tobacco juice. \u00a0Just pass by. \u00a0Tickets do not need to be perfect.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cBut they are losing tickets.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cNot so. \u00a0There is always some \u00a0stupid son of a \u00a0bitch who drops a good ticket. I\u2019ll check them at night. \u00a0Now bugger off remember to be here at 5 p.m. sharp.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\"2012412-Dufferin-Race-Track-1950.jpg\"<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhy the rail Dad. \u00a0Why not check floor of the club house.?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u201cSomebody will grab you by the scruff of the neck in the club house. \u00a0No one cleans \u00a0under the rail until late at night. \u00a0And the men at the \u00a0rail get bloody excited. \u00a0They drop \u00a0tickets. \u00a0 Some of them a boozed up with shaky hands.\u00a0 Could be a gold mine for us.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dad used the terms \u2018us\u2019 and \u2018we\u2019 but he meant him. \u00a0Eric and \u00a0I were flattered \u00a0to be included in Dad\u2019s schemes. \u00a0Life with him was \u00a0never<\/div>\n
boring. \u00a0No lessons on good behaviour. \u00a0 Never avoided a cuss word when an expletive like \u2019son of \u00a0a bitch’ made language more musical. Always \u00a0treated \u00a0us with his kind \u00a0of affection. \u00a0Strong as an ox but never raised \u00a0a hand to us. \u00a0Why would he do that? \u00a0We were his ‘artful dodgers’ as \u00a0Charles Dickens would have said.\u00a0 Had Dickens been alive in 1947, he would have devoted a whole book to Red Skeoch. But back to the dropped ticket scheme.\u00a0 Did he ever find a good ticket? \u00a0Not that I remember but \u00a0he would not have fessed up anyway. \u00a0His scheme. His money, \u00a0I can still picture \u00a0him in our living room checking piles of Win\/Place\/Show Daily Double \u00a0tickets\u2026doing it by lamplight way past our bed time. \u00a0Said he got a few winners. Then again dad said a lot of things that were not true. \u00a0He tired of it eventually.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dad \u00a0was \u00a0not a person for sloppy sentimentality. \u00a0Never hugged or kissed us which was fine by us. \u00a0We grew up avoiding hugs and kisses whenever we could.\u00a0 His kind of affection was communicated by the use of opposites. \u00a0What does that mean? \u00a0So glad you asked. \u00a0Dad never used our real names, never called me Alan or called my brother Eric. \u00a0Instead he said\u2026let me put this in Red\u2019s own words<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve got two sons\u2026one \u00a0is a gutsy bugger and the other is stupid as Joe\u2019s dog.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dad used this line \u00a0of \u00a0introduction over and \u00a0over again as we grew up. If a listener was offended all the better. \u00a0if a \u00a0listener muttered something like \u2018those poor little boys!\u2019 then Dad knew he had struck pay dirt. \u00a0Some \u00a0older women found Dad really offensive but I noticed women seemed to like him no matter how outlandish.<\/div>\n
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Over time we grew up. \u00a0Became \u00a0teen agers. \u00a0And Eric, made a fateful remark.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDad, that is \u00a0an asinine \u00a0expression when you say one of us is \u201cstupid as Joe\u2019s dog\u201d. \u00a0It make no sense. \u00a0Just how stupid was Joe\u2019s \u00a0dog?\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dad grinned \u00a0from ear to ear. \u00a0\u201cI have been waiting for years for one of you to ask.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/div>\n
This is my brother Eric when he was 15 or 16, about the time<\/div>\n
he questioned dad with \u201cJust how stupid was \u00a0Joe\u2019s dog?<\/div>\n
Dad had waited years for that question. \u00a0Dad \u00a0was more<\/div>\n
than ready with an answer.<\/div>\n
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This is Eric and my wife Marjorie having lunch beside an Irish haystack. \u00a0Eric\u2019s<\/div>\n
facial expression confirms Dad\u2019s judgement of his \u00a0sons. \u00a0If Dad \u00a0was there he<\/div>\n
would have noticed one fact\u2026Marjorie\u2019s \u00a0purse is out of her sight. \u00a0An opportunity not to be missed.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong. \u00a0Dad loved \u00a0Marjorie and \u00a0she \u00a0loved \u00a0him. \u00a0Love is no reason to be angelic though.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cWell?\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cWell, Joe\u2019s dog \u00a0was so stupid he jumped \u00a0over nine \u00a0bitches to screw his own shadow.\u201d and his grin got wider and wider.<\/div>\n
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Neither Eric \u00a0nor I ever knew which of us was the gutsy bugger and which was Joe\u2019s dog. \u00a0No matter, both were meant as terms of endearment. \u00a0We know that.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
GOT A HORSE: \u00a0 CLAIMING RACE<\/div>\n
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Dad \u00a0had \u00a0all kinds of \u00a0get rich schemes centred around \u00a0horses. \u00a0None ever worked \u00a0out. \u00a0He died \u00a0with an estate valued \u00a0at $21 of which he owed Eric \u00a0$20. \u00a0So there was no acrimony at his \u00a0funeral. \u00a0Just sadness.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
My third story about Red and Dufferin Racetrack is rather tragic.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dufferin was only one racetrack frequented by dad. \u00a0 He hit them \u00a0all. \u00a0usually got in free as he had many cronies with the same addiction. Our cousins Jim Townsend \u00a0visited two racetracks years ago\u2026Woodbine and a year or so later Fort Erie.\u00a0 He \u00a0met dad at both tracks<\/div>\n
Dad rarely missed a racing season.\u00a0 He even worked night shift at Dunlop Tire corporation so he could \u00a0spend\u00a0 his \u00a0days at the \u00a0racetracks. Money? \u00a0Where did he get the money? \u00a0he got it wherever he could even our piggy banks as kids and our bank accounts as adults. \u00a0As Eric says often, \u201cWe had \u00a0the only mother who used her purse as a pillow.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
But Dufferin was our racetrack \u2026 a two minute hike from our flat on Sylvan Avenue to the racetrack gate. \u00a0Even shorter for Eric and I when we used a loose board in the ramshackle stable area at the south end \u00a0of the track. \u00a0Which is where this story begins and ends. \u00a0Again, let me use Dad\u2019s words as filtered through my mind.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cBoys, slip over to the track today?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy, what\u2019s so \u00a0special?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI bought a horse\u2026racing in third race\u2026hot walker will be cooling off the horse at the stables.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCan we still get through the board fence?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNothing has stopped \u00a0you in the past.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Dad must have only been a \u00a0part owner. \u00a0He never had the money to buy a horse.\u00a0 Only enough money to bet on them. \u00a0But to us, he had become a real big shot. \u00a0A horseman among horsemen. \u00a0 Even at our ages we knew his horse ownership would be a big problem for mom. How could he pay to keep \u00a0a horse? \u00a0Where would he keep it? \u00a0How would he move it? Feed it? Tend the horses health? \u00a0Here a trainer, groom, hot walker\u2026jockey.\u00a0 There was no way mom could help. \u00a0She \u00a0was a sweatshop worker in the needle trades. \u00a0Hard work for little money. \u00a0And \u00a0what she earned was barely enough to pay the rent and put food on the table. \u00a0 She made our clothes from clothing discards.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cKeep this quiet , boys.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Wit our family things always seemed \u00a0to have a \u00a0way of \u00a0working out\u2026shooting out. \u00a0That day Eric and \u00a0I slipped through the racetrack fence was a good if tragic \u00a0example.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cWhat are all those people doing here?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s take a look.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
There was \u00a0a large crowd of men \u00a0encircling a horse. \u00a0Before \u00a0Eric and I could get near there was a loud noise\u2026like a shot.<\/div>\n
And \u00a0the horse reared up \u00a0and then disappeared in the crowd. \u00a0A man with a gun\u2026police maybe.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThey just shot that horse.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to see.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cwonder \u00a0if that was Dad\u2019s horse?\u201d<\/div>\n
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It was Dad\u2019s \u00a0horse. \u00a0Broke its\u2019 leg in the race and had to \u00a0be put down fast. \u00a0Very sad.\u00a0 But also a great relief. \u00a0What was dad \u00a0going to do \u00a0with a horse?<\/div>\n
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I wish he had told us more.<\/div>\n
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MARRIAGE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This picture says \u00a0much. \u00a0Two people who liked each other. Dad \u00a0and \u00a0my future wife Marjorie.\u00a0 From that moment on I knew we were destined to marry. \u00a0Any \u00a0person who could \u00a0understand my father was \u00a0a \u00a0rare find. \u00a0Only girl I ever \u00a0took home.<\/div>\n
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Love is blind some people believe. \u00a0Not me. \u00a0Marjorie and \u00a0I found each other at Victoria \u00a0College, University of Toronto. \u00a0She seemed to like me and I her.\u00a0 But could \u00a0she maintain that liking once she met my Dad? \u00a0That was a very important question. \u00a0I had many girlfriends up to that \u00a0point but had never taken one home to meet my parents. \u00a0 But Dad could be cantankerous. Outlandish. \u00a0Perhaps \u00a0frightening even. \u00a0No worries though.\u00a0 Dad and \u00a0Marjorie hit if \u00a0off right from the get go. \u00a0She understood his tendency to speak \u00a0in opposites and to use cuss words with imagination. Musically really.\u00a0 But the cement that bound \u00a0them was their mutual love of horses. \u00a0\u201cHow would you like to go with me to Fort Erie Racetrack on Saturday?\u201d \u00a0Dad asked Marjorie. Mom and I were \u00a0secondary. \u00a0I took a picture of them \u00a0at the track that day walking arm in \u00a0arm to the parimutuel \u00a0window or the parading of the thoroughbreds. \u00a0Dad \u00a0with his cigar and \u00a0Marjorie with Entries \u00a0List for the day. \u00a0Both in dark glasses. \u00a0Hip to hip. Real horse lovers.<\/div>\n
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Marjorie and Dad at Fort Erie Racetrack \u00a0very \u00a0early in our courtship. \u00a0Dad has<\/div>\n
a \u00a0pencil in hand. Marjorie has the Entries List. \u00a0They are striding to the winners circle.\u00a0 Hip to hip. \u00a0Both dressed for the track..dark glasses and straw hats\u2026dressed \u00a0in their best clothes. \u00a0 Posh.<\/div>\n
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Years \u00a0later, Marjorie bought a horse called \u00a0Spartacus. \u00a0The son<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

of an estrogen mare. \u00a0Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of mares \u00a0were changed up in\u00a0barns \u00a0across \u00a0Canada so \u00a0that farmers \u00a0cold \u00a0collect the urine from pregnant mares\u00a0<\/span>to make birth control pills. \u00a0These mares were slaves. Spartacus was one of the lucky \u00a0colts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The fate to others was likely grim. \u00a0IN Roman history Spartacus was a freed slave.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>So was \u00a0his horse namesake. \u00a0he ran \u00a0free most of the time. \u00a0Later I will tell\u00a0<\/span>the full story of Spartacus. \u00a0I only mention him now because he was similar to\u00a0<\/span>Dad in a way. \u00a0He broke through all restraints and ran with the wind with\u00a0<\/span>Marjorie on his back. \u00a0That\u2019s \u00a0him below.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Spartacus is \u00a0the pinto gelding in the foreground with his shadow in the pond\u00a0of snow meltwater in early spring. \u00a0Racing. Racing. Racing. \u00a0No restraints . Like Dad.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n


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BY DEC. 2017, we had \u00a0quite a stable horses in England. \u00a0 Owned by our Swiss daughter in law, Gabriela and\u00a0stabled in Both London and \u00a0a posh stable in Surrey. \u00a0The original mare Mare \u00a0had a foal so \u00a0Gabriela bought another foal to\u00a0<\/span>keep company. \u00a0Dad \u00a0would have loved \u00a0these horses. \u00a0Seems \u00a0the ability to ride and \u00a0cuddle \u00a0horses skipped\u00a0<\/span>a generation. \u00a0I do not trust the big things and they seem to know it by putting their ears \u00a0back and readying themselves\u00a0<\/span>to pound me into putty with their goddamn \u00a0hooves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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RED: STORIES REPEAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN<\/p>\n

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Eric and I have never tired \u00a0of telling stories \u00a0about our father. \u00a0He was a role model\u2026strangely.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Neither of us \u00a0buy lottery tickets or visit racetracks. We do not try to catch\u00a0the golden ring on the Merry Go Round of life. \u00a0 That lesson we learned <\/span>early in life. Loved his scams. \u00a0We cannot help but wonder just how many good \u00a0tickets \u00a0we found in the piles <\/span>of thrown away race tickets we found beneath the rail of Dufferin Track. \u00a0If you think these \u00a0anecdotes end <\/span>the stories of Red Skeoch, \u00a0then you are mistaken. \u00a0 Next time I think Red\u2019s love-hat affair with finance\u00a0<\/span>companies might be amusing or horrifying.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Another bank \u00a0incident comes to mind. \u00a0Eric \u00a0would not want this story told but what the hell!\u00a0 Dad \u00a0did \u00a0not do much babysitting. \u00a0But when he did it was always \u00a0memorable. One time he took us into a bank no doubt planning to get money in some way or other. \u00a0Perhaps \u00a0he had discovered Mom had \u00a0an account at the bank. \u00a0Chance to do a bit of forgery.<\/div>\n
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\u201cStand there boys,” (beside the table with the bank forms for withdrawal or deposit),\u00a0 \u201cI have some business to do.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Business to do? \u00a0Well, Eric \u00a0had some business to do as well. \u00a0He had to go \u2018Number Two\u201d\u2026the big job. \u00a0When dad returned to the table there was a small Number Two on the floor. \u00a0Dad hastily grabbed \u00a0some of the bank forms, scooped up the Number Two and \u00a0said loud enough for some to hear.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s a deposit for you.\u201d and \u00a0dropped the Number Two into the waste basket. \u00a0 No, I do \u00a0not remember if that visit was a success \u00a0financially or not. \u00a0I suspect not.<\/div>\n
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Dare I include this anecdote in this \u00a0story? \u00a0Marjorie would say, No.\u00a0 Eric \u00a0might laugh as \u00a0long as the story was never published.\u00a0 Dad? \u00a0Dad would \u00a0laugh for sure because he told \u00a0the story over and over again to his brothers and probably his cronies at the racetrack.\u00a0 Mom? \u00a0She would \u00a0have laughed \u00a0as well. Dad was always \u00a0entertaining. \u00a0Was I in that bank \u00a0with Eric? \u00a0Not too sure\u2026maybe I placed myself there because it was such \u00a0a \u00a0good story. \u00a0Dimly I recall that Eric \u00a0was \u00a0alone. \u00a0Now Eric, bless his twisted soul, may contradict the whole story and say it was \u00a0me who made \u00a0the deposit. \u00a0The fact remains that a solid deposit was made at a Wet Toronto bank in the year 1947.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
More stories of Red versus the world \u00a0around him will be coming soon. \u00a0But only sent to those of you who want them. \u00a0Please say so. \u00a0I am fully aware that these \u00a0stories can \u00a0be offensive. \u00a0\u201cThe truth? The Truth?.\u201d as JACK NICHOLSON \u00a0said in \u00a0the movie Shore Patrol, \u201cYou can\u2019t handle the truth.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
(That\u2019s the test\u2026inserted to see if you actually read this long story. \u00a0What move actor is \u00a0quoted?)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
January 2018<\/div>\n
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 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Subject: RED (ARNOLD “RED” SKEOCH…SCAM ARTIST) Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2018 13:47:28 -0500 From: Alan Skeoch NOTE: \u00a0Only sending this to a few people\u2026to assess whether it is just to offensive for sensitive ears\u2026please comment)\u2026errors will be corrected\u2026some irrelevant\u00a0stories \u00a0will need \u00a0to be deleted\u2026especially the bank deposit\u2026the test. RED (Arnold \u201cRed\u201d Skeoch\u2026scam artist) alan skeoch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=464"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":566,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/464\/revisions\/566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}