The Oregon daily journal., September 21, 1913, Page 64, Image 64

THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLANQ. SUNDAY MORNING, , SEPTEMBER 21. 1913.
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Copyright, Xtl tr the BUT Company, Great Britain Rights Reserved.
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Strange Hiding Places Where Criminals
Conceal Their Plunder Until They Dare Sell
It to the" Fences" and How Thieves Themselves
Are Sometimes the Victims of Robbers
Written by Sophie Lyons
o
I TRANCE as it mar "em me criminal
Often f aces the greatest risks and the
mnt nArniexinz Droblems after hla
plunder la actually In his hands.
Where to hide his booty so that neither
the police nor some other thief will find It
and to that he can easily recoTer It as soon
- at he dares Is the problem every criminal
has to solve. If he is wise he works out a
-' careful solution of It lone in advance of the
"KwSSrt of my fame in the underworld
' (was due to my resourcefulness In hiding
stolen money and goods. Time and again
ether criminals have entrusted to my goo4
Judgment the proceeds of crimes In which I
bad no active part. "Sophie will find a way
when no one else can," was an expression you
(would often hear when thieves were dis
cussing their plans.
Yet, with all my cleverness, was not
always able to keep our plunder from getting
out of our hands. Time and again I have
returned to what I thought the safest of hld-
- Ing place to find the police had been there
before me. Arid occasionally It was some
treacherous and unscrupulous citizen of the
underworld who turned the tables on me In
' this way. -J
One of the most Ingenious ways of hiding
plunder from the prying eyes of the police
. waa that used by Harry Raymond, once
when he was bringing to America $40,000
worth of stolen diamonds. Harry had pur
chased, the stones from several well-known
European thieves and was on his way to New .
York by way of Montreal to dispose of them.
On the voyage across a number of atate
. rooms were entered and robbed. The vic
tims made loud outcries to the captain who
promised that the police should be notified
at soon as the steamer reached Canada.
Although Raymond had had nothing to do
with the robberies he feared the Montreal
detectives might recognise him and try to
connect him with them. So he left the
steamer before It reached Montreal and set
cut by train for that city.
But this ruse produced an effect exactly op
posite to what he had intended. The cap
tain promptly telegraphed the Montreal
police what he thought of Raymond! tut
Vicious action In leaving the steamer at
fUmouskl and this resulted in a detective be
ing tent to meet hit train.
Luckily for Raymond his keen eyee de
tected the detective's presence in the car be
fore the latter detected him.
Litis first thought was for the safety of the
stolen gema which he carried in a money
: belt around his waist.
Hurriedly taking the gems out he did them
up in a small package that looked as if it
contained anything but a email fortune.
But where to hide ltT
As Raymond cast eagerly about for some
place where his plunder would be safe until
the police should cease their activities, he
- noticed a crack along the edge of the flre
board behind the stove, which heated the
- car. '
The board was loose by prying at it with
his flncajrs he could pull It out Just far
enough to admit the package of diamonds.
Holding a newspaper in front of him to
conceal hla movement! he quickly slipped
the precious package through the opening
and snapped the board. Then, having no
longer any reason to fear arrest he waited
calmly for the detective to Identify him.
First, however, he noted with a pencil oa
the edge of his cuff the number of the car
1703. He was risking his diamonds on his
ability to locate the car bearing that number
later on.
The pcQice found it Impossible to charge
Raymond with any crime, for he had nothing
Incriminating in his possession, and there
Was no evidence to convict him Of the rob
beries on the steamer. Unfortunately he had
been arrested on a Saturday afternoon, and
so It was therefore Monday before he was
free again. This gave car 1703 a start of
nearly forty.elght hours.
Raymond went straight from the Jail to
the railroad yards. Handicapped as he was
by the necessity of concealing the reason for
his Interest In this particular passenger
coach, It was hours before he could lay hold
of any definite clue to Its whereabouts.
The trail led first to Ottawa, then back to
Nova Scotia then across the American boun
dary Into Maine. For a week Raymond lived
on railway trains, ceaselessly pursuing the
elusive car night and day.
There was something almost human about
the way it escaped him just when he was on
the point of overtaking it. Once, when he
was only a few minutes behind the train to
which No- 1703 was attached, the car was
twitched off to a branch road. Raymond,
Ignorant of this fact, . travelled a hundred
miles In the opposite direction before he dis
covered his mistake.
Every, hour's delay Increased his fears for
the safety of the diamonds. There were a
thousand and one chances which might arise
to prevent his recovering )them the car
might be sent to the
shops for repairs or it
might be destroyed in
a wreck or some
inquisitive passenger
might pry the fireboard
open and discover the
package.
But Raymonds per
severence was reward
ed at last Late one
afternoon as his train
drew Into Quebec his
eyes were gladdened by
. the sight of car No.
1703 standing on a sid
ing, empty, evidently
tied up there for the
night.
When darkness came
It was the work of
only a few minutes for
Raymond's deft fingers
to pick the lock on the
cir door. Prying the
fireboard open, be
reached his hand down
behind it there were
the diamonds Just at
he left them.
Not Infrequently some
other thief will dis
cover the location of a robber's hiding place
and help hmself to the plunder or to as much
of It as he can carry away. This is exactly
what happened to more than half of the
$53,000 In gold which Browning and Brady,
the desperate train robbers, stole from an ex
press car near Davlsville, CaL
I have told you In a previous chapter how
these two bandits hold up the train and
frightened the express messenger into ad
mitting them to hit car by their cold-blooded
threats to kill the engineer.
The booty they got consisted of a large iron
strong box containing more than $50,000
worth of specie and gold dust.
They loaded this Into the locomotive and
raced down, the track for two miles or to.
There they dismounted and started off across
country.
But their booty was too heavy to carry any
great distance, particularly as they were in
momentary fear of being overtaken by one of
the posses which had probably already taken
up the chase.
After stumbling through the darkness with
their cumbersome burden several! hundred
SOPHIE LYON 8.
yards they gave up
the task in disgust
and decided to bury
the box and return
for it later.
The spot they se
lected was at the
entrance to a wild,
lonely gulch. They
dug a deep hole,
placed the box in it
and filled it up with
earth, marking the top of the mound with two
big stones.
This was a desolate, thinly settled section
of the State, with no houses for miles, and
the robbers felt their loot would be safe there
forever.
They planned, however, to return for it
within a few days. But on reaching San Fran
cisco they found the publlo so stirred "up
over their crimes and the police so active in
trying to run them down that they decided it
was not safe to try to reoover the gold at
present
Lack of ready money soon drove w em from
cover. Within a few days they added to the
long list of crimes for which they were al
ready wanted a brutal murder and several
daring robberlea. Then,
at I told you tome
weeks ago, came the,
train robbery at Wheat
land, when Browning
wat shot dead and
Brady fled to the moun
tains. For telreral months
Brady kept out of
reach of the posses
which were scouring
the State for him. He
might never have been
captured had he not
been forced to come
down to a settlement
for provisions.
He walked into a
little crossroads store
and asked for some
canned goods. While
they were being done
up. Brady picked up a
newspaper.
Suddenly, at he read,
he began to tremble
like a leaf hla bronz
ed face turned a hay
white. . He seized his
package of food, threw
down a bill and, with
out waiting for his change, turned and ran
from the store.
The merchant wat curious to know what
Item of newt could have excited hit customer
so strangely. A glance at the page of the
paper he had been reading showed a long
account of the fruitless search for Brady, the
train robber
That was enough for the storekeeper. Hur
rying to a telephone he confided his sus
picions to the sheriff, and within half an hour
every ablebodled man in the country was in
pursuit of the bandit
They took him by surprise high up on the
mountainside and succeeded In capturing him
without firing a shot At first he stoutly pro
tested his Innocence, but two days in Jail
broke down his nerve and he confessed
everything.
"We never spent a penny of the money we
got at Davlsville," he declared, "and you'll
find it all In the strong box just at we burled
it that night"
Officers went to the spot he indicated and
dug up the box. But they found It contained
EDOES NOT FAY : v
Put Your Baby in a Bird-Cage
I
N the crowded sections of the big cities the "baby The health crib is used practically as a bird case.
brigade,'' with a nurse girl or a mother standing It Is made of willow and stands about two feet high,
watch over each Infant, has long been
Is nearly two feet wide and is two and a half feet deep,
L .v. T. v.v i. .v... . nacea in tais cage-like affair baby is absolutely
IKBUiar Ai Ua, M u, . muoi, "''. Bate. He can-t fet tQ flurt hlmself; U 19 padded
Be aepi ufc m m ieu - euuouiao. a mB ias 80 that he can't hurt himself while in it and it is so
meant that somebody must stand constantly on guard screened and covered that nothing can get in the crib
to see that no harm befalls it to nurt nlm- inside of the willow latticed walls Is
; A unique plan to relieve busy mothers of this exact- mosquito netting to keep out the Insects. The top is
lne duty without depriving lnfantt of the sunshine and ,olld to Protect the Infant from articles that might
fresh air tney require nas recently been worked out " 'X .
by Mrs. Robert C. Lafferty, of Baltimore and New York. Ia tbe crowfled cltiea,S where lawnt and meadowa
RtranerelT enough. Mrt. Lafferty doesn't haDDen to re "carce, the baby cageNwill prove most useful. To
have any children of her own, but her observation cf meet cltT requirements thb cage it made to ttand on
the troubles of other women set her to working out the window ledge! There lsn't the slightest danger
a plan to meet the difficulty, and the Infants' "health of the cage with its precious Inmate falling out of the
Crib" wnicn ene .nxenieu was me result. jvinaow, as it is eecurely clamped to the window frame.
, The
Baby-Cage
In Use.
i ' as Seen
from the
Inside of an
Apartment,
and, on the
Right,
How the
Baby-Cage
Looks
from the
Outside
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No. 1 The Train Robbery.
Moved by their threats to kill the engineer, the express
messenger opened the car door and let the two robbere
In. They quickly overpowered the messenger and made
esospe with a strong box containing $63,000 In gold.
only 117.000 of the $53,000 It had held when
it was stolen.
Brady pretended the greatest astonishment
The authorities believed bo was lying, but
nothing could shake hla story. He went to
prison to begin a life sentence still declaring
that he and his partner had burled the entire
$53,000 and had never seen or touched any
of it since.
61x months later, and nearly two years
after the Davlsville robbery, a man came to
the head detective of the express company
and informed him that ho suspected a man
known at Carl Merman of having gained pos
session of the missing $36,000 In gold.
"I have known this man Herman for years,
aald the detective's Informant "He never
did a day's work In his life, never had any
money and hat alwaya been a veritable vaga
bond. In fact everybody who knew him
called him 'Carl, the Tranfp.'
"About two yeara ago, to my surprise, he
blossomed out like a millionaire, with expen
sive clothes, diamonds and a pocketbook that
apparently held an inexhaustible supply of
ready money. He gambled heavily at the
racetracks and entertained lavishly at the
most exclusive restaurants and hotels This
extravagant way of living has continued up to
the present time. Only last week he enter
tained a gay party of chorus girls at a dinner
that cost $500.
"When anybody asks Carl the reason for
this remarkable change in his mode of living,
he becomes very mysterious and will give no
satisfactory information. It la safe to say
that he did not make the money honestly, for
he Is without education and has no aptitude
for any kind of work. What strikes me as a
remarkable coincidence is the fact that his
astonishng leap from poverty to wealth dates
from the very month of the train robbery at
Davlsville."
The express company officials were much
impressed bv this story, and at once tet
several sleuths to shadowing Herman. Their
reports made the mystery of hit suddenly,
acquired wealth all the deeper. Although
there was no tangible evidence to connect
him with Browning and Brady or the money
they bad buried, a warrant wat sworn out for
him.
Herman was arrested Just as he was sitting
down to dinner with a fashionably gowned
woman who for several months had been
sharing his prosperity- He was expensively
attired In evening clothes of the latest cut,
and looked like anything but a thief or a
receiver of stolen goods.
A night In a cell, however, followed by a
cruel "third degree" examination unnerved
bim so that he made a full confession.
"My right name." he said, "is John P.
Harms. On the night of the Davlsville train
robbery I was sleeping in the woods near a
place called Jackwood's Gulcli. it must have
been long after midnight wha I was
awakened by the sound of men's voices.
"Peering through the underbrush surround
ing the little clearing where I had spread my
blanket, I saw In the waning moonlight two
men dragging tome heavy object Into the
gulch below me. One of them carried a rail
road lantern, and as they drew nearer I saw
that they both wore black masks and that
what they were oarrylng with to much dlffl.
culty was an iron box, such as is used in ex
press cars for keeping valuables.
"When they were less than a dozen feet
from me they put the box down. Then with
their hunting knives and with etlckt they
started digging In the eandy soil. When they
had dug a deep hole they dropped the box
Into it. covered it with earth and started off
In the direction of 'Sacramento,
"I had not said a word afll this time for fear
that If I wat discovered they would kill me.
"When daylight came, however, my courage
returned and seeing no sign of the men
I could not resist the temptation to dig up
the box and see what was in it.
"When I threw open the cover I wat
amazed to see that it was nearly full of bags
of gold coin and dust I did not stop to
count the money and I had no idea how
much the dust wat worth, but I realized that
this was more wealth than I had ever teen
in my. life before and enough to enable me
t0"live-41ke-e-prlnee.
No, 2 Burying the Treasure.
The strong box was too heavy to carry any great dls
tance, and so the robbers decided to bury It and return
for It later. The spot they selected wat a lonely gulch
when they Jiad no Ides there was any one to tee them.
No. a Caught at Last.
Before" the bandits found It, safe to return for the treasure
one of them was ehot and killed In a desperate attack on
a train. The other fled to the mountains, where he was
Anally run down by a sheriffs posts.
No. 4 More Than Half the Gold Gone.
Tho bandit confessed and led the officers to the Spot
where he and hit comrade had burled their plunder. The
Iron chett wat found Just as he had said, but It held less
than half the original $53,000.
j -4 Sfi
No. 5 -A Clue to the Mystery.
In their efforts to account for the missing $36,000 the at
tention of the police was directed to a man whose poverty
had suddenly changed to wealth about the time of the
train robbery. He wat arrested In the fashionable restau
rant when he had gained' reputation for lavish spending.
"I looked carefully in every direction to
make sure that no one was watching me.
Then I (filled my pockets with as muchof
the gold as I could carry, put the rest back
into the box and filled up the hole again.
"When I reached San Francisco I found
that I had In specie and dust $36,000."
Of this amount Harms had spent In two
years' time $21,000. The remainder was on
deposit In various banks and was recovered
by the express company by civil suits.'
Harms waa convicted of grand larceny and
sent to prison.
The difficulties which thieves have In dis.
posing of the plunder they secure at such
fearful risks offer additional evidence in
support of my contention that CRIMB DOES
NOT PAY. But even If this were not so
even if it were possible for the criminal to
spend his ill gotten gains without molesta
tion from anybody I do not believe his lot
would be any the haoDler. It haa been mv
invariable experience that money dishonestly
acquired carries a curse with it and leads
the misguided, man or woman who tries to
derive some enjoyment from Its use only to
remorse and misery.
1 - ' ' r
No. ft How the Robbers Were Robbed.
The man confessed that he had seen the robbers bury the
treaeure. After they had gone he dug up the strong box
and taken as much of the gold as he oould earryw$36,000.
All but a small part of this he had squandered In riotous,
Cvlni, . , - -