# Looters of the Public Domain/Chapter 15

Chapter XV
IN visiting Minneapolis, about the latter part of October, 1905, I was surprised to meet Mrs. Marie Ware-McKinley, in company with her mother-in-law, Mrs. James McKinley, at the Nicholet Hotel. I asked Marie as to the whereabouts of Horace, whereupon she replied to the effect that she had hoped to learn from me where he was, as he had left for parts unknown several days before. Marie then inquired if I had learned of any trouble, as Horace's actions, she stated, denoted that all was not right. Being in the dark on the subject, I could give Marie no information, so she said she would go on to San Francisco, where she would remain with her brother, Joel Ware, until something definite was learned about her husband.
From Minneapolis I returned to Michigan, where I remained several weeks, and then, concluding to go home, I went to Chicago, where I purchased a ticket for Berkeley, California. At Ogden, I secured a few Portland Oregonians of recent dates, and in perusing them later, I noticed an article stating that both McKinley and myself were wanted in Oregon for some school land transactions of an alleged fraudulent nature, reference to which is made in a subsequent chapter.
Arriving at Berkeley, my wife informed me that some officer had a few days previously called at the house and asked if I were in the city, and she told him that I had last been heard from in Chicago, as she then had no knowledge of my movements.
Concluding that I was being wanted on some charge, and not desiring to return to Oregon at that time, as I was then under $8,000 bonds, and did not wish to be put to the trouble of finding additional sureties, I decided to go to New York, where 1 was unknown, until such time as I could get additional information with reference to the charge against McKinley and myself, and communicate with him in regard to the matter.
Not wishing to impose the necessity of falsity on my wife, because of her known aversion to becoming a party to anything of the kind, I told her that I was going up to Humboldt County, Cal., and would return on the Steamer Pomona in about ten days. I did not, however, have any intention of going there, but if she were pressed for a direct answer as to my whereabouts, she would be enabled to tell the whole truth, so far as her knowledge went, and at the same time, I would be safe from detection.
Gathering together what few things I might require for a short trip, in the shape of wearing apparel, etc., I took the Berkeley train to the Oakland pier, and crossing the bay to San Francisco, engaged a room at one of the uptown hotels, where I remained three days. While there, I called on Marie to ascertain if she had received any information concerning her husband since his sudden departure. She stated *that she had heard of Horace having sailed for the Orient some ten days previous to her arrival in San Francisco, accompanied by "Little Egypt," a notorious muscle dancer. She admitted that Horace might have gone to China—in fact, thought it probable that he had—but would not believe that ​he had taken Little Egypt with him. Marie expected daily to hear from her husband, as he told her brother, Joel Ware, that he would write when settled, and would address all correspondence direct to him for her.
Leaving Marie, I consulted an old friend, in whom I had implicit confidence, for the purpose of making arrangements about my own correspondence, and put him "wise" to the situation. It was decided between us that in order to correspond with my family and friends and to receive such communications from them as they might wish to send me, it would be best for him to engage a postoffice box in San Francisco under the name of C. C. Cravet, a name I had selected at random for the reason that there was none similar to it in the city directory of San Francisco.
After renting the box, my friend returned to his home, where I was in waiting, and gave me the number, which I made a note of in my diary. I then instructed him to visit the postoffice for mail not oftener than three times each week, and always at night, and under no circumstances was he to abstract a letter from the box if any one was in the lobby. I instructed him further, upon receiving mail from me addressed to C. C. Cravet, that he was to open the outer envelope and deliver the sealed envelope inside to whomsoever it might be directed. All answers to my letters he was to call for personally, the same to be enclosed in a blank envelope, which he was to address to me in his own handwriting to J. H. Brownell, General Delivery, New York City.
I requested my friend to call on Mrs. Marie Ware McKinley, corner of Bush and Jones streets, at least once each week for any letters she might have for me from her husband, Horace G. McKinley. Also to call on my wife at Berkeley for any mail she might wish to forward, but not to make this latter visit until after he had received a letter from me addressed to her. It was distinctly understood that under no circumstances was my friend to divulge to my wife, any member of my family, or to Marie Ware McKinley, the name, J. H. Brownell, which I had assumed; neither was my whereabouts to be made known to them, nor was he to inform them as to the name or manner under which he was receiving mail from me. Visiting Marie McKinley again, I told her that a friend of mine would probably call at least once a week for any information she might wish to communicate to me from her husband, and instructed her, in all cases, to seal such communications in a blank envelope before delivering it to this friend, who would take care of the rest.
As to the name, J. H. Brownell, while I did not use the initials of the only original and notorious person of Oregon political fame, I could not resist the temptation of employing the name itself, as it occurred to me that a man with George C. Brownell's reputation for squeezing out of tight places, however pinched the situation or small the hole, could not help but bring me luck if I were ever surrounded by similar conditions.
In explanation of the great precaution taken with my mail to avoid detection, it may be stated that I became quite familiar with the methods adopted by the well known Government secret service agent, W. J. Burns, during the land fraud trials in Oregon. He had often related to me, in describing past adventures, of the difficulty experienced in trailing counterfeiters and other Federal criminals, in which cases, he would frequently be obliged to resort to seeking information through the mails in order to run his quarry to cover.
It is well known, of course, that Uncle Sam protects the patrons of his postoffice department to the extent of forbidding any one, the Government detectives included, from meddling with mail matter in transit from one place to another, or while being distributed at the postoffices. It is nevertheless true that in certain instances and under pressing circumstances wherein our Uncle himself may be concerned, these Secret Service men of the Govrnment, if I am to take Mr. Burns' statement seriously, have a peculiar habit of camping on the mail overnight, with the result that they are very much enlightened in the morning concerning the contents of certain letters over which they have slumbered.
​Having made all arrangements with regard to the forwarding of my mail, and being anxious to leave the city without further delay, as the daily papers, at this time, were making frequent mention of the official desire to apprehend McKinley and myself, I decided on adopting some little disguise by way of extra precaution, so I proceeded to a barber shop in a remote section of the city, where I was relieved of my moustache, much to the disarrangement of my facial beauty, to say untiling of my personal pride. I then repaired to a haberdasher establishment, where 1 purchased a line of wearing apparel, altogether different from anything which I was accustomed to wear, including a very long, light-colored coat, besides a slouch hat, of the genuine cowboy style. In addition to this, I purchased a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, which materially changed my appearance. Calling on my friend again, for the purpose of making further arrangements in regard to my mail, as well as concerning plans for my departure from the city, I was much surprised and gratified to observe that neither himself nor his sister recognized me until I spoke.
At my request he purchased a ticket for me to New York City, over the Santa Fe line, via Kansas City and St. Louis, checking my trunk direct to New York. I also instructed him to take the Santa Fe ferry boat from San Francisco to Point Richmond, at which point I would meet him, when he could hand me my transportation and trunk check. At 9 o'clock that evening, I took the ferry boat for Oakland, thence by street car through Berkeley to Point Richmond, arriving there at 11 o'clock, just in time to see my friend and catch the train. It being late, and feeling fatigued after my day's running around. I went direct to my berth and retired for the night. On the morning following, while on my way to the dining car, I was particular to observe every one with whom I came in contact and was pleased to know there were no familiar faces on the train.
Upon arriving in New York City, I registered at the Cadilac Hotel, 43rd and Broadway, under the name of R. S. Barr, Chicago, Ills., remaining there about a fortnight. During this time I did not seclude myself, being on the streets every day. nor did I attempt any further disguise than that adopted immediately before leaving San Francisco. I felt perfectly safe in New York City, as the transient population is very large, and one might easily travel about the city for months at a time without any fear of recognition, even without any disguise.
My first act upon arriving in New York was to write to my wife, dating the letter from Vancouver, B. C, although I did not make any reference to my real address, creating the impression that I was in that city at the time of writing. This letter was inclosed in an envelope addressed to Mrs. S. A. D. Puter. Berkeley, Cal., and it in turn was placed in another envelope, addressed to C. C. Cravet, Box 371, San Francisco, Cal. Upon receiving reply, about nine days later, which came through to J. H. Brownell, care General Delivery, New York City. I felt assured that, for a starter, at least, my mail system was working to perfection. In her letter my wife expressed great surprise relative to my whereabouts, as she was under the impression I had gone to Humboldt County, Cal., and for some time had been expecting me home.
As things were becoming monotonous. I decided to go to Boston, and pass a few days in sightseeing. Arriving there, I registered at the Lexington Hotel, still using the name R. S. Barr, of Chicago. After remaining about ten days, I took quite a liking to the historic old city, so returned to New York for my trunk and mail and then came back to Boston.
In the mail was a letter from my wife, in which she informed me that two officers had called at the house, stating that they had a search warrant for me, and had demanded permission to search the premises. My wife informed me that she protested against any such action on their part, assuring them that I was not at home, and that I had not been in the city for several weeks. However, she had consented to the search being made after they asserted their authority to do so.
This letter was the first authentic information I had received that satisfied me the officers were really wanting me. though I suspected from newspaper reports that such was the case. However, I felt very much gratified to learn, as this letter indicated, that the officers were altogether off the scent.
On this second visit to Boston, I put up at the Thorndyke Hotel and continued to walk about the streets and visit the theaters, as I had been accustomed to doing in New York City, using a little more precaution, however, by way of disguise, having adopted the use of goggles, which enabled me to recognize familiar faces on the street without exciting comment.
During my two weeks' stay at the Thorndyke, I recognized two or three familiar faces from the Pacific Coast, so I concluded it would be safer to stop at some private boarding house, not so centrally located, where I would be less liable to detection. This I found in a private family on Massachusetts Avenue, opposite the Fenway branch postoffice, where I engaged board and room by the week. I was now located in the fashionable residence district about a mile and a half from the center of the city. After my week was up, the place having proved entirely satisfactory. I engaged room and board by the month, as I expected to remain some time, or until I could learn definitely how matters stood.
In the meantime, I received several letters from my wife, through C. C. Cravet, all of which had come through the General Delivery Department of the main or downtown postoffice; so after becoming located in my new quarters, I wrote and instructed him to address all mail in future to the Fenway branch postoffice, care General Delivery.
The first letter received at the new address was from Horace G. McKinley, dated at Shanghai, China, which he had forwarded to his wife with instructions to send to me. It contained little news of importance, further than to apprise me that he was in Shanghai, and that he was undecided about his future movements. He stated also that he had made arrangements with his cousin, Allie McKinley, of McAllister street, San Francisco, whereby myself and other friends might correspond with him in safety, and requested me to send my reply, and all future communications, to Allie, to be readdressed by him in China.
Horace spoke of his cousin as being thoroughly reliable and trustworthy and a person in whom I might place every confidence without reservation, and urged that I adopt this means of communicating with him. rather than to try to reach him through any other source.
While I had no reason to question Horace's opinion, or to believe that his confidence in Allie had been misplaced, at the same time, I had made my own arrangements as to how I should communicate with friends, so instead of following Horace's advice in making reply. I sent it direct to my friend C. C. Cravet, who delivered the letter in person to Mrs. Marie Ware McKinley, who was to forward it to her husband.
In Horace's second letter, received a few weeks after the first, he appeared anxious to learn if it were possible to adjust the difficulties into which he had recently become plunged, stating that in such event he would gladly return to the United States. Replying to this inquiry, I assured him that I was not in a position to give him the desired information, for although I had written to all the parties with whom he had dealings in school lands, I had not. at the time of writing." received answers to any of my letters.
​During the three months I was in Boston, it was my custom to make daily visits to the public library for the purpose of scrutinizing the columns of the Portland Oregonian, that I might keep in touch with affairs on the Pacific Coast, and more particularly, that I might learn if there was anything new in my case. In looking over its columns, about the first of February, 1906, I noticed an article stating that Francis J. Heney had instructed W. J. Burns, the detective, to apprehend Horace G. McKinley and myself, and bring us into camp forthwith. I had realized for some time, because of the search made of my house in Berkeley, that I was being wanted by someone, but had no positive knowledge, until reading the article in question, that the Government officials were concerning themselves as to my whereabouts.
As I was under $8,000 bonds to the Government, and had no thought of running away from the Federal charges, my first impulse was to wire Mr. Heney to that effect, and to state, in substance, that I would be on hand when wanted. However, as I had not yet heard from those to whom I had written with reference to the State land trouble, and believing that the Government was not yet ready to go to trial on cases in which I was concerned, and as I considered myself reasonably secure from detection and was desirous of securing additional time in which I hoped to adjust the other difficulty, I decided to remain in my present state of seclusion for awhile longer. Meantime, I continued in correspondence with my family and others as usual, and concluded that so far as my method of postal communication was concerned, there was no danger of my hiding place being discovered.