Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-04-26

state. Courts, was q Clerk Of the Court |
in j. DAsisss county when Bigelow was |
sent to the States Prison five years |
term for larceny.
In 1859, Bigelow, his son, and man
uamed Cox, were arrested at their resi-.
dence on CAmpbelrs Island, about eight
miles up the river above Rock Island.
They employed a well-kuown lawyer
here to defend them, and paid his fec
with fine bay horse. 1t subsequently
turned OUT, and not long after, that the
nor.e had been painted, aud an owner
turned up at once, SO the lawyer lost his
fee. In 1910, when the lawyers were
sharp after him, old BigelOw built re-
treat under his potatoe bin in MS cellar.
He is one Of an old-time class of out
laws now thinned out by death, or by
being overtaken in their offences. The
life Of Old Bigelow, could it give tue
details OF his career, his hair breadth
csc pes from justice, and the various
ways in which he has built up repu-
tation scarcely paralellcd by any coun-
terfeiter now living, would surpass in
what the book-mcn call sensation, any.
thing of the kind published in the last
quarter ola century, and would furnish
Sylvauus Cobb, of the Ledger. material
for work ITO be continued" througa
halfa dozen years wcckIies.
His career has declared HIM to be
possessed of rare qualities Of cunning,
Eli .nd 1. nlnnsc nj ~ arch
ercis:d in anv honorable calling would
have given him..competcnce and honor IN
his old age. As it is, he pillows his grey
hairs within prison walls, and sees at tic
sunset of life long night of infamy about
to close in upon his name.
He had nearly recovered from an at
tempt he AYERS made upon his life about
a year since. lie says that in May last,
he started to go down the river to New
Orleans; and he stopped on an island
with some of his confederates. lie had
then on his person ii 900 in gold, in
belt, and gold watch and chain valued
at $500. They mixed his liquor with
something that stupcficd him, or prob.
ably rs they believed killed him. What
next he knew was when he recovered
his faculties and found himself in dark
ness. pressed down with heavy weight.
With long and severe labor he released
himself. and found himself alone on the
island, we'll nigh naked, and robbed OF
all his valuables. The cowardly wretch
es, lis would-be murderers, actually
buried him alive beneath a heap OF logs
and brushwood.
THE DETECTION AND ARREST.
In the business of the detective there
is something entirely akin to other kinds
of hunting. To know where your game
is, yea even to have your eye on
it is one thing, but to bag it is quite
another. Thus all the detectives i'll the
country knew Old Bigelow and what
he was about, but to fix his work upon
him, and bring him to Justice was
what the old fellow was cautious enough
to give them large trouble in accom-
plishing. In November last. it was
undertaken, however the officers, fore
most among them Capt. c. P. Bradley
of this city having "set their pins" and
laid their snares sufficiently long time
previous. On the 10th Of that month
the then City Marshal Rhem, and De-
tective Frank and Smith Of this city, and
u. S. Deputy Marshal Frazell Of Rock
Island, prepared to look into what was
going on in that blacksmith shop Of Old
Bigclow's.
The officers having got things in prop
er trim, went up from Rock Island on
Saturday afternoon to Cordova, and that
night after some sharp management sue
ceeded by a sharp fight found their
birds busy at their bogus work, and
caught them in the act, taking posses
sion Of their entire outfit of tools, &C.,
&c. The persons arrested we're Old
Bigelow as above, and two young men
Chester c. Clark and James Smith.
In the shop we're found most CON-
plete and perfect set of dies, tools, press
es, ETC., and everything necessary for the
manufacture of every kind of American
coin, Of gold aud silver, from cents to
$50. They had on hand, in an un6n.
ished state, some five hundred dollars
of their gold coins, and bag of their
fifty and twenty-five cent pieces.
THE TRIAL-THE DEFENCE.
Old Bigelow was indicted with bis
fellows some months since, and his trial
came up on Saturday, terminating yes
terday. The testimony was brief, con-
elusive, and most damning in its char
acter, and the jury were out of their
seats only ten minutes. The man Clark
was put upon the stand and became
States evidence, stating succinctly and
beyond all possibility of CONFIRMATION,
Bigelo~'s leadership and proprietary in
terest in the affair.
The defence was represented by John
Van Armau, Esq, and S. NJ. Felker.
How far the former is responsible for
the engineering of some points cssayed,
but without success, in behalf of old
Bigelow, we do not assert, but the p. inti
til emsclves are worthy Of the palmiest
days Of Sampson Brass himself. The
plan was to clear Bigelow at all hazards,
to which end Clark and Smith were to
be put upon the stand to swear him
clear by their testimony that he had
leased tho blacksmith shop to them.
They were also to come down hard
on the private detectives, made use Of
by the officers, and swear them into the |
scrspe a. deeply as possible. Further
A. Al a