The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-08-20

career. as soon as we could give puOAclty
to them without danger Of frustrating the
ends Of justice. The publication q some
particulars Of the examination OF Knight
and his partners in guilt, and q private LETT
ter rom Capt. Yates, assures US that our
secrecy need no longer. be observed.
/. The safe Of the County Treasurer OF Blu
chanan county was robbed Of some 5000
on the night Of the 18th Of March last. ev-
ery dollar Of its contents being abstracted.
TIE night had been very dark and stormy,
and no clue Afforded to the burglars. Capt.
Yates. a remarkably skillful and energetic
detective, from Chicago, was sent for. He
found that the safe, one OF Lilies best, and
considered burglar proof, had. been blown
open by crowding powder into the key
hole. To effect this, ingeniOusly con-
structed tools had evidently been made, by
means of which the centre, or pivot, of the
lock on which the key turned, was seized
by powerful nippers, forced out and bro
ken of with q sledge. The heel marks, on
q blank deed, Of the burglar who stood on
the top of the safe to WELD this sledge, gave
Capt. Yates the first positive clue to the
men now under arrest. He subsequently
learned that some two years ago, man
named C. Rorabacher, owning farm near
Raymond Station, had, with w: II: Knight
thon, CORTLAND county, New York; and
that both Of them had been followed to Blu
chanan county by a detective, who was
led to believe that he was on the wrong
track and abandoned further watch Of,
them. w. b. Pollard, q resident Of Mara
thon, and q very skillful mechanic, was al
so suspected Of being concerned in the rob-
early in March last, Pollard arrived at Ro-
rabacher's from Marathon, having, as he
pretended, come from Marathon expressly
to make q mould board model for q break
ing plow for Rorabacher. Under this pre-
tense Rorabacher and Pollard worked for
several days in . room in the back part of
a gunsmith's in Cedar Falls; unquestiona-
bly, engaged in manufacturing the tools af-
forwards used In opening the Treasurer's
safe.
From tho hour suspicion was thus direct
ed to this trio-Rorabacher, knight and
Pollard-up to the day of their final arrest,
each of them received the especial attention
of Capt. Yates, Sheriff Westfall, Of Buchan-
an county, and their assistants. Capt. Yates
assumed various DISCUSSES; renting land
field to Robacher' 3 following the band down
Cedar river in canoe when they left to
find safe place at which to divide their
plumber and, after their separation, Pol
lard going home to Marathon, Rorabacher
to his farm, and knight to this city, devo
ted all his time for the benefit Of knight.
On arriving at Davenport. knight intro
duced himself to several Of our business
men a. General Agent for Iowa, for an In
surance Company At Freeport, Ills, and
actually transacted considerable business
for that company, to whom his real charac-
ter was, OF course, unknown. Dressing
we'll, keeping good company, and going to
church regularly, Knight, as he Afterwards
boasted, soon had excellent opportunities
to get mp ''sights" for future operations
0l>SS ~
the evidence necessary to secure his con-
viction. Capt. Yates sent to Chicago for
an assistant. ''Sam" came; made the ac-
quaintance Of knight; gave him to under
stand he was one Of the boys; exhibited
burglars tools, &C., and soon had Knight
as anxious to win his confidence as "Sam'
was, apparently. to withhold it. This hap
py state Of affairs resulted in part from .
skillfully contrived plan, in which Sheriff
Lyter lert important aid. Sam got up .
'tsight' on the Sherifrs safe, avowing HIM
self to be the most skillful burglar in the
West, and possessed of keys with which
any lock could be opened. The proof was
furnished in the successful picking of the
Court House locks, the entrance to the
recorded by the Gazette at the time, and all
with keys kindly furnished by Sheriff Ly-
ter himself; the money stolen being that
placed in the safe by Capt. Yates! The
EASE with which Sam opened these locks,
Knight watching outside to guard against
interruption, fully established Sans repu-
tation; Knight vowed he would do
thereafter told all about the Buchanan
county, &c; Capt. Yates and Sheriff West
fall listening meantime in adjoining rooms,
lying down with ears to the bottom Of the
doors, &c.
During the period of his acquaintance
with Sam, knight went down to Burling-
ton, to get up sights" while Sam proceed.
Burlington, knight played q new role, as
clerk needing a situation. He applied for
n clerkship in the Post Office in that city.
Returning to Davenport, knight reported
q "bully sight in the Burlington office
and q sucker out of whom $500 could be
got. On his part Sam reported thesuccess-
full robbery Of Tioga County Bank, and
showed manufactured newspaper para
graph describing Sam as one Of the burg
lars. The rest is known to our readers.-
We need only add, as showing the desper-
ate character Of the william, now brought
to justice, through the untiring energy OF
Capt. Yates, the following extract from the
evidence adduced at the recent examine
ton ut Independence:
AT subsequent interview between
knight and Sam, to which Capt. Yates and
Sheriff Westfall were listening, and about
which both testified, Sam said to Knight,
Bill what did you mean in your letter
about getting that fellows money in the
sgentlemanly manner Knight replied,
Why meant to knock him on the head.
Sam said, :How much would you knock q
man on the head for7' Knight replied,
That depends on how hard up / was. If !
was Id hard up I would do It for $500.
II was not 90 hard up would do it for
$500. But for $2.000 would send him to
h-I'-Ddrcnpoyt Gazette.
The inquiries made Of the Provost Mar
shall General at Washington, direct, have
become 30 numerous that it has been found
necessary to announce publicly the fact
that inquiries on ordinary subjects connec-
ted with the enrolment, draft, exemption,
liability Of DRAFT, credits and accounts OF
men furnished, must be addressed to the
Provost Marshal Of the proper Congress
sional District, who viii, y unable to give
the desired information, refer the matter "
higher authority. Answers will thus be re-
ceived much more promptly than by adj
dressing the Provost MArshal General Of