The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-12-14
STRANGE STORY.


"A Way of CuItivating Professional Crimi-
nals-Singular Adventures of Dis
tinguished Chicagoan.
The story of Hon. r. p. Derickson,
one of Chicago's most wealthy and hon
ored citizens, published in the Tribune
Of that city, of how he went on
a benevolent errand and fell among
thieves, is stranger than one of Aims
worth's Newgate fictions, and is deal
more suggestive. Application was made
to him, as President Of the Illinois HUI
name Society, by an elderly lady Of
Chicago, to interest himself in securing
the release of her son, who was III jail at
Chambersburg, Pa. Upon consultation
with Judge Booth, Mr.. j. @. Dore, and
others about the matter, says the
Tribune, Mr.. Derickson, with a
pocketful of letters of introduction from
prominent officials and others here
vouching for him, set out for Penn
sylvania to see what could be, accom-
plished toward rescuing the young man
In question and returning him to his
family.
Arrived at Chambersburg. Mr.. Der
ickson found his man was locked up on
charge of being implicated in the rob-
berry of the Bank of Chambersburg.
Whether the young man was guilty does
not appear. He was locked up with
John Rolland-one of the peculiar pro-
ducts of our police systen-a "profes-
sional" burglar and saEe-blower, known
to the police OF all the large cities to be
such, but suffered to be at large for
most of the time, and never once ade-
quately punished for any of his crimes.
ROLAND was believed to have "set up
the job" for the robbery of the Bank OF
Chambersburg, and his case and that of
the young man charged as his accom-
plice, and in whose behalf Mr.. Derrick
son interested himself, were to be dis
posed of together. So it came that Mr..
Derickson had several interviews in the
jail with ROLAND, who, with sang-froid
SURPRISING that of the heroes of the
blue-hght melo-drama, boosted Of his
'profession," and impaired to his
visitor peculiar code of lofty ethics
upon which not only was bank-robbery
and the like justified, but elevated, as it
were, to the domain of high art.
The practical question, however, to be
discussed was as to the procuring bail.
This had been fixed by the court at
$4,000 each for the two prisoners.
ROLAND wanted it reduced to $4,000
each, which amount of money he would
place in the hands of his .sureties to
secure them-the distinct understanding
being that, as soon as bailed, he would
run away and was not to be caught. The
county, he explained to Mr.. Derickson,
wanted the money to buy law library
with ; and, when the bail was forfeited,
could take the twenty thousand for that
purpose.
The direct statement by ROLAND seems
to have quite startled Mr.. Derickson,
who had never before heard of that mode
of raising library funds. But upon COM
munication with the officials having
charge OF the prosecution-even the
Judge of the court before which the
prisoners were arraigned being appraised
of the situahon-Mr. Derickson dis
covered that the whole question, in
brief, was as to what share of the
thief's booty the county should require
him to turn over to itself, on condition
that he go unwhipped of justice. Rol-
landwanted it to be &C fair divide and
swore the county officials were
cd scoundrels " for demand
ing more and even the Sheriff
declared that what ROLAND offered was
enough. But the officials charged with
the administration of Justice at Cham
bersburg insisted upon more of the
"swag" for the county, for aiding and
conniving at the escape. ROLAND quiet
ly terminated the deadlock that ensued
by making his escape in such fashion as
he never could have done without the
aid of a golden key. In short, evidently
he got out for less money than the coun-
ty officials offered to take to let him go;
and the county will have to defer the
purchase of that law library until anoth-
er bank-robber is caught.
The whole affair is suggestive of the
length to which the compounding of fell
onies has been carried in this country.
1t has developed and keeps filed the
ranks of the army of professional
criminals. In every city the police can
point them out. In every city, too, the
police, If they would, could tell of the
compromise of prosecutions against
these professional criminals upon return
of portion of their booty-the basis of
the arrangement being what ROLAND and
his ilk would style "a fair divide" But
this Chambersburg case is, we believe,
the first instance in which, without dis
guise, the county proposed to "stand
in with the thieves, and the only diff
ference was as to the fairness of the
divide