The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-09-21

WITH HIS BOUTS oN-A DRAMATIC
DENOUMEET AT A CORONERs
lNQUEsT-sHOT TO DEATH
IN SELF DEFENSE.
It is not true that tragedy belongs only
t., the mimic stage. 1t is not true bat the
Robin Hoods and Bill Sykes of fiction are
purely the creations Of imaginative minds.
In real life there are incidents that surpass
in their tragic character the blOodiest tale
the novelist ever told. The capture of
James p. Funk and the shooting of his
partner, "Bill Hutchson," at Tyrone, on
Saturday evening, would furnish climax
for the most intensely tragical drama ever
placed upon the stage.
Information was received ut the depart
ment i'm Washington, about the first of July
last, to the effect that gang of COUNTER
feiters were plying tIeir trade in the vicini-
ty of Altoona manufacturing bogus coin.
The work OF ferreting them out was ell
trusted to u. S. Detectives u. b. Perkins
aud E. A. Abbott. James p. Funk was
known to be member Of the gang. Thele
was positive information that he had ex-
posed 8, 500 in spurious coin at one time.
Funk had been spotted as a shower of tue
queer for eight or nine years. But Slip
perry Jim,'' as he vas Familiarity called, was
a lucky dog, and never yet had the officers
been able to get him, as they say, ''dead to
rights AS far back as 1870 Funk's name
appears upon the late L. 5. Attorney
Swoope's notes Of evidence taken in the L.
S. Court. He was then, with others, oper-
ating in Indiana, Blair, Cambria and other
mountain counties. This time, however,
the case was worked up with such addr, ss
that Funk. slippery as he was, gave him
self away in the most complete manner.
Detective Abbott provided himself with II
letter of Introduction TO Funk, from AN old
hand at the business, who wanted to
''squeal." The letter spoke of him as one
the writer had known for above twenty
years. an old "coney" man and one hot To
be afraid of. Armed with this credential
the detective visited Funk at his house, i'll
that part of Altoona known as Logantown,
on the 2d day of July. lie presented the
letter and was received, after vast amount
of cross-questioning, with that show of
good fellowship due from one of the queer"
kind to another. 1t did not take the de-
tective long to iusinuate himself into the
confidence of Funk sufficiently to make the
latter believe that be was solid, and pres.
emily deal was arranged for. This was
for 81 900 in coney, 20 be delivered at some
of the hotels i'll this city or Allegheny
which one had not been determined upon.
1t is not necessary to enter into details of
the manner i'll which this arrangement fell
through. Subsequent correspondence be-
tween the parties arranged new deal, the
money to be paid over at the City Hotel in
Tyrone, sixteen miles east Of Altoona, ON
the 10Th inst.
''BILL HUTCHINSON"
We are slightly in advance OF our story.
Funk had, during the brief period of their
intimacy, given Abbott to understand that
he had partner who was really the main
man in the business, he being, III point of
fact, merely SOFT of 60 between. The
other-whom he called Bill lIutchison-
was described as desperate man, one who
had served n term in the " esteru Peniten-
tiary for larceny from the cars of the Penn
sylvania Railroad, and WHO was known
among crooked people to have been guilty
of arson, rape, aud even murder The lat
ter crime had made him peculiarly harden
ed and desperate, and it was well known
that he would die before he would be cap
tured, and that lie would not stop at SO
small IL matter as taking the life of any body
who stood i'll his way. This WAS the party
with whom Abbott wanted to deal directly
and it was arranged that ibe deal at Tyrone
should he made between the three. When
arrangements had been fully completed De.
tective Perkins was notified aud he in tui n
communicated with Detective Roger o.
Mara of this city, who accompanied the
others to the rendezvous. Abbott WAS of
course not openly i'll communication with
them, but matters were arranged between
them to the best advantage. They reached
Tyrone early Saturday morning, Abbot,
taking room No. 8 and Perkins aud O'Mars
No. a. the City Hotel. 1t was of Course
impossible for them to make any arrange
meuts with the landlord, aud .hey took
such quarters as were assigned. These
were not the best for their purpose, the
rooms being on opposite sides of the hall
and one some distance from the other. Be.
sides that, the door of No. 5 swung from
the side furtiiest from the other room s,
That it could no. be opened "a little, permit
ting the occupant to look out, but in order
! to see wha: was going on it was necessar,
to put out The head. The best feature was
! that No had 10 lock, but that door opened
| i'll the opposite direction and j. was i'm
| possible 10 see into 1t.
! In the meantime Abbott met his mar
Funk, who stated that he had the moue,
with him, but said his partner .'Bilr' wasn'I
there. Abbott promptly answered that b.
! proposed to make no deal without the whole
| party was present; he had stood all The
monkeying he proposed to have; they hAG
brought him to this country town aga ains
I his wishes, and he had his good none
there but wouldn't deal without he saw al
the men he was dealing with. They ther
telegraphed To Altoona for "Bill," the tele
! gram being signed "P," which was tn,
signature always used by Hutchinson. Afte
this it was arranged between the officer
that upon some pretense Abbott shoul,
send ont Funk and then arrest his partner
one of the others confronting Funk in tn,
hall and the other coming up behind ant
effecting his capture. About three o'clocl
Funk returned to the hotel and informe,
Abbott that ''BilP' had arrived and wa
ready to make the deal. Perkins was dowi
stairs at this time shadowing Funk, AN,
I O'Mara, who Funk had sort Of dropped To
was up in No. 8. Presently Abbott an.
Funk disappeared from Perkins, going, O
course, to the room.
GETTING THE CONEY IN.
About this time Uutchisou slipped int,
the hotel the back way--as it afterward
appeared in evidence-without being seel
by Perkins, carrying with him an ordinar,
leather travelling satchel. He went up stair
and accidentally stumbled into the room
where O'Mara was, apoligized for his mis-
take, and disappeared The officer of cours