Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-11-07
Oil City Derrick. Oct. 2sth.

Oil City Derrick, Oct. 96th.
Yesterday afternoon a man was
arrested in this city, whose record
of crimes evidently extends over
many States of the union, and who
has been successful in swindling
many people, His latest crime is a
robbery in Allegheny, which was the
prime cause of his sleeping in the
city lookup last evening. The fol
lowing letter, received by chief of
police Neill a few days ago, gives a
minute description of the swindler,
and also the crime for which he is
wanted:
ALLEGHENY CRY, Oct. IA, 1879.
CHIEF OF PoLICE-Wanted on charge
of robbery, Rev. Col. James Howak, alias
Rev. Col. Courtney, alias Rev. Col. Muir
phy, alias Col. VIM. P. Bates, chaplain in
the regular army; height feet inches,
dark cOmplexioned. small brown or sandy
mustache, eyes of grayish color, eyeballs
prominent. one eyelid partly closed. Has
dark brown curly hair, parts it on both
sides within centre extending to forehead,
square shoulders, slender build, 40 or 43
years, weight about 40 pounds. Sports a
majors uniform with two leaves on shoul-
ders. gold cord on pants, wears military
soft hat with gold cord and taSsels. Some
times takes the leaves off his shoulders and
puts on a leutenant's straps. Sometimes
he wears a black frock diagonal coat, with
dark pants with small stripe on them, and
black soft hat, heavy double-soled boots.
Generally wears linen duster over his
uniform. He wore a gold chain with gold
locket attached, containing a lady's pic
ture, which he saws is his sister. Wears a
| gold band ring set with a ruby, which he
says he got at the garden of Gethsemane,
| also a gold ring with brown colored cam
60 set with a Roman hand carved upon it.
| He has two watches, one lady's gold watch,
the other a gentleman's hunting case silver
/ watch; has book entitled, ''SwifJ to -'
with initials of c. V. S. carries two revolv-
ers, one large navy, and one seven shooter.
| Carries black cane with white handle with
sword in it. Represents himself as chap
lain in the regular army, with the rank OF
| colonel. He came to Allegheny and went
to family by the name of Smith and rep
resented that he had been appointed by
the government administrator of some
property which they claimed he had falleI
heir, and he wanted them to give him mon
ey to go to Washington to settle theil
claim; which they refused to do; stating
that one of the family would go with him
The morning they were to start the Colon
ell got up at four o'clock and left for part!
unknown. He took with him the jewelTl
which have described. He tried the sam,
game in Beaver and Sharon, Youngstown
Ohio, but without success in either of tn
last named places. He is going from plac
to place playing the same game. TIL
, Smiths placed so much confidence in hin
that they gave him the full run of th
house, and he took advantage of it ant
robbed them. He will go to a house ant
represent himself as a cousin or some re
: lation. He did so in Youngstown an,
made the family believe he was a cousin
He registered in Youngstown a
, Colonel VIM. P. Bates, JERRY SMITH,
Detective.
Mayors office, Allegheny City.
HOW HE WAS CAUGHT.
To describe how it was that thi
man of many aliases was captured il
this city, we must go back to Ash
tabula county, and give the stOr
told bv A. W. Stiles, sheriff of tha
county, and James Thorpe, marsha
of Ashtabula city, who aided in tn
capture of the man yesterday in Oi
: CITY. About two weeks ago thi
4 Colonel Murphy, or Bates, &C., cam
! to the house of a poor family name
I Loveland, in Richmond, Ashtabul
. county. The family was in dest
tute condition, and so poor that the
: lived in a barn. He represented hin
self as
JUDSON B. NILES,
a brother-in-law of Christopher Love
land. This Judson B. Niles had nc
=, been heard of in the family fC
\ twenty-one years, and after thu
lapse of time it was not strange tbs
they should be deceived by the in
> poster. The bogus Niles said b
had travelled in Europe, Palestine
IS Brazil and all over the world. h
II was now from Oregon, and was
Colonel in the regular army, j
which he enlisted in 1870, and VIZ
! also an ordained minister in Oregon
- About a week ago the man went t
Jefferson, where some friends
: whom he represented himself 4;
Niles, introduced him to Sheri
Stiles. The sheriff, an old soldie
asked him what regiment he belon!
ed to.
''Fourth Nebraska" was the al
swer.
"But regiments are not designate
by States, since the war;" said tt
sheriff.
4. "Oh, 1 belong to the Fourth N
braska regular"
ne 'The regular army doesn't ha7
20 20 State designations" was the repl
n "But that's what l belong to, " sa
RS the bogus colonel.
9is Further questions were asked, al
US the sheriff soon became convince
ed that the man didn't belong to Il
army. Several others said he W
not Judson B. Niles, while othe
he declared he was. One man ask
;e- him if he remembered certain thini
I'd which never happened-and on b
saying he did told him he was a ra
A. cal. Nothing more was heard fro
IN the chap until the sheriff received
telegram from Andover, saying
. was wanted there. On arriving
}. the place, he was met by a Mrs, Al
rich, who told the following
- STRANGE STORY.
Three years ago she lived in Pol
land, Oregon, with her husband,
|, practicing physician. One mig
her husband was called to make
visit, and nothing was ever heard
;. him afterward. She had been to
, the story before by this Judson
Niles, that he saw her husband d
est His story was, that the doctor "
al stoned to death in a house guard
t by soldiers, and that he gave h
(Niles) his gold watch, 1926 in &c
and several keepsakes, and Niles SO
* he would return all this to Mrs. A
rich as soon as she could establi
her identity. The story nearly {
the woman crazy, and she tried st
I 4