Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-03-18
feet from him, but his victim miracu
lousy escaped.

feet from him, but his victim miracu
lously escaped.
THE Chicago police force succeeded
on the 10Th inst. in arresting large gang
of freight car robbers who have been
doing heavy business for several
months. 1t is supposed they had stolen
at least $4,000 worth of goods. Their
plan was to rob the cars as they stood on
the track under guise of being employees
The roads which suffered most were the
Lake Shore, G. B. & @, and c. r. 6 P,
Tim Moore, a notorious crook, was
leader Of the gang.
A GALEsBURG, H., dispatch of the
10Th says: A jeweler of Altoona, this
county, was found on the Chicago, Bur.
lington and Quincy track, yesterday, so
badly mutilated that he could be identi-
fed only by a jack knife and several
other articles found in his pockets. His
watch and chain were missing, and as he
left town in company with a tramp, he is
supposed TO have been murdered and his
body placed upon the track to prevent
suspicion. The tramp has not been
found.
REV LUTHER r. DICKINSON, a maga,
zine publisher at Richmond, Va, is a
forger and fugitive, says disptch of
the 10Th. Before leaving, he wrote let
ter to his principal victims bewaiing his
unsuccessful managem ent and pr0mis.
ing to devote the remainder of his life to
the payment of his Indebtedness,
amounting, so far as known, to about
$28,000. A brother of the criminal has
turned over all his real and personal
property to be kept in trust for the bene,
fit. of the sufferers.
THE Chicago JournaI of the 18th,
says: Clarence E. Davis, who abducted
a very respectable young lady from
Quincy, Ill, recently, married her in
this city, and then decamped, and who is
known to have several other wive in va
rious parts of the country, was brought
TO Chicago last night in custody, and is
now likely to receive his deserts. His
Detroit and Quincy victims are here to
confront him, and two others are expect
ed. He is a heartless wretch, and il is a
pity there is not a law expressly GOVERN e
such case as his by extreme punish
ment.
NATHAN Z. PRATT, treasurer of the
Reading savings bank, Boston, tried on
fifty-two counts for embezzlement, has
been found guilty on twentY-nine counts,
says special of the 18th. The case goes
to the supreme court. Pratt's bail is
$95,000. Shortly after the conviction, a
startling paper in possession of Pratt's
counsel, was made public. 1t is the con-
fession of Sidney Pratt, son of the pris-
Oner, and up to within a few months,
chief clerk, bookkeeper and cashier OF
the bank Of which his father was treas
urer. He takes the entire responsibility
Of the defalcations, and details the man,
ner in which the stealing was effected
He distracted mortgages policies, etc.,
from the bank, realized upon them and
replaced them with cunningly executed
figures. He stole ten thousand in govern
ment bonds deposited in the bank as col
lateral, substituting an envelope of old
papers. He negotiated paper with other
banks to the extent of $4,000 and sys-
tematically stole from the depositors,
when handed in. All his transactions
were kept from the knowlege of the
bank officers, but he says the exercise of
ordinary care on their part would have
prevented any wrong by him. His steal
ings aggregated $130,000, and will make
the bank insolvent and entirely without
assets to pay some 800 depositors. Tn e
son fled before the father was arrested.
His Whereabouts are now unknown.