The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-01-08
Is HE POLK!
Mysterious Arrests of a Man at the Inter
national Depot.
The Prisoner Suspected of Being the De-
faulting Tennessee Treasurer


faulting Tennessee Treasurer.
one-legged man was arrested ut the Inter
national Depot Saturday night on suspicion of
being Marsh II. Polk, the defaulting State
Treasurer of Tennessee. The arrest was made
by Capt. John Price, of the Texas Detective
Agency. On Saturday Capt. Price received
kilograms from Galveston and from Nasty lille,
instructing him to apprehcnd one-legged
man on the .sOuth-bound Lared otrsiin and
informing him that the man was Polk.
saturday evening One-egged man, low,
heavy set, with gray side beard a tall young
man OF light complexion, and short, stOop
shOuldered man OF middle age, with black
beard and dark complexion, left the Calves
ton, Harrisburg and San Antonio railway train
from Houston and took berths in sleeping car
found sleeping I'm the coach when it was
searched by Price. The man was arrested. A
carriage was obtained and he was taken
man the and Men yer hotel sh The tall young
pleXion accompaniedi him. Detective Price
registered his name and the Others did like
wise. Inc one-iegged imam wrote in firm, leg
ible characters IN. Tate" the tall young man
"A Van Leer and servant" Neither wrote
the name of the place they came from.
In the night Tate, or Polk as Capt. Price per-
sisted IN calling him, spent several hours in
writing letters directed TO various parts of the
country. He seemed to be annoyed but not
iaDoflng under any such mental perturbation
as one would commonly if he were i'm custody
for stealing 100000 OF a states money. He
showed TO Capt. Price and to Col. +. p. Hord.
one of the propretors of the hotel, numerous
documents IN proof of his as ,ertion that
he was Il gentleman of fortune on his way to
mines in which he was interested, situated near
SultillO, in Mexico. He said he, Mr. Van Lecr
ana Mr.. Van Leers servant had come from
Washington. TO Capt. Price the story about
the mines seemed to be q proof of his suspicion
| for it is known that Polk, with other prominent
citizens of Tennessee, is interested in Mexican
mines.
Price sent of several telegrams asking for
instructions bnt receiyctl no reply. lie detained
the party here until last evening when, unable
10 hold them longer, he was compelled 10 let
them 40. They took an international train for
Laredo. As Price has been seen here since
they left it is supposed that he accompanied
them.
While at the hotel Tate or Polk occupied Il
| room with Van Leer. This gave rise to a ru-
NOR that Van Leer was detective guarding
Tate. Whether il was false or true could not
De aScertained as the persons concerned re-
fused TO tell. All Saturday night Capt. Price
paced up and down outside the door of the
| suspect. The man classed as a servant occu.
pied another apartment Prices surveillance
over the man was continued SUNDAY. All day
the peg-legged man stayed in the hotel. His
companions could have quilted the place but
thoy chose To remain with him.
Last evening an Intellectual attempt was made
TO interview Tate. When aUcosted lie refused
to reply. The servant was equally non-cOm.
municative. The tall young man affected I,
treat the affair as huge joke. He spoke of il
IN 1oclllar manner, but in the course of forty.
| five minutes conversation with him by re-
| porter, during which he was pleaded with
| joked with and bull-dOZed till he gOl
angry, he didn't say Il word worthy
of repetition. He refused 10 state where ht
and the others lived, what their business wa,
and many other things about which he wa,
asked. The only information he YouchsafeI
was that the party had heeH travelling in El
| rope and were on thefr way to Mexico. Capt
| Price, whom intereOgated, affected TO know
| nothing about the matter. Capt. Price consid
erS himself an astute detective As Il rule ht
| bores acquaintanceS with accounts of his skill
| full operations.
| Col. Hord said of the arrest: at was a mos,
| foolish peice of business. The gentleman haG
every appearance of being a gentleman, and
showed DOCUMENTS which proved oOnclusively
! that he had business in SaItllO."
Polk was declared 10 be a defaulter last Fri
| day when JOINT Committee of the Tennessee,
! legislature, IN session at Nashville, reported
him S4O0,00O short.