Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-02
a MURDEREB's ROMANCE.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. ]


the celebrated deteotive, has had hare
time going East with his captive, the no
torioas murderer Lon. Houck, and had il
not been for the aid of General SuBsrln
tendent Dickinson, of the Union Pacific
railroad here, his man wsuld have beer
taken from him ~ Cheyenne. Houcl
is the most expert gambler, three caro-
monte man and bunko stserer in the West
if not in the country, and of late years ha.
assumed the name of Canada Bill, when the
original William passed in his checks and
was shufied off into eternity. He is a
handsome man of thirty-fve years and has
visited, in search fer suckers, every cor1er
of the continent. He is one day cattle
man with whip and prod, the next q druE-
mer, again poor erniErant anxious to tell
his experience with ''thsm three ksard fsI-
lows" or occasionally q msshinG dandy
with more money than brains.
ANY character which will serve
his purpose ne assumes with ease and has
becOn3s in consequence notorious among
the card sharps Of the country. Hs has
hundreds of admirers, and friends among
them who have stood by him constantly
while the hounds of Justice have been on
the chase for neAriy Ave years. Az has
already been telegraped, Heuck murdered
Paul Lehman, onneroiRl traveller, on q
Columbus & Toledo train, JRly 81, 1873,
during a quarrel over game of cards. The
stakes amounted 10 $40, which both men
claimed when the hands we're played. A
short, farce quarrel ensusd. Tho men
clenchsd in struggle for the money, when
Houck, with the quickness for which he is
famous, shot the drummer, killing him in
stantly. He then pulled the bell cord,
stopped the train, and made his escape.
The railway company determined
to capture the murderer at
any cost, and engaged John
T. Norris, the famous detective, to follow
him until caught or die in tAe search. He
has travelled in his search over $4,000
miles, visiting several foreign countries.
Rouck fed at once TO the frontier, and
since the murder has been in Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona, Old Mexico and CGlifor-
MIA. Some time since, hearing that Houok
was in California, he searched the state
from end to end without success or any
trace of him. AS he was about giving up
the job, he got on his trail III the telegraph
Office of a small town in the interier,
through message to Eouck from one Of
his old pals. 1t gave him a poiRter, and
told him to go to Los Vegas. Norris be-
ing an operator, sent the message, having
access to the Office, and changed 'Las
Vegas" TO "Los Angeles" He telegraphed
the sheriff there to arrest him, and going
there Immediately, found everything
lovely and Houck in jail. He left Los
Angeles at once with his prisoner, but the
news of the arrest had been tele-
grapbed over the country, and numberless
sporting friends of the captive came
promptly to his rescue. Heuek was re-
leased three times in California on writs
of habeas corpus, but each time Norris
succeeded in getting him back into his
clutches. On the way east from California
the news reached Norris at Ogden that
party of Denver and Kansas City sports
had secured a writ at Cheyenne, and would
take him of there on the arrival of the
train. He had consultation by telegraph
with the Union Pacific officials here, and
to prevent his losing his prisoner it was
decided to take Houck through Wyoming,
a distance of 600 milss, on a special, at
such rate of speed that il would be out of
the question to stop him. General
Superintendent Dickinson therefore went
west from here with an engine and his
SE6Cl4i GET uIUIl AS LHSG tDS WGSLoIA
when Houck and the desective were taken
on board, and the special preceded the
regular passenger as fast as wheels could
turn. 1t whizzed through this city like
lightning and kept up the same speed till
Cheyenne sixty miles east of here was
passed, ana continued on with clear track
to its destination, Barton, station with
no population save a few railroad en-
ployes, just inside of the Nebraska line
and beyond the power of Wyoming writ.
Here the special awaited the arrival late at
night of the passenger train, when the
prisoner was again placed on board, all
fears of his release being over, as Norris
has more friends in Nebraska, Iowa and
Illinois than the prisoner, and
writ would have been of
very little avail. Norris capture
is regarded in the West as one of the great
est made for years, as Houck is notorious
as one of the boldest rascals in the country,
and will probably get life sentence in the
Ohio penitentiary. Superintendent Dick
inson informed your correspondent that
Houck takes things very easily, and hopes
to escape from the clutches of the law. On
the trip to Barton he gave the party exhi-
billions of his skill with cards, initiating q
Hebrew drummer for their amusement
and making himself the life of the crowd.
He related many anecdotes of his check
cred career, and did it with relish. He
hes been everything from a minister of
the gospel to a Jail bird and a murderer,
aud e sent to prison, as he deserves, will
take his sentence as philOsophically and
coolly as though fleeing granger on an
enigrant train or a millionaire on Pull
man.
Especial Telegram to the Globe
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 1.-Detective John
T, Norris arrived in the city yesterday en-
route for Delaware county, Ohio, with
Lon Houck, who is wanted in Delaware,
O., for murder. The detective was offered
$1,000 to allow gambler named AcAil-
las to change clothes with Houok at Kan
Sss City, bat the game would not work.
Ths prisoner left last night with Mr.. Nor
ris for the scene of tbs crime. In oonver
satisn with q reporter while lying in jail
here yesterday, Houck said the hghs
against him was not for his punishment
but for the protection of the railroad com
psny in whose train the raGn was killed by
him. The widow has szed the company
for $1,000 damages on the ground that
had thS cOKn DaDV tSk6n urOner r)recautiaa6