The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-11-08
FREE ONCE MORE.
William Speedman, from Austin,
Again at Large-Hly Fifteen Years.
Prison Life Ended.


About fifteen years ago nearly every
one in Austin knew sporting man
who was supposed to be hard char
acter, and yet nothing particularly
bad could be said against him. He
made Austin his headquarters, but
was frequently absent from the capt.
tai. From Austin he went to Dallas,
but had not been in that city long
until the First National Bank was
attempted to be robbed. He hit upon a
most novel mode of doing his work.
He endeavored to establish a police
watch, but the citizens were rather
backward in trusting him implicitly.
This did not place any very material
obstacle in the way of consummating
his designs, however, for he secured
what he most wanted, which was the
employment by the banker as its out
side Waterman. He thus became ia
miliar with the institution, and his
knowledge might have resulted in
successful robbery but for an accident.
A Chicago detective was one day
passing the Westside thistle" a no
torious place in Chicago before the
great fire., on the pavement in front
of which he picked up letter to the
notorious safe-blower, Tip" Farrell,
who has since died in Buffalo. The
missive was written by Speedman,
and requested the assistance of two
men to help him in a bank rob-
berry worth 100000. The detective
took another officer into his con-
fidence, and the two wrote to
Speedman as Farrell and arranged to
have the assistants sent on. When
negotiations were completed the as
sistants arrived in Dallas in the per-
sons of the detectives disguised.
Speedman explained his plan to them,
which was the robbery of thenational
bank vaults. The officers worked
in" with him, meanwhile notifying
the bank officials, and the night of the
contemplated haul Speedman, with a
helper, secured an entrance to the
bank and was captured in the vault
by officers who were stationed there.
The helper, in trying to escape, was
shot dead.
For this crime he was tried and con-
victed, and sentenced for fifteen years
in the penitentiary, from which he
has just been released. He is SAID to
be again in Austin, and for what pur-
pose is not known-probably to lead
an honest life. 1t is hoped
so anyway. He is one of the
brightest men mentally ever
sent to prison from this state and be-
fore he came to Austin had a some
what remarkable history. He was
at one time chief of the city detective
force of Chicago, one of the early de-
tectives who found policing inferior
pecuniarily to the more profitable
calling of cracking safes, for which
occupation he exchanged his star and
club-for which he has just been re-
leased from fifteen years term in the
Texas state penitentiary the at
tempteh robbing of the First Nation
| al bank in Dallas, as we have stated.
| Speedman was member of the Chi
cago police force many years ago,
when the city was infested by the
gang of garroters, burglars, and con-
| fidence men headed by Ray and Les
lie, the latter of whom furnished the
provocation for the double killing of
| two crooks-Walsh and Irving, in
New York, few days since.
Those were days when po-
liceman found money in standing in
with the gang and notifying them
when an arrest or raid was contem-
plated. Speedman was successful in
this side practice, and "stood in" with
the gang who made Count Riley's AID
the "Thistle," West side resort, their
headquarters. The abortive efforts OF
the force to make capture of any
magnitude led to Investigations
which resulted in the discovery that
Speedman, who was conversant with
all police plans, had been playing the
double role of paid employee of the
police department and an informer
| He was dismissed from the force and
his connection once severed, he EN-
braced crime as a regular profession
He went to Austin and from here tt
| Dallas, and after events showed hi:
settlement there to have been witt
the direct object of robbing the First
National bank, as we have before
stated.