Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-06
A FIVE YEARS, CHASE.
A Detective Travelling $4,000 Miles to
Capture HOuck, the Notorious Gam
Lnanrence Cit,l .Snecin.

bier.
La1orence city Special.
Norris, the detective, has had hard
time going East with his captive, the no
toriOus murderer, Lew HOuck, and had il
not been for the aid of General Superin-
tendent Dickinson of the Union Pacific
Railway here, his man would have been
taken from him at Cheyenne. Houck
is the most expert gambler, three
card monte man and bunko
steerer in the West, if not in the
country. He is handsome man of thirty
five years, and has visited, in his search
for victims, every corner of the continent.
lie is one day cattle man, with whip
and prod, the next a drummer, again a
poor emigrant, and occasionally mash
ing dandy. Any character which will
serve his purpose he assumes with ease,
and has become, in consequence, nOto-
riOus among the card sharps of the coun-
try. He has hundreds of admirers and
friends among them, who have stood by
him while the hounds of justice have been
on the chase for nearly five years.
AS has already been telegraphed, HOuck
murdered Paul Lohman, a commercial
traveller, on a Columbus and Toledo,
Ohio, train on July 81, 1878, in a quarrel
over a game of cards. The stakes amount
ed to $40, which both men claimed. 4
short, fierce quarrel ensued, and the men
clinched in struggle for the money, but
HOuck, with the quickness for which he
is famous, shot the drummer, killing him
instantly. He then pulled the bell cord,
stopped the train, and made his escape.
The railway company determined to cap
ture the murderer at any cost, and en-
gagged John T. Norris, the detective. to
follow HOuck until he caught him. Nor
ris has Travelled in his search over $4,000
miles, visiting several foreign countries.
Houck fled at once to the frontier, and
since the murder has been in Texas, New
Mexico, Arizona, Mexico and California.
Some time ago, hearing that Houck was
in California, Norris searched the State
from end to end without finding any trace
of him. AS he was about giving up the
search, he got on HOuck's trail in the tele-
graph office of a small town in the inte-
rior, through message to Houck from
one of his old pals. 1t gave Norris a
pointer, and told him to ego to Las We
gas.' Norris, being an operator. sent the
message, having access to the office, and
changed 'Las Vegas" to CLOS Angeles.v
He telegraphed the Sheriff there to arrest
HOuck, and going there Immediately af-
terward, found Houck in Jail. Norris left
Los Angeles. at once with his prisoner.
but the news of the arrest had been tele-
graphed over the country, and many
sporting friends of the captive came
promptly to his rescue. HOuck 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 par
ty of Denver and Kansas City sports had
obtained writ at Cheyenne and would
take him off there on the arrival of the
train. Norris had a consultation by tele-
graph with the Union Pacific officials
here, and to prevent his losing his prison.
er, it was decided to take HOuck through
Wyoming, a distance of six hundred
miles, on a. special, at such a rate of
speed that it would be out of the ques-
ton to stop him. General Superintendent
Dickinson, therefore, went west from
car until he met the western train,
when Houck and the detective 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 until Cheyenne. sixty miles east of
here was passed, and continued
on with a clear track to its Ges-
tination. Barton, station with no
population save few railroad en-
plOyes, just inside the Nebraska line and
beyond the power of a Wyoming writ.
There 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.
Houck is one of the boldest rascals in
the country, and will probably get a life
sentence in the Ohio penitentiary. He
takes things very cOolIy, and hopes to es-
cape from the clutches of the law. On
the trip to Barton he gave the party exhi-
bitiOns of his skill with cards, initiating
drummer for their amusement, and re-
lated many anecdotes of his checkered ca
reer. He has been everything from min
lister of the gospel to Jail bird and mur-
derer, and if sent to prison, as he deserves,
will take his sentence as philOsophically
and coOlly as though fleeing granger on
an emigrant train or a millionaire on a
Pullman.