Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-01-14
HOW HE WAS CAUGHT.
particulars of the Arrest at Suttou's
BaY, HHiCn.. OF David
Es Swan.

CHICAGO, Jan. David E. Swan,
the defaulting cashier of the Northern
Pacific Railroad, who absconded from
st. Paul, Mimi, July ID, last, after
committing forgery and embezzling
$51, 900 of the company's money, has
just been captured by Pinkerton de-
tectives, at Sutton's Bay, Leelenaw
County, Mich. Swan was insured by
the Guarantee Company of North
America for $4,000 and by pivate
bondsmen in St. Paul for $4,000 more.
At the time of the defalcation his fam
lily was living at White Bear Lake.
Mimi, and while he was sick there an
examination of his books resulted IN the
discovery of his populations. Fearing
discovery at the time, Swan is said to
have attempted to commit suicide, and
special nurses were sent from st. Paul
to attend him. While it was still un-
derstood at st. Paul that he was sick,
Swan skipped out. His shortage, on
an investigation of the books, was found
to be $51, 900, and the case was put in
the hands of the Pinkertons by the rail
road and guarantee companies. In
designations made at st. Paul showed
that Swan had been specializing
heavily with two brokers under
the name of FL. t.. ButtIes, and
also with brokers in New York under
the same alias. The search was then
taken up in the East, and within ten
days Swans transactions were traced to
broker named Louis Roberts, with an
oA6oo o+ VNo11 G+roo@ Ho
traced to Tarrytown, and it is almost
certain that he was in Roberts house,
but search failed to unearth him.
Swans attorneys in New York tried to
compromise the matter, and Swan sent
number of letters to the railway COM
pany confessing his defalcations and de-
claring that he would yet come to St.
Paul and settle everything up. These
letters are all believed to have been
mailed in New York by Henry Par
sons, Swans attorney. Nothing further
of any definite character was heard of
the fugitive till few weeks ago, when
Swans place of refuge was discovered.
During the late cold snap Pinkerton
detective was sitting around the fire in
small country hotel in Northern Mich
igan with lot of drummers, when one
of the latter picked up the Police Rec
ord, in which there was a description
and pen and-ink sketch of the abscond-
ing cashier. The sketch in question
had been executed by one of Swans
fellow clerks from memory. The drum
mer declared that he knew where man
be found, but thought it
- L.
the man he referred to was promi-
nent Mason and had recently been
elected to a high political Office, and
besides he was one of the best church
members Of the place. In making his
report the detective referred to this
conversation, and another detective was
sent to find the drummer, who is con-
nected with prominent tobacco house
in ST. Paul. The latter declared to the
detective that he must have been mis-
taken, as the man who had such strik-
ing resemblance to the one sketched in
the Police Record was D. T. Eddington,
lately elected prosecuting attorney of
his county, and who lived at Sutton's
Bay, Leelenaw County, Michigan
The detective fastened to find
out whether the district attorney and
the swindling cashier we're one and the
same. He discovered that they WERE
Swan acknowledged his identity and
was arrested and taken to st. Paul, In
addition to his legal office Swan was
agent for the Masonic Insurance Com
pany of the district, and chief clerk for
an extensive lumber dealer named
johnson, formerly of Milwaukee. He
was Sunday school teacher, propai-
neut member of the Baptist Church, a
Knight Templar, and generally looked
on as amodel citizen. His wife and three
children are still at st. Paul, but they
have had no communication with
him. The Guarantee Company and the
railroad company say they are deter
mined that the matter shall be followed
out to Swans conviction. Billy Pink
erton looks upon the capture as q good
one, considering the fact that Sutton's
Bay is on the northern border of Tray
erse Lake and thirty-five miles north of
Traverse City, the nearest railroad
point. Swan, he says, could have found
no hotter hi1in o-nIaoa in Apoarioo