Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-09-11
WAKEENEY, KANSAS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER IL, 1886
A DETECTIVES DIsAPPoINrMENr.

A DETECTIVES DISAPPOINTMENT.
A Plot to Procure Confession OF Arson
Ends in the Prisoners Discharge.
An ingenious bit of detective work,
done in this city, has just come to
naught, says the New York Sun. In
Pittsburg, Mass, where Michael O. Con-
nell has Just been acquitted on charge
of arson for burning the barn of broker,
! Henry F. Leavitt at Great Darlington,
| in July, 1885. 1t was a barn with q
history, having been built twenty years
ago by Mr.. Leavitt's grandfather. 1t
cost 100000, and was altogether a
wonderful barn. 1t contained not only
quarters for horses, but apartments for
the farm hands, as we'll as a saw-mill,
grist-mill, and machine shop. This
barn was burned down ON July 7, 1885,
aud $25, 900 was paid by the insurance
companies. Mr.. Leavitt then set about
discovering the cause of the fire, and
detectives were employed. Detective
Price, Of the Twenty ninth precinct, this
city, visited Great Darlington. He
learned that Michael O'Connell had a
short time before this been discharged
from Mr.. Leavitt's employ, and was at
work in the neighborhood. Shortly after
the fire O'Connell disappeared and came
to Brooklyn to live.
Price suspected O'Connell, and set to
work to get a confession from him. Law
renee Rogers, bootblack about Capt.
Williams precinct, was employed to
help him. He went to Brooklyn, won
O'Connell's confidence and engaged him
to look for a mythical dog which Detect
i've Price, as plain Mr.. Patterson, pre-
tended to have lost. O'Connell spent
weeks looking for doge, and Rogers, who
was with him constantly, took pains to
learn all he could OF O'Connell's career
and character.
It was.a part of the play of deception
to lead O'Conneu to believe that Mr.
Patterson, his employer, had made a
good deal Of money in the liquor bust
ness and in criminal doinge, and was
then planning job in New Jersey for
which he wanted a confederate. The job
was to steal some fancy dogs, and burn
the barn in which they were kept to con-
ceal al traces of the theft. O'Connell
was asked if he could undertake the barn
burning. He boosted that this wouldn't
be the first barn he had burned, and
spoke of Leavitt's big barn. O'Connell
fell into the trap, and confdingly told
the whole story of the barn-burning to
the detective while stenographer was
concealed in the room taking down every
word he spoke.
The ostensible arrangements for the
pretended job in New Jersey were all
made at these meetings in New York,
and all the time O'Connell was being led
to talk freely about his previous adven-
lures, including the burning of Mr..
Leavitts barn, until complete confess
sion had been got from him and taken
down by the concealed stenographer. He
went so far as to prepare for the New
Jersey arson just such combustibles as
he said he had used in the Great Bur
rington fire. They were of oakum, tow,
and straw, soaked in kerosene, and light
ed with fune.
OConnell was started out by the dis
guised detective, the pretended Mr.. Pat
terson, on Feb. 16, to burn the barn in
New Jersey. He carried satchel full Of
his prepared combustibles, and had not
gone far when he was arrested on a
trumped-up charge for alleged assault
in Massachusetts, by Detective Prices
previous arrangements, and locked up.
Detective Price, to still continue his dis
guise, showed great sympathy for o. Con-
nell and offered to go his bail, but o. Con-
nell was told that az the offense for which
he was wanted had been committed in
Massachusetts he had better 20 there,
and then his friend Mr.. Patterson would
secure bail for him.
OConnell readily agreed to go into
Massachusetts, and once in that state the
Mr.. Patterson in whom he had confided
SO freely revealed himself as Detective
Price.
The case came to trial at Pitts6eld
last week and O'Connell heard from the
witness stand the whole story of how he
had been entrapped. His defense was
an alibi. Six people, fellow workmen,
swear that at the time of the fire O'Con-
nell was at work two miles from the
Leavitt barn. As to his confession to
Detective Price, O'Connell made his de-
fence: He said that to win the supposed
Mr.. Patterson's confidence he boosted of
bis previous achievements in arson to
give Patterson better opinion of his
pluck. It was to match Rogers in brag-
ging Of crime, he said, that he claimed to
have burnt Mr.. Leavitt's barn of which
he now insisted he was innocent.
There was also sentiment that De-
tective Price and his assistant Rogers had
overdone their work in their zeal to en-
trap O Cornell, supplying him with drink
and exciting his vanity until he was
ready TO boast OF having done any crime
which might be suggested to him.