Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-04
JOHN PRICE.
The Detective Who Figured so Con.
spIcuousiy IN the Marsh Polk
Case Has Something to Say,
lie Goes 10 nlrmlnghBm, Ala 10 Work
on His 100000 Claim Against
the state 81 Tennessee.
history 90 enc Case ara upw pncc was
ntfrsaaed According 90 nia
oan Statement


pNN HtAteWHut
-a.s-.-
speoiai 20 the aasette,
DALLAS. TNy, Pee. Q Capt, John
Price, known throughout the Southwest
and alse IN Mexico for the pas, quarter OF
a century as n detective, and who for the
past year has made Dallas and Fort Worth
bis headquarters, departed tonight Tor
Birmingham, Ala, ON mission personal
10 himself bot which has peculiar inter.
ent for the public on account Of ono
OF the most singular Incidents In
the history Of detective service 10
this country, Price Ia the man who four
years ago created u sensation throughout
tho United States by capturing March
Polk, the state treasurer oi Tennessee,
who had ahaoOndcd with Hnmethiug eah
100000 OF state money, Price kept bis
prisoner only q ehor, time, whom the lat
ter wRn given bis liberty, aud, Il was hl.
legged, secured II by bribltR his oaptof
through the tflloaoloun medium OF
tho payment Of $1,000 cash 10
hand Price was niterwerd arrested
and for time Imprisoned Tor The alleged
ciimo " being briboe by Folk md allow.
Ing him 10 oaenpc. Polk was ai,erwAfa
arrested htaf Fhp lliu 0raudo river, max
ing for Mexico, Nv The late cited States
marshAl, H. i, Hnhllng llciore rrlc0
departed for Aabama to-day, Tun. "a.
kHirE Correspondent WAS given the iol,
lowing as his aide ~ tho story !
10 20 Birmingham a. operate from
that point ~ an effort 20 COLLECT
100000 reward for Tho 0nptute 81
n..Nl an 81
TenneAepc Tho state On red that TO-.
ward aud am ontllIcd tn N, Ne thup
rotated the story Of hlt capture oi Polk,
the lnttor'n oboapc, hia recapiure by
Bu6linp, HE GNn imprisonment aud Anh,
sequcnt rclense, hla institutions % suit
against GU1Mg aud hip bundomun for
$1,000 dAmegca ior false imprisonment
hnd the abandonment ~ ihh
suit when gohllng wdh murdered ny thu
ilnnuon gang 81 mail rdhbaia on the train
botwoOn Austin and San AutoGin and then
coutlnuedi t'Whtn Pork was fleeing
through Louisiana bu was arrested Us the
late detective. Rarfrlh with whom ! was
fkinp, | var located az san Antoniu
aud Farrell "a New urloana. Polk bribed
tafrell 70 lei him cboapo 80 Mexloo aud
received $4,000 each In hand Tor II lie
arranged with Polk 90 lut tho latter have
twenty four h0urs start which would
carry him into Mexico, then 10 protect
himself aud hoodwink tho public 30
would wirn ~ but II would be 700 late
for no 20 capture Folk Farrell Kept MD
word with Polk, and wired me twenty.
four hours after tbs 0acapu Of tho latter,
but tho traln on which Polk travelled weH
wrecked and delayed twonty.four hours,
and I caught Polk shortly nft0r receiving
fafrrlln Telegram, which WAS brief aud
nnlnt0lllgiblu, merely saying "Atregt
old man, aide whiskcr, wooden leg, black
clothes and yallaoh He did not say
where or for what be was wanted
autographed Farrell my capture, and asked
for Instructions, who tho prisoner was,
whore aud for what wanted, but, though
| wnitrd two days and uaed Tho wiro
frequently, ! could hear n0thinp
from Farrell ~ courao, hla
araain with Polk was the
canac oi mB silence, ana my capture Of
him waaH turpri ~ 10 farreli md II R,ye
hls conduct The appearance Of tfrachGry
I nngliy turned loik over "a Deputy
sheriff Cameron OF Bpxar county, who
was also sort Of confidential nan Tor
Farrell and myself, bul nrst TOOK from
Polk four bonds Of tho value 81 $500
each, al the mouty he had W his
ppRaeasipn, ard this was the $4,000 bt,bu
that has become 30 famous. lets tucgH
bonds also IN ttnhr0n'g possession While
started m investigation 70 learn whore
and for what my man wGa wanted, sud ln
ihn eYOni Oi failure 20 develop this, then
Polk was 10 bh bold on y charge Of at
tempting 20 brlho an officer aud the
hOndH uncd ~ evidence against him
Cameron, lur0d by learning ~ The
$50, 900 reward by Tennessee aulh0riiira
entered Into u conspiracy with Upted
States Mar5bal joBlinp 60 let Polk On.
cape, that the latter or his ~ cos might
ceptnrc him and tho reward DO divided ~
III the existing fiatg u araifH, J would
aoCura " ALL Cameron did 10 aud Cos
ling secured the man hnd much n0iD.
rieiy aud popular credit for tho
act, while | received tho con
deninatIon due only 10 riseaia.
In The wraugls that followed mons Of ua
got cent ~ thu reward, although GOV
Bate Of Tennessee, ~ compromise 81
nay Glhim ofi5fed me $4,000, bat had
10 decllae n 30 would ~ accepting ~
hlll my suit against GaBllng and GB
boudsmcn for false imprisonment Tho
death II Cooling, Of course, caused an
abandonment OF the suit and the Ton.
nosAoe reward was fosClnded,
but finally convinced Gov.
Bate OF my Innocence 0f wr0' gdOinR
aud my jait claim 10 tbs reward, and be-
promised me that any hill Tho legislature
would pans he would either eign or allow
10 become a law ~ taking no action
during the constitutional limit of time,
The legislature passed Dill 20 pay me
tpe reward, aud % my astehirhmoDt Coy
Ilata vetoed ~, and on the ninth day, and
! got nothing. 10 show you hOw
atJOnR my claim IL, Just look AZ this,
said Capt. Pficn ~ the correspondent,
and he handed over an important loDning
document which proved " Dc "A comics
sion, under seal Of Cameron, detailing
his Own trcschefy 70 Price, as related
shove, and fully exOH6rating Pfico from
Gll diahon0rablo conduct IN ihe Polk mat
ter The confession and GtmgfO6'a 80,
position we're taken and certified
a. tafaFa flultfd Htatsa fluHuI