The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1888-11-28
A NOTED CROOK CAPTURED.
One Of the Union Depot Gang Caught
at Work.

morning made an important capture
in the person of Henry Simpson.
alias Harry Hamilton, the notorious
sneak thief, confidence man an3 con-
vict. They are confident that thy
have now one of the confidence 11ea
who for the past month have been
holding up women and confdencing
strangers at the Union depot.
Early this morning William J.
Mcknight of Jefferson, Ia, sat in
the waiting room Of the Union de-
pot talking with some friends who
had come with him from Iowa on
the morning train. He was talking
loud, and intinated that he was
bound for Springfield, Mo. Beside
the register, near Mcknight, stood
tall, well-dressed man, who listen
ed irtently to the conversation be-
tween Mcknight and his friends.
After McNaught had seated him
self in car of the Fort Scott train
the stranger who stood by the reg
lister in the waiting room accosted
him and informed him that he him
self was going to Springfield with
tho corpse of his brother and
that he was q prominent hardware
merchant in Springfield.
After they had conversed ten min
utes Hamilton came up and was in
troduced to Mcknight as freight
agent, Henry B. Stanley by name.
The so-called Stanley demanded
from the hardware merchant the ex-
pense of transporting the corpse.
The hardware merchant said he had
only check and could not pay the
expense. He turned to McNaught
and asked loan, offering his
check. Mcknight took out $50 and
gave it to the hardware merchant
who in turn gave it to Stanley Nc
Naught examined the cheek careful
ly. It was drawn on the First Ma
tional bank of Kansas City and made
payable to Henry B. Stanley by B.
B. G. Fishback for S1,575. Nc.
Naught was suspicious of the check
and demanded his money back
Just then J. J. Williams, the Unior
depot porter, came into the car, and
5 passed by the group. Hearing tht
: old man talking about the check, h.
walked toward the party when tn,
two confidence men took to theil
heels. Williams gave chase. TIL,
tall man jumped from the platform
of the Fort Scott car to the Unio,
Pacific train opposite and ran dow
, the platform and escaped. William
r and Mcknight followed Hamilton
who tried to lose himself in th
crowd on the platform, but ran int
the arms of q Pullman porter an
was captured.
When the crowd heard the natur
of the charge against Hamilton
surged about him showing hir
Is about, and it required the efforts {
$ all the depot officials to keep hi'
from being harmed.
:. Hamilton was taken into a privai
ID room and searched, but at first 4
=, gold was found ON him. After
long search small pocket was di
covered in the lining of his coat
ID which the gold coins were neat
IT, stored. When he was asked of Il
o. st. Louis avenue station what b
name was he said, "Harry Simpson
Don't put that name down
spoke up detective Con O'Har
re s'put down Harry Hamilton.
ID Hamilton turned pale and s.i
sp with sickly smile, rs thi
5 : you, Cont How are you,
~, Hamilton is known to the polio
in every large city in this country
Il sneak thief aud confidence man
the most expert order. Last spri,
: he robbed the inmates Of slcepii
in car on the Hannibal railroad wh;
tor they and the porter were aslee
He is well ilessed man. and tc
u casual observer would present /
appearance of a prosperous ulerchar