Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-12
A HARD ROAD TO TRAVEL.
THE WAY OF TRANSGRESSoRs, TRoD
BY CHICAGO BooDLERS.

Five of Them Given Snug Quarters Where
They May Contemplate the Proposition
That Honesty Sometimes Pays-A Sub
dued Quintette with the Exception oil
Van PeIt, who Has His Little Joke.
CHICAGO, May 12-The last scene of inter
est in the great Chicago Doodle case-at least
for two years, when the boodlers will be sci
| free-took place at the jail and railway sta
ton yesterday morning Shortly after
o'clock Deputies Gleason, Spears, Galpin and
Graves led by the sheriff, climbed the iron
stoirway leading into the Jail They laugh
| ingly brushed their way through the reporters
ranks, and said they were sorry that the or
ders admitting persons into the bastile were
so strict. But "the boys" had requested that
newspaper men be kept as far as possible
from Them during the transfer from their
cells to the bus, and of course the sheriff felt
| that he ought TO grant it.
A few moments after the arrival Of the
| deputies the bOodlers were notified to get
| ready, as the trip was soon to be begun. In
| less than ten minutes they announced them
selves prepared and anxious to board the
train. The huge iron doors leading from the
| visitors cage TO the main office were swung
open and in single file the celebrated hooters
| OF Cook county marched out from their iron
| homes for the last time. Nor did any OF
them drop tear at the parting.
First came Van Peit. He looked serious,
| but said nothing. Then followed Ochs, Var
nell, Leydon and Wasserman. All were
ranged in the main office, dressed for the
trip. Butcher Leyden wore his last years
derby, as did Varnell, while Wasserman and
| Van Pelt stylish as ever, went like bloods
lit thns.. oil tha ho nF
heads Ochs who never knew how to APP
pear stylish, still chung to his old SLOUGH hat.
! A few moments before $50 o'clock the
manacles were produced, and the "boys"
| shivered. Little Nan," to his great surprise
and pleasure, was shackled to Deputy Homer
| Galpn The rest of them were handcutfed
| together, and after bidding their host, Jaler
| Folz and his boys goodbye the boodlers left
their old home forever, at least, that is what
| they said, though one of the deputies re-
| piled softly, "Oh, well, you can't tell. Man
| proposes, etc.
When they first struck daylight, that is,
caught the full glare of the bright summer
sun, it partially blinded "the boys" Van
Pelt grasped and chung to the deputy while
the rest of them CROPPED and stumbled for the
| first five n six steps before they recovered.
| Then it was that Wasserman kicked.
make me feel terrible. They are worse to
| me than the twenty-one months | am going
| to serve. God, what a dsgrace'
"Shut up, Mike" cried Leyden, "we've got
| TO submit, and we might as well do it with a
| good grace as "A poor one"
This sound advice was taken and not a
| word was spoken after that as the boodlers
were pushed through the crowd in the jail
| yard to the big bus in the alley An instant
| later the door banged, the driver cracked his
whip clicked to his horses, and it was good
| bye hoodlers.
| The crowd followed for block, but grad
| ualy dropped out of the race and left only a
| few friends of the prisoners and a dozen
newspaper men in cabs i'll the wake of the
| bus. The journey TO the Alton station was
| made without occurrence Of interest, and the
prisoners were promptly taken on board and
the train pulled out for the "pen." The rea-
| son that there was mons of the relatives pres
| ent to bid tho "boys" goodbye, was because
| this had been done the night before.
On the route most Of the prisoners were
| rGticent and preferred the company of their
own thoughts, one or two of them, however,
| protesting that they were going to prison for
spending nothing like so much money as the
| present board. Van Pelt was the exception.
| He talked and laughed, and when it began to
| rain declared with a solemn face that it was
the heavens weeping at the supreme courts
| decision.
He enjoyed the rain, though, which for a
| few moments poured down in torrents lead
| ing some one to remark that it was good for
| the grass. "Yes and the trees" added re-
porter "See! the leaves are just coming out. "
Quick as flash Van Pelt replied: "lwish to
| heaven | was leaf"
Of ha of alp ha
| crowds had assembled in hopes of catching
| sight of the famous party. In some of the
crowds the face of an acquaintance of the
| boodlers was SEEM and then chow are you,
| was sure to be exchanged. At one of the sta
tions an old gentleman got on the car and
walked slowly along the aisle until he saw
| Van Pelt, when no stopped and shook hands
| with the little man, who didn't seem to recol
lect him perfectly.
Don't you remember me, John?" gueried
the old gentleman.
Cant place you exactly, but know l have
seen you somewhere" replied Napoleon look
| ing up at his questioner with wondering ex-
preston
"Why, am Wells, your old Sunday school
teacher in Jerseyville."
"The -you say, irreverently respond the
at one time pous John. "Sure enough Well,
| wouldn't have known you"
"Yes it is twenty years since l saw you
last, and things have changed during that
timen
"Well, l should say they had" The pair
then entered into long talk of old times, and
OF when Van Pelt was mayor of Jerseyville,
continuing their conversation until "the pen
itentiary" was called out by the brakeman
In few minutes thereafter the doors of the
prison closed on the men, not to open for
nearly two years, and the sentence of the
court was in process of execution upon a
body of men whose unfaithfulness in official
position will always be an important chapter
in the criminal history of Chicago and Cook
county. "