The evening world., 1888-01-23

He was squeezed to the extent of -four years,
which was O little satisfaction, and capturing
him was interesting in several respects. He
used to hang around the sporting places and
dives on the Bowery and in downtown neigh
borhoods.
One night he was in q beer saloon fire.
quented by sporting men and fellows a good
deal of his own stripe. Among them was
Billy Wood, the brother of Tom. Wood and
California Jake got into q dispute about
something, and were rather hot over it. The
upshot of it was that Jake whipped out a
knife and bored a hole into Billy Woods
stomach. Wood dropped to the floor and
Jake made tracks.
An ambulance was called and Billy Wood
was taken to the Chambers Street Hospital.
l went over to see him next day and tried to
get the story of the row out of him.. At first
he wouldn't squeal. He had been intimate
enough with California jake" and
whether he thought Jake had some excuse
or not, he didn't like to give him away.
Finally, he told me that Jake and himself
had got to words and from that to rowing,
and Jake had struck him in the abdomen
with q knife.
Wood died of his wound, but I had his
ante mortem statement that California
Jake was his assassin. So / had to set
about finding Jake.
I put on citizens clothes and began my
aunt for him. knew a woman with whom
Jake was living, and I felt pretty sure that.
soone or later, she would establish some
communication with him. l watched her
house steadily for three days, but she did
not go anywhere except to the market and q
few stores in the neighborhood to get pro-
visions and sundry articles that she needed.
Previously l had secured all the places
where California Jake had been in the
habit of going, and a good many others
which were frequented by men in his line of
business-the pleasure resorts of crooks,
where they went to drink and to smoke and
to hatch their plots. But l got no trace of
him.
l still kept several men out on the lay,
ready to nab him ii he showed up anywhere,
and / stuck to the woman. A woman is often
q great help in dropping on to a criminal
Sometimes, however, they are a bother, too,
because if they are sharp and devoted to the
criminal, as frequently happens, they can do
u good deal TO upset things and throw q
man off the scent if he isn't pretty careful.
Belle" was sharp enough. But l had q
strong instinct that she could lead me to
where Jake was, or would help, not will
ingly, but unconsciously, to put me within
reach of him.
The fourth day of my watch on the young
woman (she was young, but not much better
looking than California Jake himself) was
O terrible day. All kinds of bad weather were
let loose on the town. 1t began by showing
and kept that up till about two inches had
fallen. Then it melted SO as to fill the streets
with slush and pools of water. In the after
noon it turned to a drizzle, a sort of thin
mist which looked like a fog. Finally this
took TO freezing, and after it became sleety
and the sidewalks SO slippery that you could
hardly stand, the day was enough to sicken
anybody.
1 hung around the neighborhood OF the
house 'Belle" lived in, down in a squalid,
mean section Of the town. Nothing hap
pened in the morning. While l was loung-
ing in a beer-shop which commanded "a good
view of her door, about two in the afternoon, /
saw her come out. She was wrapped in q
rubber cloak and had india-rubber oyershoes
on She padded OF through the slush and
rain.
l followed her. Anybody going out 10 day
like that had q reason for doing it. / saw her
turn around the corner, and Is shO did % abe