Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-10-21
ON M'KNIGHT'S TRAIL.
osEoF pIsKERros's MEN TELLS AsToRY
Sbruinr a! the Same Holsl and Playing BIZ
lizards fogsthsr-How tho Criminal was
Baflsd in Bis Atsmpt TO
Murder.

lizards fogsthsr-How the 0rlmral was
Bsfisd in Bis Atsmpt TO
Murder.
Mw York Sun.
While q m amber Of Pinkerton's detective
force made the srrest of highway rob
Der at Madison, Wis. He was arrested fol
q robbery committed in Illinois five months
before, and had btea on the csse two
months when finally ran him down. III
was a ,machinist By trade, and was ther
working in shop. I proved him to be on
old crock and q dangerous one, and was
Satisfied that he went into the shop tt
b,fi, pursuit; bat it seemed to strike
others differently. The reporters wrote
him up as one anxious TO reform,
and they wrote me down q
a bloodhound hanging to- b, trail,
and go considerable public sympathy was
arou-ei for him. Then had proofs OF four
other crimes committed by him, any one
of which would send him tt prison, but
had to keep silent and take public Grill
cisu. Nv man got sentence Of five years,
and he had scarcely departed for prison
when received through the mails Q note
reading:
"You have by money and perjury sent
An honest man to prison. You knew BE
was honest and Woodworking You want
ed to grorify yourself The poor fallow Is
a friend of mine, and have sworn to re-
yeppe him. Take notice that I will have
your life on the first opportunity"
There was no sig nature to the letter, but
knew at glance that the writer meant
busires. 1t was a plain, bold hand, and
after half an hours study made these de-
auctions:
l. 1t was written by crook.
2. 1t was written il pritop.
8. The writer was in dead earnest.
T. He was large, muscular maa, with
light hair, blue eyes, ard fair complexion.
5. He would wear silk hat and darkish
clothes.
6. He would aim to either throttle me
or strike me down with club.
How did I reach these conclusions?
Well, the average d.t sctive catches Oh TO q
crooks cbirogrsphy by instinct. 1t was
written on half chest and the pm and
ink were poor. The paper was creased and
soiled, and I felt certain that the writer
had passed it to prisoner about to be dis
charged. The latter had mailed it TO me
in an envelope addressed by himself. The
chirography of tie letter was bold and
earnest. Large men are more sympathetic
than small ones. Large men who besrsy
this sentiment are of sanRuine temperi-
ment. They are also vain and dress we! !
and in taste. Lags men seldom ambu h
a victim. They depend on their strer 9Th.
That ia about the way figured 1t out,
and / was 30 firmly satisfied that was
right that l founded my programme &C
cordingly, and permitted no change to
creep 10. 1 farther believed that the
writer would not be out of prison under o
month, and had ample tire to get ready
for him. Had he been cut he would not
have written. If he had several months
to serve he would not have written.
was o bachelor then, having room on
State street, ard tsk ing my meals at res.
tlurant. My room was reached by private
stairs, and / alone had key to the street
DOR. From a side window in my loom to
a side window in a real estate Office was
only distance of five feet. As there were
b ITS on the other window had ltfC mine
unguarded. now bad them put on, and
there was no way to reach me in my room
except to open the street door and come mp
st,irF. had the inside Of the door cover
ed with sheet iron, and arranged q sp!ipg
gun for the stairs.
Was l afraid? No I had plenty Of
confidence in myself, and 1 want ID to &c!
the drop on the stranger first. He had
a big advantage in knowing me aud my
habits, end it was OF ly fsir to Offset this
by taking some extra precautions.
| gave the writer of the anonymous let
ter 80 days to come ont of priso1, ard 10
days more to get himself in shape to begin
tho campain. l was not far wrong. On
the thirty eighth day after receiving the
warning, as / boarded State street car to
come down town, my man was passen-
ger. He was man who exactly cores
pended to the picture had drawn, and II
never occurred to me that l could be
wrong,
While I was sizing him up from the cor
ner of my eye, l saw that he wa, taking
my measure. purposely TUNED my head
to let him see q scar on my neck, and when
I glanced at him again I was sure that he
WAS Satisfied of my identity. Now, the
chase had tegun. He had sworn TO have
my life, sud knew By the sat of his jaw
and the compression of his lip3 that he
had still further resolved. Where had be
been in prison, and what for? His fec.
was strange to me. Had l desirei 10 take
an Unfair advantage l could have run
him in as suspect, or trumpet up come
charge 10 hold him and investigate his
record, but wouldn't 90 that. 1t Yves to
re fair fight. He would ask for no ont
side help, and prids would forbid ma to.
When 1 left the csr he followed me to
the ,e. 1 stopped at the door 10 Up SIX
to a messenSc c., and he asked the messen-
ger WHO WAS. Then he had me dead, "
~ the saying IL, and there was room for
no further doubt. 1t 80 happened that at
that time l was detailed on a ca 10 the
city. But for this / should have been 20.
ing and coming, and he would have bad
hard work to keep me in view. / was
very regular in my routine. I had my
n ,ls at TIE same hour each day, and at
the came plaza. At certain tour 10 the
evening went to certain hotel, played
three games Of pool, drank enc glass Of
beer, "a. and smoked cigar, and then
took the car to my door and went TO bed.
The dullest kid Of plouyhboy could
have picked up my trail.
On the evening of tie second day my
would-te murderer appeared at the billiard
room of the hotel a, was laying my first
game OF To:l. l WAS expecting him, and
l so ARA ,ged it as to AJAX him to play the
next two games. He was puzzled and
nervous. lfte was nervous over the idea
of handling cue alongtide Of mar
whoee life be was rlottirg TO take, was
exc1sable for feeling bit queer TO fiud my