Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-18
ON TASCOTT'S TRAIL.
A Long, Stern-Chase After
the Wrong Man.
TIE SLEUTH-HOUNDs AT FAULT.
A Continent Crossed in Pursuit of a
Man Who Resembled the Assas-
sin of Smell.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
CHICAGO, March 1.-THE chase fo
Tascott has ended in failure. A. J
Stone, a son-in-law of the fugitive's sup
posed victim, the millionaire Smell, re
turned empty-handed to Chicago las
night, after fruitless journey of severa
thousand miles. Stone was accompanied
by Detective Mcdonald and Williams
following clue which took them to the
Canadian Northwest. The pursuit lee
to the Pacific Coast. There a capture
was made, but the priso ner, like &c
many others before him, proved to be
the wrong man.
Mr.. Stone estimates the length OF the
trip at 5000 miles. He talked freely
but remarked with signi ticance, cit must
be understood that I chose to reserve
my name for various reasons, some oi
them bearing upon the future. About a
month ago I received from a law firm in
! Minneapolis letters stating that they had
client, resident of Winnipeg, who
| had some authoritative information as
| to what be believed to be Tascott's where
abouts. NY inquiry following showed
| that the suspects description tailed
more closely with that of Tascott than
any had yet seen. Tie young man was
said TO be employed in a ''tieing' camp
near Rat Portage, 250 miles east of Win
nipeg. left Chicago, with four others,
and three weeks ago tonight we went to
Minneapolis, thence to Winnipeg, and
thence to the "tieing" camp. We arrived
there in time to discover that young
man, such as had been described, had
worked there until week before. He
had, some time prior, received postal
card from friend, a young
man in Rat Portage, stating that there
was a draft there from his father, who
lived in certain town in Southern Cali
fornia. The contractors had held back
the card for two or three weeks until the
young man had worked out of debt.
Urop receiving the card, the young man
left once. We then bore down upon Rat
Portage, only to learn that both the
young fellows had gone to another
'tieing" camp, where we again ar
rived to learn that they had moved
on to Winnipeg, saying that the first
young fellows father, in Southern Cali
fornia, was dying, and that they would
hasten to his bedside. Now, we obtained
some of the suspects writing in the first
"tieing" camp, and it was Tascott's own
hand in facsimile. We hurried to Win
nipeg, and there, at bank, added the
suspects signature to our stock
of evidence. 1t seemed certain that
Tascott had written that name, and
no doubt remained in our minds that we
were on The right track at last. Out of
Winnipeg we ran the scent to name
less town in the northwest territory near
the American line. Thence we pursued
it hot to Vancouver and thence by boat
to Seattle. The next jump brought us to
Tacoma, and their the twain had sepa-
rated. Our man." continued Mr.. Stone,
swent to Portland by rail and his COM
panion shipped for San Francisco by sea.
From Portland the track ran to San
Francisco, and we reached it week
late. 1t seemed probable then that the
town in Southern California whence the
draft had issued was their destina-
ton, and thither l posted my COM
panions. Suspecting that this feature
might be ruse, | remained to watch
the outbound China steamer of that
week, and saw her put forth without
Tascott. A telegram reached me that
our man was caught in the Southern
California town and was in custody. l
fastened thither. One glance at the
prisoner sent my heart into my boots.
He was not Tascott, though he resembled
him in many points. He was young
fellow OF good family and we released
him without the satisfaction of knowing
for whom he was suspected.
1T was the greatest disappointment of
my life," said Mr.. Stone. "We were all
sure if we found the man who signed the
Winnipeg draft, whose description we
had and upon whose trail we then were,
that we would have Tascott. / will not
say that think Tascott is in that coun-
try, but he may be. l have other clues
of which 1 am hopeful"