Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-08-22

ence of twenty years in criminal work
has satisfied me that no criminal can
escape justice If a clue be left to work
ON. if that clue is persistently followed:
In March. 1865, man named Vine
wood, of Vermont, with another named
Adams, of Cincinnati, established a
former was bachelor fifty years old,
and the latter young man of twenty
three. just how they became ac-
quainted / have forgotten. but / be-
lieve they first met in bank in Gin
cinnati in which Adams was employed
as book-keeper. He had $4,000 in
cash which a relative had left him.
and Vinewood put in $1,000. and a
bank with capital of $50, 600 was es-
tablished. After about month. when
every thing was running smoothly,
Vinewood returned to Vermont on
business. having the most perfect faith
that all would 60 well in his absence
On the very day he left Adams re-
ceived deposits from citizens and from
the county treasurer asgregating $18.-
600. The trustees of an institution
likewise placed in his vault for safe
keeping $50, 600 worth of United States
bonds.
Up to this date the bank had loaned
out about 1000. and it had $40. 600 on
deposit in Milwaukee and Chicago.
Vinewood left in the morning. That
same evening at eight o'clock Adams
followed. having taken every dollar
in the bank and the securities above
mentioned. He left on Sunday night,
and of course no one in town could
suspect any thing until time for the
bank to open on Monday. Then no
one knew what had happened or what
to do, and no one had Vinewood's adj
dress. 1t was three days before it was
known for fact that Adams had
robbed the bank and fed. It was ten
days before Vinewood put me on the
case and said:
II want this man run down if it
takes ten years and costs me my last
cent. Follow him day and night. Do
not leave his trail for an hour. / will
put $4,000 to your credit in New
York bank, and when that is exhaust
ed / will replace it,
VinewoOd was a man of deep feel
ing, and the robbery had aroused a
sense of Indignation which could not
rest until the robber had been fifty
punished. Igot several cabinet pho
tographs of Adams as a starter. They
all showed him with a mustache. It
was likely he would shave that off,
and got Chicago artist to sketch
his face as it would appear without
AS he did not wear glasses he would
likely put them on as a disguise. !
had sketch made with glasses :on his
nose and with his straight, long hair
| cut pretty close. AS it was raven
black he could not color it. He had
gone to Milwaukee and Chicago and
| checked out every dollar of deposits.
| and in the latter city he had disposed
| of the securities for cash. He thus
had nearly eighty thousand dollars
with him, much of it in small bills.
visited every bank in Chicago, but
could not find that he had purchased
drafts or exchange. At the express
shipped any cash. When he left the
bank he only had the sachel in which
he was carrying the money. He there
fore had no change of clothing. After
| visiting seven or eight differen
hotels in Chicago / found where ht
had registered as Burt j. Smith. St
Paul" He had made but a slight at
tempt to disguise his handwriting
He had remained at the hotel a par
of the afternoon and over night In
stead of purchasing a trunk he hat
bought a new suit of clothes and takel
his old ones out and sold them second
hand. The new suit was entirely o
| gray. while his old one was black
This made such change in his look
that remarks were made when b.
came to pay his bills.
Two square from the hotel, on tn
way to the Lake Shore Depot, was
barber shop. I reasoned that Adam
would seek to get rid of that mustach
before he left Chicago. and after b.
had left the hotel l could only CUES
which way he went, but meant t
cover all routes. The barber in tn
first chair in the shop had all the in
formation wanted. Adams had com
in there with his sachel, compliance
of sore lip. and had his mustach
shaved of. He had in his hand
folder of the Lake Shore road. Afte
the mustache was of he had his hal
shinglcd. and the change in his looks
was considerable. The barber haa
looked him over pretty closely. AM
had noticed scar on his neck back Q
the right ear. as we'll as q mole on tn
left cheek. which had been touches
out of the negative. found no trac
of him at the depot but ! bought m,
ticket to Cleveland on theory. MIN
times out of ten the criminal who skip
from a small town goes to city t
hide. He imagines that in the rusl
and confusion he will be passed by
Adams might stop in Toledo or San
dusky. but l took my chances on that
On reaching Cleveland made in
quiries of all the depot officials. bu
! no one had seen him. Invent to all tn