Wichita eagle., 1890-01-19

n Y, mora than twenty years before, and
had been sentenced to Dc haEged, but had
escaped, and for half a lifetime led the life Of
q silulking criminal. Finally, after nun1er-
Gus desperate crimes, he committed a murder
that drew him into the meshes of the law in
Broome county, adjoining the county where
he had committed bis first known murder,
and, by singular circumstance, was identi-
fed by Judge who had seen him at the bar
in Ithaca long before This Identification
placed him under grave suspicion, and he
was guarded and watched until evidence
could be secured to punish him.
The crime for which Rulo!f was hanged
was the murder of F. A. Miricl, clerk in
the dry goods store of D. N. s. E. 6. Hal
lock, of Binghamten. The store was enter
ed one night in August, 1870, by three men,
and Mirick and companion clerk attacked
them. The burglars were intoxicated and
the clerks were getting the better of them,
when one burglar drew pistol and shot Mir
lex dead Then the three left the store with
out plumber, and attempted TO escape in a row.
boat on the Chenango river that ran near tiSe
store Two bodies were afterward found in
the river that proved TO be those OF well
known New York burglars, Albert Jarvis
anu w iLlaUl l.. DeAUeT liz SUI WING Clti
gave the alarm. and pickets were at once
thrown around the town. The watch was
kept up for two days and nights, and on tho
second night nan was seen leaving
the town along the Erie railroad track
towards New York. He could give
30 satisfactory account of himself and
was taken before the coroner's jury. He
claimed to be innocent, and explained his Situa-
ton by saving that he had been put of from
IN Erie train at place west OF BInghGmton
and was going to New York, where ne lived.
While he was under examination Judge Bal
com, of the supreme court, happened to look
in and he recognized Ruioff and accused him
! to his face Of his old crimes. However, as
there was no evidence to hold him on the
new case he was permitted to leave the jury
room In a short time Judge Balcom's dis
covery was current gossip on the street, and
aH old resident of the county, A. G. Math-
ews, secured buggy and some assistance and
started to hunt him up He was ove-taken
five miles from town going toward New
York He had made the distance in less than
one hour.
The escaped burglars had in their flight
| left behind a shoe made for a deformed foot,
and the fugitive was compelled to exhibit his
foot, which proved to be deforned in the ex-
act place indicated by the SHOE On this clew
be was taken back and placed in jail Several
very straight clews were found associating
Ruloff with the men who he'd been drowned
from the beat in the Chenango and again
connecting these men with the burglary and
murder The surviving clerk, Burrows, was
able to identity the statures Of the three men,
and Ruloff answered TO his description of one
OF them, and that, too, as the one who fired
the fatal shot Rulof was soop indicted, and
it was found that he had criminal record in
New York city and was the associate and
counsel of thieves and burglars. He WAS tried
and Sentenced, but procured a stay of pro-
ceedings and passed several months in jail
under sentence OF death.