The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-02
ROMANCE OF CRIME.
Confessions Of the Wsl!s.Fargo Express Com.
papy Robbers

pany Robbers.
SACRAMENr), Nov. 1.-George Shinn,
who, with Charles Dorsey, alias Thorn, es-
caped from San Quentin three years ago
and was recently captured in Chicago by De-
tective }. B. Hume, has made confession
which has simply paralyzed the authorities.
Ever since they escaped Detective Hume
has believed they were in this State, and
were the perpetrators of numerous stage
robberies going on since then. when he
went to Chicago he obtained evidence that
convinced him that their story that they had
never been out of Chicago since their arrival
there few months after their escape was
untrue, still the evidence was not Sufhclent
for use. Last night Shinn was transferred
from San Quentin to Folsom by special ar
rangement made by Warden Auli and
Hume. and this afternoon the Warden and
detective interviewed him for three and a
half hours.
Shinn confessed that they returned to
California early in 1889 and camped on
American River, about three miles outside
of this city. This was their rendezvous,
raids. He admits that OIL the 31st OF July
1882 they stopped the stage from Milton to
Sonora and robbed the passengers of $50.
They blew open Wells, Fargo IL Co. 'sstrong
box with giant powder, but found 1t empty.
On the 10th of September OF the
tween Quincy and Oroville and took
gold bar worth $500 from the Wells,
Fargo & Co. box. In April of this year they
held up the Forest Hill stage in Placer
County and robbed the passengers. Be
sides these Shinn eonfesses to burglaries,
garrotings and robberies committed by
him and Dorsey, which would fill book.
They returned to Chicago May 3Otn OF
this yenr, and he says that between that
time and the date of capture, they committed
something like TWENTY-FIVE ro6berles
and bnrelaries in the State of Illinois.
Their rendezvous has been found by Chief
of Police Drew of this city, who hunted Tor
it four weeks before it was found. lie says
it is an ideal robbers roost and that robbers
could never be dislodged from 1t.
Steamer on Fire at Sea.
AsToRIA (OregoD), Nov. 1.-The steamer
Michigan arrived this morning, after wild
race for life lasting seven hours. When
about fifteen miles off Grays Harbor, at
O'Clock in the morning, fire was discovered
in her forehold. All precautions possible
were Immediately taken. The matches were
battened down, and every air-hole that
could be found was stopped up, and with
every pound of steam that could be carried
and every stitch of canvas thrown to the
breeze she flew down the coast. In response
to her distress signal, when she crossed the
bar the observer at Fort Candy telegraphed
to this city, and the tug Walowa started to
her assistance, but fortunately she succeeded
in getting safely in. She is now lying
partly on mud at the Union Pacific Dock,
with one of the Astoria tire-eDgines along
side of the dock, aud soon after high water
an effort will be made to scuttle her. An
attempt has been made to definitely locate
the fire. and il will ne allowed to sm0lder
until she can be scuttle1. The fire is sup
posed to have originated in lot Of lime in
the forehold.
The stern of the vessel was beached and
the matches lifted. Two fire engines then
began pumping water into the hold. The
fire ragged with considerable fury as
soon as the hatches were raised; but
the streams from the engines began
to tell, and shortly after . o'clock the
flames were entirely subdued and the
Michigan was saved. When the smoke had
cleared away so that the hold could be en-
tered it was disclosed that the fire did not
start in the lime as supposed. Nearly all OF
the damage was done in the vicinity Of
the salmon. The cargo of deck tlmbers
here were badly charred, and in many places
the knees were burned. Aside from this
the vessel is uEinjured, and. unless the
submerged lime makes trouble, the DAM
age can be repaired without very large
outlay. The 22S3 cases of salmon be-
longed to ID. Morgan and was fully
insured. Some of it can probably. be
saved. The fire is thought to have
caught from hot steam pipe that runs fore
and aft, just beneath the deck. Most OF the
damage was done on the port side, and no
damage was done aft of the main hatch.
The water will be pumped out tomorrow
and the cargo removed. The vessel is un-
der charter 10 the Union Pacific Railroad.