River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-07-10
CAUGHT By 4 HABIT.
Some Queer Cases in thu Work
of a Detective

During the years that ! was Sin the
profession I had some queer cases.
had the reputation Of being lucky
and am ready 20 admit that luck has a
great deal To do with successful detec-
tive work have known officers who
were honest, conscientious. and pains
taking, but who always just missed it.
IL they had been on case for six
months. and had finally run a man
down until he was within arms length,
some one else was sure 70 step IN and
bag the game al the last moment IL i
an old saying that luck brings luck -
1t was certainly true in my case My
first capture was that OF the famous
Dick Morton, the Tennessee outlaw Of
thirty years ago. ! was in Nashville
when he shot and robbed two men on a
highway forty miles distant l was
then on the Cincinnati force, and was
interested in getting close description
of the man. Any description you may
give of particular man viii apply 10
dozens in a general way Dick was
about six feet high. brown hair, blue
eyes, sandy whiskers, etc The only
real point was in his manner of speech.
1t was said that he always rolled his
eyes upward when beginning a SEN
tence. lie did this on the advice of an
old woman - break himself of the
habit Of suffering. and IL was success
Just a week after / left Nashville
was in Evansville, lad. As | sat in the
office 81 a hotel q man came in and reg
istered and when he answered the in
quiry Of the landlord mp went his eyes.
When had seen him DO this three or
four times I began 10 compare him
point for point with my description Of
Dick Morton, and in five minutes ] was
satisfied that I had my man lie had
been shaved. had his hair cut, and wore
a suit Of black. but there were some
things he cuuldHnOt hide. The little
finger on his left hand wass oil TO the
first joint; he held his head cooked to
one side when listening To you. and his
right foot tOed in as he walked !
made no move until after dinner Then.
as be came out of the dining-roOn /
held him up with the muzzle 81 a reyol-
yer right against his breast and
the landlord put the handouts on him.
Then l called he local officers and
turned him over. He had two pistols
and knife on him. and his wallet
pannsd out over g. 900. At this time
moro than one hundred men were
looking for him in Tennessee
and kentucky. there bei'.g se-
ward Of $, Ol0 offered Tor him dead
or alive It was luck, so far as cur
meeting in Evansville but had 1 not
caught him as | di, md in the way
did. the affair would have had differ
ent ending. He was going 10 settle his
bill and take a boat down the river. and
once outside the hotel he would have
killed any man who dared approach
him
In the second year Of the war a young
man named Cassius Phillips. cashier in
a State bank in Chicago, skipped out
one night with about $4,000. 1t so
happened that l was of service then,
doing a bit Of work for Uncle Sam, and
/ was asked TO take up the embezzler's
trail. had seen him in court about a
month before, where he was witness
in case. His popularity was his voice.
While he was a big, bewhiskered fell
low. his voice was as light and thin a.
woman's. He had thirty hours the
start Of me and had left no trace OF his
trail Having learned that he was al
ways talking about life in Paris,
/ Sc out for New York in hopes 70 hear
7methinr of him at the steamer Office
- had not been seen, nor had he been
among the passengers sailing for any
foreign country the day before |
argued that he had fingered on the
way somewhere. aud would yet turn up
in New York. l had been there three
DAYS. and was going up broadway one
afternoon in stage when there was a
Jam. A stage coming down locked
wheels with rs, horse was thrown
down. and amid the excitement | heard
thin. piping voice crying out:
why don't you do something? We
shall all be killed before we get out of
this tlnsle.
The voice belonged 70 a goOd-sized
man on the outside Of the other stage.
and / spotted him in an instant for
Phillips I followed him 10 rs hotel,
and from thence 10 the Office of the
French line of steamers. and after he
had purchased ticket ! stated the ease
70 the superintendent Of police. and had
him arrested and held until the neces-
sary papers could be had. II was
Phillips. sure enough, but how changed,
tie had sacrificed whiskers and
mustache lie had dyed his eyebrows
and has his hair shipped short tie had
changed his fine clothes for an ordinary
suit. and his beaver for a soft felt.
might have sat aud looked AZ him for
two hours and failed 70 recognize him,
but his voice had given him away.
In the fall Of 1855 paymaster belong
ing % the Western army suddenly
stepped out % sight with $4,000 in
new. crisp greenbackS- He WAS at
Cairo when he received the money from
the Government. and he put 3: INTO a
satehel and los. himself between six
o'oclock in the evening and sunrise
next morning. lie had been gone three
DAYS when I reached Cairo. lle was de-
scribci u me as a tall. slim. liCht-com-
pleNiOned man. with light side whiskers,
blue ewes. and auburn hair There was
nothing peculiar about him except a
habit he had Of rubbing the back Of the
left hand with the palm % the right
when speaking This was very slight
clue 70 work on. but il was all had
searched for four days between Cairo
and Chicago. but couldn't strike his
trail My idea was that Ee would head
for the East and seek 70 get our uf the
country. bat he had other plaGs- Pretty
we'll satisfied that he didn't leave Cairo
bv rail. began hunting among the
s.caulbcats. / found. after a long
search. that man. who might possibly
have been the pAymsster, took boat
that night up the river, but how Tar No
one could say. The information MAS s.
vague that II was like hunting for
needle IN a haystaeS. but went up TO
Quincy before making stop II he
showed mp at 81 Louis ne was sure %
be nabbed. as the officers in all the
larger cities bad been notified and were
nov 5k the watch. could hear moth