Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-24

|
change their opinion on the courage ques-
| tion.
When the wagon was almost opposite the
Red Lion Hotel, where had been arrested,
prepared to leave the wagon and get out
of the box where had ensconced myself
My intention was to carry the box away
and throw it into some vacant lot. The
manifest which the driver carried only
called for a certain number of boxes, the
one which I was concealed in being an ex-
ira one and not numbered in his bill of
lading.
Wearied and cramped by my long ride in
a small space, as L prepared to leave the
box small boy padding in the gutter hap
pened to look up, and surprised at the ap-
pearance of man emerging from such
confined and peculiar place, in shrill
voice exclaimed, "Look at that man.
An Exciting Moment.
Instantly 80 pair of eyes were turned on
the wagon. Voices called on the driver to
halt, which he did with an exclamation. I
saw instantly that the carrying away of the
box was an impossibllitv. 1 sprang across
the street, passing down the alley alongside
the Red Lion Hotel, and came out on the
side street, walked quickly into a cheap
liquor shop on Diamond street, called for a
| glass of liquor, part of which 1 drank and
part of which split over my clothes, my
desire being to appear intoxicated, simulat-
ing the intoxication which did not feel. 1
| went quickly into clothing store on the
corner of Sixth and Liberty and bought
long heavy ulster, buttoning up which it
covered me from my head to my heels.
next went to hat store and bought
| hat. From there went to a clothing store
| and bought suit of clothes, telling the
/ dealer 1 wanted them for my brother, about
the same size as myself Having secured
| complete outfit of clothing, 1 passed over to
barber shop and bathing establishment on
Fifth avenue, where in the privacy
| of the bathroom 1 made the change in cos
tune. Emerging from the bathroom, and
having been shaved and my shoes shined, I
passed out on Fifth avenue, bought
roll of newspapers from a news
boy which 1 carefully wrapped up
in the express office little later and car
ried under my arm. / then made my way
to the Union depot, where 1 found the
alarm of my escape had reached, and saw
the detectives scurrying to and fro. 1 took
train and went to Braddock, where,
alarmed by some suspicious moves on the
part of the conductor left the train.
passed over to the Baltimore and Ohio
depot and took another train. I rode on
that short distance eastward, having an
conveyed to me through a guard at the
penitentiary by friends on the outside.
The Journey to the North.
I took across the country until struck
the Pennsylvania lines again, thus chang
ing back and forth. made my way to
point on the Pennsylvania Railroad called
Marysville, where 1 took Northern Cen
tral train for Elmira, n. Y. 1 arrived in
Elmira at 12 o'clock Christmas Eve.
The bells were ringing out the old anthem
that the Christ was born who taught peace
on earth and good will toward all.
With haggard face and bloodshot eyes, 1
made my way to the depot to ascertain
when train left for the East, and to my
chagrin found that no train left before
$50 the next morning. To stay out in the
cold air that Christmas Eve was an impos-
sibility. Sleep and rest I must have, for
even my iron constitution was giving away
under the intense fatigue which 1 had
undergone for the last few days. stepped
into the hotel adjacent to the depot, and
the first man 1 saw was police official who
knew me quite well. He arose, greeted
me cordially, inquiring where 1 came from.
1t would have been folly to have lied, and
looking him boldly in the eye, said L
came from Pittsburg, Pa. We went to the
bar and had a drink. went to the regis
can be seen to this day. "James W. Miller,
Pittsburg, Pa" A clerk assigned me a
room, which was shown to. Suspecting
the police officer might have been afraid to
make the arrest alone, and had simply
acted in friendly manner to throw me off
my guard, locked the door and climbed
over the transom, and finding an empty
room further down the hall l went to bed.
L slept soundly until o'clock in the morn
inn 1uho T 10 he
hotel and took a train for Bradford, Pa
ACold Night for Walk.
From Bradford took train to Mead
vile, from Meadville proceeded to Kent,
O., and arrived at Kent about sundown on
the evening of Christmas Day, and, afraid
that 1 might be recognized if attempted to
take a train for Cleveland, started to walk
from Kent to Cleveland on the narrow gauge
road. 1 shall never forget that night walk.
The moon was bright and it was bitter cold.
1 was worn and weary from several days
fatigue and several sleepless nights, and
I tottered along the track on that terrible
journey, almost dead. When 1 came to lit
tie wayside station would throw myself
down, face foremost, on the platform, and
slumber until the intense cold awakened
ME, when 1 would rise and stagger on.
Six o'clock on the morning of the Goth of
December found me in the city of Cleve-
land; 40 miles had been walked the night
previous. 1 went to friends house who
put me to bed, from which 1 did not arise
for week. At the end of that time made
my way by the Lake Shore road to Erie,
Pa, from there to Buffalo, and from Buffalo
to Toronto, Canada, where after consulting
with some of the best lawyers of the Do
minion, became convinced 1 could not be
e1tradited as an escaped prisoner.
Let Them Know Where He Was
I had no hesitancy in communicating |
with some of my friends, as much for the |
purpose of letting the police know where L |
was, and thus cause them to abandon pur- |
suit, as for the purpose of allaying any fears
as to what had become of me. Under the
old treaty between the Dominion of Canada
and the United States, if your bookkeeper
should embezzle money from you tonight
could not be extradited on the charge of
embezzlement, it is only necessary that you
should secure some person who would go be-
fore Squire, make affidavit that,
on certain night a burglary had
been committed on his premises,
and that he believed the absconding
cashier to be the man who committed the
burglary, Gf burglary was an extraditable
crime). 1t is only necessary that you should
go to Canada, arrest the absconder, have
him brought before justice for extradition
on the charge of burglary. If when he was
extradited and sent back, you took him be-
fore the Squire who had issued the warrant,
and the prosecutor appeared and simply said,
81 made a mistake, this is not the man.
he would be discharged on that charge and
being then within the jurisdiction of the
United States, you could arrest him for the
crime of embezzlement.