Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-08-15
TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.
peRiLs IN BRINGING A GANG OF GRIM
iNALs TO JUSTICE.


rcanects n drummer He WAS one Of Major
Carter,s most trusted detectives, the man
who captured the Orange county counter
feiters. II suppose when old Sam Rivers,
who is In Jail for counterfeiting, is sent
over this time" he remarked to reporter
sit will end him. Well, Sam has had ms
day, and "A right lively one it was too. DO
YOU know that Sam Is the last OF band OF
robbers who infested this state for years.
The most complete gang ever organized !
was member of 1t.
"a member of a band of horse thievesl"
exclaimed the reporter.
eyes, =" answered the secret service officer,
with a smile. II belonged to it until got
most Of them behind stone walls"
The reporter pressed the detective for a
history Of the criminals, and this remark
able romance in crime was related:
"Jobn T. Riley was born and raised in
Hartford of rich parents. He was wild,
reckless fellow, and shortly after becom-
ing of age he forged his fathers name for
q 900 and fled to Philadelphia. Here he
assumed the name of Thomas w. Foster,
and engaged in the horse business, con
Meeting himself with a lot of sharpers,
whose business it was to fleece country
men. He made considerable money and
flew rather high.
"One night at theater he formed the ac
abundance of a woman named Mcbride
whose husband was an alderman and quite
wealthy. The Irritation was so marked
between the two that the husband was in
formed and hired me to watch his wife
This did, and the information / secured
Of her life in Philadelphia society would
make a startling book. As | was about to
trap the guilty pair they eloped, and took
with them several thousand dollars be-
longing to the alderman. / started after
them; got trace of them at Cincinnati,
where they bought tickets for st. Louis,
and / went there.
81 looked for them for months through
the west, and finally gave up the chase.
II seems instead Of going to st. Louis they
stopped off at Osgood, Ind, where Foster,
with the money stolen by the woman,
went into business, and while was search
ing for them all over the west they were
living very secluded lives at the little lndi-
ana town.
FOSTERS LIFE IN osGooD.
Foster had not been in Osgood a great
while until he became acquainted with the
notorious Missouri Rittenhouse and Isaac
Levy and his family, all of whom were
counterfeiters and crooks. The whole lot
bought a livery stable and ostensibly did a
legitimate business, his barn was only a
fence for stolen horses. He and Levy
bought horses and passed counterfeit
money. and, attending all the fairs and
races, soon became acquainted with all the
thieves and crooks Of the country.
"a great many horses were stolen, men
robbed on the highway, stores plundered
and men beaten nearly TO death. Crime
WAS rampant. The people raised fund
and was employed 10 ferret out the ma
rauders When got 20 Osgood ! recog-
nized my old friend Foster and the alder
mans wife, and made up my mind he was
the man must cultivate. | could not get
in with him, however, and he sold out and
moved 70 Columbus, O.
There be and his wife moved in the best
society, gave grand parties and were the
associates Of the most prominent people OF
the city Two years Of rapid living drained
Fosters resources, and becoming heavily
In debt he returned 20 Osgood. His wife
deserted him and went TO Washington
where she lives under an assumed name.
Foster handled crooked money and dealt
In stolen horses, aud on July o 1854, be
came a hostler in bis stable | did not get
a good pointer until in the fall, when San
, Rivers hired buggy at the stable and wa
driven 10 the country by young Sam kit
, Jenhouse That night horse was stolen
aud when young Sam was arrested my eyi
, denoe cleared him, aud was looked upoi
as n safe man became Fosters RICH
, hand man. lie introduced me 10 llenr!
, Underwood, Sam Rivers, Walter Ham
. mon. John Kelly, Hiram Kelly, william
, Wansc0tt, Frank Elder, skinny Douglass
A.. John Holloway aud a number OF other
, whose names cannot recall just now. Tn
. thieves would average "A horse each week
, and In warm weather the animals wer
kept in thick woods until a shipment wa
/ made
JUMPED ms BOND.
"All this time | was in communicate
4 with the authorities, and turned up goo
deal u the stolen property. ! knew th
/, stealing was going on, but ] didn't hav
, the evidence 10 commit the gang, and tina
. was what my employers wanted. Herr
/, Underwood stole fue roam horse Ia IL
dianapolis, aud two days after Foster X,
!, the animal lie sold IL 10 "a prominer
!. whisky dealer Of Aurora, Ind The II
dianapolis parties traced their horse 20 Al
rura, aud Foster paid the money bacl
claiming he bought the horse from ma
; named Howard, living ia Ripley count
}. lIut the M Ion county people were NJ
= satisfied. p. ~ was arrested, tried a.
4, sentenced a. tarrr years In state PRISON.
- The supreme court reversed the hndin
b aud he came back for another trial.
?. soon AZ he returned he was arrested ON ~
g indictments from isoano county two fro
IT. Dearborn county aud three from itinl
:. county. lie was put under 5000 bond
10 bis father Ia law the having, after the
10 dosman's wife deserted him, married q
A daughter II Versailles drugeist) heool
% ing his surety lie jumped his bond al
h n~i 90 Canada lie Is now hvig. Ia Hal
ilton
N Poster boine out of the way, Misso,
40 Itittonhouso Became the leader of the Hat
40 STANCE "a say, was still unsupported, a.
Is boarded with MIS-, kittenhouso, shari
o. tho fullest confidence 1T the thieves "a
Is orpaLs that made her house their hes
o. quarters,
Is MY life there was one continuous !
m venture, aud many times did warn M
"a Who we've Ca bo ribloa ~ thoir sto
h~,ken lnsa. Night after nigh, W.,
r..,ut around and confer with the auth,
ti.~, and as che gang one b, Que hcoa
A .atanslo.i ia the meshos of the law | v
10 shlo "a divert Suspicion fnDm myself
All they hai Thought me an officer would
oi d. hor now "a toll the stow Indian"
os La News
"a A. Ideal ~ nerossme".
ns A oa.s hosri this argument given Tor
IA A ~ "A ia .