The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-04
CRIMES OF HOOSIER BILL.
THEIR STORY TOLD BY BILL HIMSELF.
A Bounty Jumper, Jail Bird, Train Robbsr,
Safe Cracker, Faro Banker, Confidence
Man and All Round Crook-Some
Indianapolis Exploits.


Bill, is one Of the most notorious and
successful crooks this country ever pro-
! duced. The mention OF his name will re-
/ call many tales of his daring crimes to res
/ idents of Indiana. In recent issue OF
the st Louis Posi-Dispdtch, Bill relates in
( his own language the story OF bis remark
able and adventurous life.
He was horn in Knightstown, Henry
| county, Indiana, in 1889. His father was
! the builder of the Little Miami railroad
and is still living somewhere in the West.
| At the age of thirteen, Bill ran away from
! home, sold his pony and accoutrements and
| went to st. Louis. Here he robbed
pawnbroker and went to New Orleans.
| At the latter place he joined company
with the celebrated pickpocket, "Nosey"
| O'Brien. Together they worked" the
steamboats,, and in 1861 Bill was sent up
/ for robbing the chief of police. He was
| pardoned on condition that be enlist in the
Louisiana zouaves. Bridges served in the
confederate army with considerable BRAY
cry, and serving another term in Alabama
| for burglary was again released to serve in
the army. He made his way to the Union
| lines and served until the close of the war,
when he came to Indianapolis. His life
and adventures from that date he relates
in his own words as follows:
Changing SIDES.
ave were taken out of Wetumpka in
convict clothes and run down to Column
| bus. There we were set TO work digging
bitches. At night they rushed down uni
| forms to US and gave US guns. We fought
in the defense of Columbus, and they say
did the hardest fighting of that day.
| When it was mighty hot in the bitches
| they called for volunteers Tor forlorn
hope. | was glad OF any chance to get out
/ OF there and volunteered. A shell scat
| tered the 'forlorn hope company and l
got through the Union lines. fell in
! with the Seventh cavalry and told them
was a northern man who had been COM
/ PEELED to serve in the southern army. l
! wanted to shoot on the other side, and the
! colonel enlisted me. / stayed with the
regiment two months and then the war
was practically over. | told the colonel
/ wouldn't kick for pay If he would only
| get me a pass to Indianapolis. He got it
and l skipped without waiting for dis
charge"
| Series of Desperate Sorapes-
81 reached indianapolis in May, 1868
! That and the year following were the
most eventfui of my life. 1 was for much
| of the time working county boxes (safes).
! In the summer of 1865 l went to Louis
Vile and while there got into a serious
scrape. ! was drunk one night with n
crook from Cincinnati known as 'Cincin-
! natl Scotty.' We met some toughs on the
/ street who insisted on taking us with
them. Scotty picked pocket and one OF
/ the toughs, Joe Brown, thought / had
done the touch. He hit me and knocked
me into the street ] was up when he
came after me and Knocked him down.
| AS he came up 1 knocked him down again.
| Then ! got out knife, and as ne came
/ no again | clt him in the ribs
! lie hollered murder Scotty had his
knife out and had scratched one
of the crowd. They let up when they
/ found Brown was burt, got carriage and
I took him of. We went away and would
/ have got clear il Scotty had not remem-
/ bered ne bad lost his hat and insisted on
| going back. We got hat he supposed
/ was his and were coming away when the
/ police came up. They wanted TO know
I what was the matter and we bluted ibem.
I ll6Y lOllONSu US, anu IattT Wnen tDcy
/ learned Brown had been cut they knew
/ right where 10 find us. We were arrested
! in bed, woke in fact to find the handouts
on. Both of US were bloody and Scotty
had the wrong hat. They had US dead.
We were taken UP thirty times for trial
and sent back each time, as they did not
| know whether Brown would live or die.
One day when we were in the cage
! heard the turnkey call a policeman and
! say, STAY here till | come back. There s
only one LAWYER in there to come out.
u had been talking to Scotty with my
back to the door. AS the turnkey walked
away shook ScOtty's hand and said. IN
Go the best can for you and think well
get out of this ali right. Good-by.' Then
i walked out the door, said Thank you to
| the policeman, who was acting turnkey,
walked leisurely across the courtroom
and out of the building. got away TO
New Albany and was 'pinched' there.
| made them extradite Inc.
The friends of Brown always insisted
Scottv had done the killing, so / got off.
! Scotty's lawyer sprung law on them that
cutting in the heat of passion in q street
brawl was only 81 coo and six months.
They gave all that to Scotty. Two months
later Brown died. l came to St. Louis.
Arthur Short was in Jail here for robbiug
a dago saloon. | tried to help him out and
layed around here until 1 got
into trouble for kicking in saloon
door and was locked up in the Jail
with him. They were getting the Jail IN
shape for grand jury investigation and
get me 10 whitewashing. While / was at
work one day L heard some would-be
toughs talking of break out. One told
the other to shut up when they saw me
listening. That made me mad. l told
them / had the nerve to get ont If they
did think I'd squeal on them. got a
crockery bottle they had in the jail for
water, and waited at the door till the
jailer came in with the negro cook bring
ing i'm dinner The cook was six feet high
and mighty rough. The boys were afraid
of him, but when he saw me with the bot.
tie ne fell of the steps. The jailor pulled
his gun. Before he could use it hit him
with the bottle and knocked him off the
sieps. As he went down the gun fell out
of his hand and ! got it. Big Fitzgerald
was the only prisoner that followed me.
ran out in the yard. They had been
tearing down an Old building in the yard.
and the bricks made steps up to the top
of the wall. ] ran up and some OF the
jail guards fired. Fitzgerald was shot.
got off, but some policemen saw me as
dropped of the wall They chased me.