The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-09-23
FITzsIMmoNNs. THE MURDERER
OF DETECTIVE GILKINSON.
Escapes From the Pittsburgh jail.

Fred. c. Fitzsimm0ns, the murderer Of
Detective Gilkinson, escaped from the Ale
gheny county Jail early Tuesday morning.
He sawed his way through the iron grating
of bis cell door and again through the iron
barred corridor window. he was to have
been tried on Monday In appearance he
was a man Of medium height and very slen-
derly built He was Of dark complexion,
and his hair at one time was eoal-blsck, but
is now well sprinkled With gray. His facial
expression is rather striking. and the gen
eral contour Of his face Is of The Hebrew
cast. His nose is long, thin and slightly
hooked, and his eyes arc very gray and are
surmounted by heavy, shaggy black eye
brows. he is very nervous and seldom re-
mains long in one. position. The Commis-
sioners Of Allegheny county offer q reward
of 81, 600 for bis capture.
The emurder for which Fiizsimmons was 10
have been tried was committed March 2lst,
at the home of Fitzsimmons, two miles up
the Youghiogheny river from McKeesport.
Gilkinson and his assistant, P. ]. Murphy,
went there to arrest him for the robbery Of
numerous stores and residences OF McKees-
port, Breddock, Duqussne and Homestead
IL was on Saturday evening that the ofh-
GERS arrived ct Fitzsimmon's house. It was
in lonely gulch. He was asleep in bed.
His wife met them and recognizing them to
be officers refused admission. They insist
ed upon entering and seeing her husband.
She refused. A wraDgle ensued. The Off
GERS were determined, and they entered the
house against her will The woman raised
an outcry. Her husband spraDg out of bed
and grssped two revolvers. Without an in
stant's hesitation be began a murderous
fusilade. The second or third shot struck
Detective Gilkinson in the forehead and that
officers fell dead. Detective Murphy was
right behind his chief Murphy drew his
revolver and then began q desperate combat
between the two men. Murphy emptied his
revolver and FitzSimmons emptied two.
Murphy was struck by q half dozen bullets.
He had bis chin almost torn away by one,
another hit him on the forehead and glanced
off and he was shot twice in the breast He
was Otherwise injured by glancing bullets
Murphy managed to wing Filzsimmons by
WOunding him in the shoulder. Fitzsim-
mons wife took part in the shooting, giving
her husband a revolver, and was also wound
ed in the shoulder. Murphy was forced to
60 back to -MeKeesPort, as he had no am
munition. In the meantime Fitzsim mon
made bis escape.
He was captured in Homestead on the
evening of the following day, Sunday. He
had fed 10 the of NJ. C. Clark, with whom
be formerly boarded while leading dual
life. The Clarks, and Mrs. Clark's sister,
Cora Wyatt, of Uniontown, are implicated
in the entire case. Dr. GLADDEN., Of Home
stead, saw the shadow Of woman dressing
a mans arm on the blinds on an upper room
of the Clark house. He surmised that the
man was FtzsimmOns, and gave the alarm.
Fitzsimmons ran out into the back yard and
was captured.
At the last term Of court Fitzsimmons was
convicted of the robbery of Schmidt's Jewell
~ store in Homewood. Cora Wyatt, was
acquitted as an accessory. The Clarks were
convicted as accessories. Laura Snowden,
the woman who was another of FitzsiIn-
mons assistants, turned States evidence and
thus saved herself from being convicted in
the robbery case.
Fitzsimmons has travelled in foreign coun-
tries extensively. He put in a year in Eu-
rope and spent several years in Mexico and
Central and South America. In all of these
countries his ability to speak number Of
languages fuently helped him in many ad-
ventures. His thieving propensities were
evidently then pretty strong, for on one Oc-
casion during a revolution in South Amer
ican country, he stole 8 ship and looted it.
After beating in strsng lands in various dis
guises as crook, bogus nobleman, and all
around confidence man, Fitzsimmon re-
turned to North America. He located in
New Orleans at first, but gradually drifted
up North and reached Pittsburgh about two
years ago. About a year ago his father. who
lived at the family seat at Brockville, Onta-
rio, died, leaving fortune of about $4,000.
The fortune is to be divided among six or
seven heirs. Fiizsimmons is said to have
money at banks in various cities throughout
the United States. No two deposits are
under the same name. he is therefore con-
sidered to be pretty wealthy.