The morning call., 1892-02-11

Louis.
CRIMES OF THE PRISONER.
Captain Lees gave the following as a par
tial record of Hedgepeth's crimes during
the past few years:
In the west end of Omaha there stands
what is known as the Omaha street-car
barn, 1t is a sort OF clearing house, and
in one corner there is located huge sale.
In the back Of this Is a small slot. and into
this the conductors would deposit their col
lecti0ns inclosed in an enyelop with a
statement of the days work. There are
generally two clerks present, ana so there
were on a day about the middle OF OcIo-
Der, 1891.
They were busily engaged in adding up
columns of figures when. about 3 p NJ, a
man wearing a heavy coat and with ms
hands crossed before him entered. without
ado he suddenly cOrnered the clerks with a
pair of reyOVers, and gTUttiy ordered them
to open the safe. They could not do II,
and, placing them in a corner, he called to
two companions, who walked in, uncOn-
cernedly drilled hole In the sale door,
filled il with powder and blew IL oil. by
this act Of daring, done in broad daylight,
the gang secured $500.
Shortly after this a train near Milwaukee
was held up, though but little booty was
secured. The job was done in fashion
similar TO the Glendale robbery, and is
supposed to have been committed by the
gang. J0urneying to st. Louis the gang
did three safe jobs in one week, realizing
about 500 for their labor. The first was
the robbery of the POstOfiice at Jefferson
and Ch0utOu avenues ana connected with
it was a piece of outlandish audaclty I'M
heard Of before.
While the work was going on a citizen T5-
siding on Hickory street happened to pass
on the opposite side of the street. The
lookout spied him and called him over,
4 4 cnlf nd
denly looking down a revolver barrel lie
was then taken into the place and searched,
the gang supposiDg al first that he was
private Watchmdn, but upon learning the
mistake invited him to witness the novel
feat OF safe blowing.
He at first declined, but little revolver
persuasion induced him 10 stay. Not much
was secured here, and the next job was at
the butcheT-shOp Of A. Ford, Jefferson
avenue and Market street. After this. the
saloon Of John A. Dieterle, at Tower Grove,
was entered and his safe cracked SO close
did the robbers reside to the scene OF this
last exploit that it is supposed that Mrs.
Hedgepetb, in their stronghold, must have
heard the explosion.
A DESPERATE CHARACTER.
That the prisoner is regarded as a most
desperate character is shown by the APP
pended letter, sent by Chef SpeeTs Of the
Kansas City (MO) police to Chief Harrigan
Of 81. Louis:
am aware that Hedspeth is known also as
Wood, aud ne has received mail under the name
or Wood When arrested for the IVA safe Job
IN Missouri he was going under he name OF
Oud. We have been looking FOR Hedspeth Tor
over year for a job he did al Tuscumbia, Mo.
lie aud a sale blower named Cady opened sale
There and got about Sl40O. Hsdspeth and Cady
we've stopping with j. VI. Officer one Of the gang
who lives al Bonner SuIlugs. about twenty miles
west OF Kansas CITY, on The Union Paclhc. ON
Ger has q bIOtheT-in-law named Leary, or
U'Leary, who was q telegraph operator at Bon
ner Springs. l sent TWO or my detectives wi n
The Sherin Of that county 10 arrest the party.
BY some means they got wind OF The matter aud
fed. Last summer Cady, while drilling q safe 10
small town 10 Kansas, was shot and Killed.
Hedspeth was with HIM aud got away. Later,
OHcer vas seuI up from Springfield for fifteen
years.
"Certlinly l will be interviewed with
pleasure" said HedgeDeth yesterday after
noon, when a delegation OF reporters visited
his lonely cell. In answer TO various QueS-
lions he made the following statement:
"All | ask is that the public withhold
judgment of me until alter my trial My
defense will be that Of an allbi, for | eX-
pect 10 prove that did not leave St Louis
TUr moment on the night Of the Glendale
train-vObbery. OF course | have read every
line that hes been pUDllshed in the papers
l read that i was en- one day steaming 10
Australia or China and the next day sailing
for Chile. I naturally supposed the de-
trctyes caused these statements 20 be pub
ushed in order 10 make me think they had
given up the chase.
For over SIX months before the train
robbery in which ] am accused of partici-
pating / conducted a restaurant IN Los
Angeles, where Slye, my bTOt1er-ln-laW,
kept saloon, ana where he was cap
tgred My restaurant was on South
Main street. opposite Childs Opera
Heuse. went 10 81. Louis about a
month before the Glendale robbery Oc-
Cured. | started westward about the 1st
of last December
Have | engaged in any rObbeTieS or
burglarles since / came back 10 this State {?
No; / have not. l have been accused Of
blowing numerous safes in st. Louis and
vicinity shortly before | left there. but the
accusations are all false l viii swear
positively that ! have done no work since
( returned to California. The papers caused
me TO smile by stating that | had hand in
several burglarieS and TObberies during my
STAY in Oakland. | was accused Of being
Implicated in the Log Cabin bakery burg
larry and the robbery Of the Southern
Pacific station, but l am equally innocent
OF these charges"
no CAUSE FOR ALARM
Have you read tile statement that your
wife was afraid that you would kill her il
arrested, thinking that she had given in
formation about you to the police?' asked
The CALL reporter.
q" rs, l read it. but my wife has no cause
for alarm, and she knows It, / know her
too we'll for that. She is true as steel to
me- and would be tortured to death before
she would be made to 'SQueal on me-. Yes,
il is true that my letters to my lawyer were
shown to her as STATED, aud / managed 20
receive messages from her. What | want
is a speedy trial, and | want to start right
ok IN mn MIL n rf rito
arrested me, without waiting for officers 10
be sent out for me from the East
To his visitors the prisoner said, Gentle
men, ! hope you will treat me as we'll as |
intend.tO treat you" They assured him that
he would have no cause for complaint.
HedgeDeth is smooth, interesting couver-
satlOnaliSt, and his dark eyes sparkle ike
Goals IL fire while he talks But he is re-
garded as a most desperate man, and for
that reason the authorities Will take no
chances with him.
Captain Lees received the following tee-
grams of congratulaton last night on the
arrest OF the traln-rObbeT Hedgepeth:
TELEGRAMs OF CONGRATULATIONS.
New YORK Feb 10
CAPTAIN Lees: Hurrah! It's a greet victory
and Tie greatest blow struck at traiu.robbery 10
years. Presld ri Sanford, Vice President Love
IN sending Chief Crowley. yourself and officers
engaged 10 The arrest our hearty cOngrdtu atoms
Hope you may get "Dink."
ROBERT A. PINKERTON.
NEW YORK, Feb. To-
Captain Lees: ! have just Learned. through
Robert PinKertOn, Of the arrest of Hedgepeth.
Please accept my congratula Ions.
w. H. DAMsEL.
CHICAGO Feb 10.
Captain Lees: The news Of Hedgepeth's ar
rest IS very satisfactory. Congratulate you and
the san Francisco force on the good work DONE
w, a. PINRERTON.
Late last night, while overhauling Hedge
peth ia his cell at the City Prison, Captain
Lees discovered 500, which had been over
looked in the previous search for valuables.
The money was in greenbacks, which the
cunning robber had sewn in the hem at the
bottom Of one Of his trousers legs.
The detectives noticed the bunch made by
the roll oil scrip, and this led to an ingestiga-
ton. Hedgepeth took the matter c0olly,
and laughed as he remarked that he thought
he had that much "salted away for a rainy
day"