Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-30

medium Of cold blooded Demips muir
derer named Hedges.
While Morris was at DemipGs trying
to discover where Houck had gone, be
SAW Hedges entering the telegraph ofice.
Availing himself of his knowledge teleg-
raphy be introduced himself TO the
operator % man Of the craft and being
invited within the railing managed e
read the dispatch left by Hedges. II
read e follows: "Dock Davis, care Of
3. McGinnis' saloon, Los Angeles -
Screw your nut. Look out for Ohio
Hedges"
| ing ''vegas5 while the operators back
| was turned, Norris caused the dispatch
to be mis.eent, and telegraphed over the
8. r. company's wire direct TO Sheriff
Gard to arrest Houck on sight and keep
him safe from everyone until his arrival.
Not an hour afterwards Houck came
lounging up Spring street, and while
listening to some Of the fakirs who made
the front Of the.old court house lively ii
those days, was quietly called into the
sheriff g Office and Immediately rushed
off to jail.
When Norris found that ct last Houck
the slippery had been Gagged he took the
train for Los Angeles at once, and, in
order to throw the friends of the
gambler off their guard. he instructed
the conductor of his train to telegraph
back to Whitfield, who was inquiring for
him, that he was not on the cars.
After the arrest of Houck the game
was changed from one of hide-and seek
to one OF legal technicalities. Houck's
friends rallied to his rescue. The
gambling fraternity, from Puget sound
TO Old Mexico, showed strong interest
in his behalf. The frat was in San
Francisco, where Houck was held on
writ Of habeas corpus. To Offset the
money and influence Of the gamblers
Governor Foster Of Ohio-now aecretary
Of the treasury-took personal interest
in getting Houck back, and the Hooking
Valley railroad employed the best coun-
sel that money could secure. For three
whole months the habeas corpus
case was fought before Chief Justice
Sharpstein Of the supreme court Of Cali
tornia. Norris WAS assaulted in the
court room, and 60 desperate were
Houck's friends that for four weeks q
police guard was detailed to protect the
Ohio detective. Houck's friends were
whipped out of court at last, and their
next step was to plan rescue on the
way back to Ohio.
He was taken in special car over the
Union Pacific, accompanied by Norris.
Dan Coffee OF the San Francisco police
and other officers. Twenty Of the most
desperate characters on the Pacific coast
were on the same train to attempt
rescue, but they could gain no access to |
the private car and were unsuccessful. 1
Houck was still safe when Ogden was
reached.
By strategy the crooked gang was sent
on to Salt Lake City in the belief that
Houck was also being taken there, but
the car in which he was had not been
coupled on to the train, and when the
gamblers discovered their mistake they
were whirling towards the Mormon
stronghold ct the rate Of forty miles an
hour and they found it impossible to
get OF. Nothing daunted they tele-
gpphed to the gambling fraternity at
Cheyenne to habeas-corpus the muir
derer.. This was the fourth writ taken
out since Houck's arrest to secure him
sufficient liberty to again disappear, and
as Cheyenne was the stronghold Of the
gamblers in the west, it was expected
that the crooks efforts would there
meet with success, it being matter Of
county and the sheriff "stood in" with
them.
In this quandary Norris, after consult
ing with his companions, and Euperin.
tendent Dickinson of the Union Pacific.
resorted to some very, fine strategy. He
sent the following telegram ahead:
TO the sheriff of Laramie county,
Cheyenne: Meet me on arrival of train
Number Four at noon today. have
Lou Houck, q prisoner en- route for
Ohio on requisition. ! 60 via Denver
and Kansas City. I may need your as
distance in changing cars. John 7.
Norris"
When twenty miles from Cheyenne
the car in which Houck and the officers |
were was run ahead Of the regular train |
as q special, passing through that city |
twenty minutes ahead of time and on |
without stopping to North Platte, 2O5 |
miles distant. Upon the arrival Of the |
train the unauspecting Laramie sheriff,
who had been hugely enjoying the green
ness of Detective Norris, who was, 80 to |
say, going to deliver up his man to him,
without causing the county official the |
slightest trouble, found very much to |
his disgust that Norris could give him |
points in the matter of shrewdness and |
then beat him at his own game. He
cursed considerably to relieve his over
wrought feelings, but he admitted that
the game was out Of his hands.
The friends Of Houck gave up the
fight when they found that he had been
landed across the Missouri river, realiz-
ing that western tactics would not work
in Iowa, Illinois or Ohio, and after one
Of the most remarkable chases on record
Norris had the Satisfaction Of knowing
that his work of bringing cold -blooded
murderer to justice had been accom-
plished.
THE TURNER'S SHOOT.