The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-12-09
TRACKED BY A PICTURE.
The Clew That Led to Big Grim
inarS Arrest.
How a Louisville Detective Aided English
Onicers In Catching Bank Robber
lie Jumped His Ball In Amer
lea for Larger Game Abroad.

The release recently of Mcdonnell
and Till, who were the accomplices of
the famous Bidwell in robbing the
Bank of England of one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, has a local in
terest says the Louisville Courier
journal. Mcdonnell was once in this
city, and he will never cease regretting
that visit, for il was by his trip To
Louisville that he and his partners in
that one hundred and fifty thousand
dollar transaction were traced and ar
rested.
One day in the spring of 1871, Van
kee" Bligh, then chief of detectives,
was notified that bank in this city
had been robbed of one thousand dol
lars by raised check. Capt.
Bligh went to work on the
case himself. Tie first went to the
bank and asked to see the check. One
glance at the slip of paper and he was
immensely interested in the case. 1t
was a beautiful piece of work from the
detectives point of view, one that
showed the difference between the true
criminal artist and the clumsy novice.
Capt. Bligh secured an accurate de-
scription of the man who had taken the
check to the bank. lie was soon look
ing for tall, elegant gentleman with
an eastern accent and the manner of a
man of the world. The man whom he
wanted could speak French, Spanish
and Italian, was an accomplished mu-
sician, was devoted to the arts, found
great enjoyment in the dead languages
| and, above all and beyond everything,
was of an intensely benevolent turn of
mind Detective Bligh hunted high
and low for his accomplished stranger,
and finally caught him. His culture
found him out The man said he was
Mr.. Mcdonnell, of New York city. He
was living in a small room near the
heart of the city. He protested in
words of three syllables against the
detectives blunt accusation, but was
marched off to Jail, nevertheless. He
said il was all n cruel mistake, but
Capt. Bligh soon had as good a case as
he wanted against the suspect"
Hardly had the doors of the Jail
| closed behind Mcdonnell than he sent
out for lawyers lie engaged the late
| Martin Blur and w. l.. jackson, Jr.
/ lie told them he had plenty of money
| in New York city. Telegraphic com
munications with that city showed that
| this was true. His friends sent word
| To- spare no tN ptUSt III getting NC
! Donncll out. The case came up in court
! in n few days, and the cultured
stranger, whose injured air seemed
! born of innocence, was held over for
] the rather low bond of one thousand
| dollars. The money was furnished
ri ght away and the court issued an
order To release the man.
Yankee" Bligh saw through the
scheme with the quickness of flash,
Mcdonnell was going to jump his bail.
! Liberty for 81, 900 was as cheap as dirt
The detective had already shrewdly
gathered an idea that Mcdonnell was 9
| great criminal, who was wanted" il
| many places. lie felt pretty certain
| that the check raiser's presence was de
! sired in Cincinnati. He asked Melon
nell to remain over until the mex
! evening at eight o'clock, so that Detec
tive Larry Hazen, of Cincinnati, coulC
! come down and have look at him
This he of the culture, many languages
and proneness to raise checks agreec
to do. He said he wanted to dispel al
suspicion, to face every charge agains
his honesty. While he was waiting fol
the arrival of the Cincinnati detective
Capt Bligh took his photograph. Me
Donnell thought this was carrying tn,
vigilance of the law to excess, hut still
his objection did not go beyond tina
calm. hurt air.
Mcdonnell had been placed in tn,