The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-01
The Men Who Burned the Records
of Harvey County Now in Jail.
Chief Cone and Detective Woods Did Some
Remarkably Clever Work
After -Four Weeks They Accomplished a
Task That the Pinkertons Failed
to Do in Four Months.

| one of the pIackest deeds in tie modern
criminal annals OF Kansas was unearthed
| here last night by Chief of Police Cone
and Detective Bedford Woods.
The result is that George ". Shirley is
in Jail here and G. Washington Rogers is
in jail at Newton.
Shirley was brought to the station at 9
o'clock last night and the officers i'm
mediately telegraphed to Newton to
know if Rogers was there. The reply
came back that he WAS An
other telegram was sent to Newton
| him at once aud at 1890 the reply came
back that be was under lock and key.
| Chief Cone then went and had a dish of
oysters and he ate them with relish an d
a degree of dissatisfaction that was re-
| freshing TO observe by an EAGLE reporter
who waited outside for him with an in
tuitive knowledge that something was
| locked up In Rufe's official breast that the
|
silent stolid Bedford-went home without
saying a word and as unpreteutious
as any citizen Notwithstanding the fact
that he had just accomplished feat that
probably no other man in the service
could have mpiished. Chief Cone de-
. clares that there is no man in the United
States could Guido Bedford's record in
this case and he is probably correct.
THE STORY.
On the night of the 10Th Of March last
every record in the register of deeds Office
! or Harvey county was burned. There was
i not a recognizable line left anywhere to
verify she ownership OF any piece of prop
erty owned in Harvey county by man WON
/ an or child. Neither was there a liue left as
to the mortgages. In fact everything was
reduced to ashes. The court house walls
were bored through, the brick in the
vaults where the books were kept were
pulled out. The criminals piled up in the
center of the vault floor every record and
document therein contained; five gallons
of coal oil were poured on the valuable
pile while the good people of the county
u
the blaze was assured and then the crimi-
neis left.
When the ianitor went to the court house
( in the morning he smeit smoke; when he
opened the door of the registers office
he smelt more smoke aud when he opened
the vault door the volume of smoke which
rushed out knocked him down and made
him almost iusensibte.
The officers were alarmed aud upon
aprivibg at the scene found uothing o+the
records left and chaos SO far titles to
property staring them 10 the face. The
city of Newton became feyerish with ex-
element. the county was equally excited,
everything was peil neil aud every man,
woman and child IN the county who
| owned property was effected by the loss.
| 1t WAS such startling crime that nobody
, knew which way to turn. Two thousand
! dollars reward was offered for information,
| but nobody knew anything. Pinkerton,
the great detective, was appealed to, aud
/ one of his best men was engaged at an
enormous salary. He remained in the
employment of the county until four
weeks ago las, Saturday, and at that time
his bill was over 81, Co., and still there was
no discovery of the crime nor any reason
able clue to it.
Four weeks ago last Saturday one of the
commissioners of Harvery county was IN
Wichita, He met Chief Cone and found
| that he had known him since the
| chief WAS 3 years old, having
| lived near him in Illinois. That confidence
| born of old acquaintanceship sprung up
! between them with the result that the
case was given 10 Mr.. Cone. He, IN turn.
| took Detective Bedford Wood of the force
| into his confidence and both of them COM
! menced to work up the case.
| The first thing they insisted on doing
was TO find a clue, hut the only thing that
was left after the fire was five gallon oil
can This was picked up aud examined
aud a mark found on it indicating that it
! belonged TO the oil tank company.
! From this tank they proceeded
with the case a3d in four weeks Il lead to
solution of the whole mystery-ehst
| mystery which Pinkerton with ali his
/ fame could not solve.