St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-09-19
KREUG CAUGHT ON THE FLY
THE DEFAUL TING CITY TREASURER OF
SEATTLE. WASH,
NOW LOCKED UP In ST PAUL

A Travelling Townsman Spots and
Seizes the Fleeing Man as He
Is About to Board a Train-The
Prisoner Breaks Down, Alter
nateIy Pleading and Threaten
ing Suicide.
The old saying, that murder will out.
found striking exempiification in st.
Paul yesterday afternoon in the arrest
at the union depot of Adolph Kreug,
tue city treasurer of Seattle, Wash,
who detaulted in the sum of $500, 600 and
was fleeing from home and country.
The circumstances surrounding
kreug'S crime ana arrest are very Pc
culiar. He is an undersized German of
about thirty-seven years, and was a
baker at Seattle. Nature has favored
him with pleasing manner, which had
gained for him wide circle of friends,
so last spring the Democrats of Seattle
made him their candidate for city treas
uTer. They were not disappointed in
MS running abilities, for he was
elected by comfortable majority. He
took possession of his office, and mat
tiers ran on smoothly, so far as the puo-
lie knew, until last Wednesday. Not
soul in Seattle suspected that everything
IN his Office was not in apple-pie order.
HEALTHY HABIT.
1t so happens that in Seattle the city
council has habit of making semi
annual examination of the city treas
urer's books. The council met Tuesday
evening and appointed a committee to
make the examination Wednesday.
"Wednesday forenoon the committee
proceeded to the Office Of the treasurer,
and was told that he had not yet come
down to the Office. The matter, after
some waiting, was adjourned to the
afternoon. kreug was not there then,
and a search for him was Instituted.
He was not to be found in the city, and
the city officials became suspicious.
They finally ordered the examination
to proceed in his absence.
The committee had not gone far until
they unearthed some very bad short
ages. The final result of the examina-
ton revealed a defalcation of some
100000. Detectives were at once sent
out in search. The country was secured
in every direction, but without finding
the slightest clue to the direction Kreug
had taken.
Capt. NJ. D. Ballard, president of the
National Bank of Commerce of Seattle,
arrived in st. Paul Sunday, en- route 10
the worlds fair, and put up at the Mer-
chants hOGel, intending to continue his
journey yesterday afternoon.
Frank Crawford, real estate man,
and mis- brother, j. Crawford. and their
unmarried sister, all of Seattle, arrived
in st. Paul at o'clock yesterday after
noon, intending to start later in the day
for Beaver Creek. Mimi, to visit theip
father, who lives there. They took
dinner at the Merchants and returned
to the union depot to wait for their
train.
Frank Crawford wandered out under
the union depot shed to watch the Vari-
Gus trains coming in and departing. He
says that lie had peculiar feeling that
like as not he might catch glimpse
OF kreug, but, of course, had only a very
remote idea of doing So" He was think
ing of one thing and another as he
looked at the funny scenes always to be
seen about trains Just arrived or about
to depart, when suddenly he caught
sight of a little man making haste to
board train which was steaming up to
leave.
a second look satisfied him, It was
kreug! And the 81, 900 reward offered
by the mayor of Seattle was his. He
pouneed upon the little man and fright
ened the life out of him as he made his
presence known for the first time.
''YoU ARE MY PRISONER"
said Frank Crawford resolutely. Kreug
pleaded with him pltifully to let him
go and hide his shame. He said that he
would rather commit suicide than to
go back and meet his wife and child.
And he had an old mother in Germany
who would die if she knew that he was
arrested as a common felon. OF course,
it was ogt of the question to grant his
request, and Crawfor d, assisted by his
brother, led him to the Merchants hotel
and placed him in Room us, behind
tightly barred door, with j. Crawford
standing guard inside over him TO pre-
vent his escape or committing suicide.
At the time or his arrest Banker Bal
lard was in the act of boarding his train
for Chicago. He saw WHO it was in the
arms of Frank Crawford, and thought
of the two directors of his bank who
were on the bond of the defaulter. So
he stepped off the car platform and
went to the hotel in company with the
rest.
A message was at once sent to Mayor
j. T. Ronald, of Seattle. And in little
while reply came from the mayor to
Frank Crawford, saying:
Hold fast to him. VIII start man
after him tomorrow morning. He must
not escape. If he attempts to escape,
employ counsel"
After reaching the room at the hotel.
Kreug confessed, and said that he had
loaned the money he had taken, and had
script and notes enough to settle the
whole shortage.
HALF THE MONEY FOUND.
1t seems that after the discovery of
the defalcatlon, the authorities of Seat
tie found where the defalter had dis
posed of about S15O,OOO of the ill-gotten
gain, and secured possession of it, so
that Kreug must settle, if settle he does,
for S150.OOO instead of 100000. Craw-
ford searched him at the room and
found upon his person only s92.5O in
cash.
KreUg, in his confession, told that he
went from Seattle to British Columbia,
took the Canadian Pacific for Winnipeg,
and at Winnipeg bought a ticket for
New York via st. Paul. 1t is quite
likely that he was making for his old
home in Germany, although he did not
say so.
He has agreed to start back for Seattle
in care of Frank Crawford this morning
peaceably. However, it is not Likely
that Crawford will attempt to leave
with him until the warrant for his ar
rest arrives from Seattle. upon which