St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-26
CAPTURED A CRANK.
The Man Who Has Written
Threatening Letters
TO PROMINENT PUBLIC MEN
Run to Earth by Detectives
in the Capital City.
SAYS He rs NOT AM ANARCHIST,
But Did 1t Simply as a Mat
ter Of Business,
SAYS He rs NOT AM ANARCHIST,
AND MPLfcATES MANY OTHERS.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25.-Joseph Don
jon, the man who has been writing
threatening letters to a number of PROM
inent public men dnring the last two
Weeks, is in Jail tonight. He walked
into the detective bureau of James A.
McDevitt this afternoon asking for
food. The detective took him to
coffee house and had something pre-
pared for him TO eat. Meantime he
questioned him, and learned enough
to fix his Identity. He started towards
the station house with his man, and
on the way met Detective Ned Weldon
and George Boyd. in whose hands
he placed him. 1t will be remembered
that letter from this man to Senator
Mills few days ago caused the sena-
tors son, Charles H. Mills, to secure
leave from the authorities to go armed
for the protection of his father. This
was the cause of bringing the mans
acts more prominently before the pub
lie. For several months past he has
been writing similar letters to number
OF prominent public men, among
whom were Vice President Steven
son, Senator German, Senator Mills,
Senator Sherman aud as the man him-
self claims, President Cleveland and
Secretary of War Lamont. As long ago
as during the fight over the silver ques-
ton in the senate, Vice President
Stevenson received letters almost daily
from DonjOn, who was then in Newark,
of Il .,
and they were consigned TO the waste
basket. The vice president today re-
ceiyed one which was dated from 4O4
Leigh street, this city. A number of
reporters were at the First precinct sta
ton to see the man, and he
TALKED VERY FREELY
to all of them. He is twenty-eight
years old, about five feet ten inches in
height, weights $50 to 1870 pounds, is
dark and sallow, has a greasy COM
pleXion, small dark moustache, and
has rather Slouchy look about him.
He has dropping eyelids. which usually
accompany brOoding and melancholy
disposition. The mans manner of re-
lating his story gives ample evidence
that he does not belle his appearance
in this respect. He talks very ration
ally, and with rather studied effort to
avoid any appearance of bitterness or
the expression of any anarchistic views.
Donion is an Austrian by birth. and
lays stress upon the assertion that he
is Catholic, and processes degree of
piety. His story is that he came to this
country when fifteen years of age. and
has been telegraph operator in tile
old country. He manifested consider
able pride in his nationality, but denies
with spirit the public statement that
he is Pollock" He gave up tele-
graphing when he came to this country
because there was some slight differ
ence in the instruments and in the
alphabet. Under those circumstances,
he continued, IF had secured a Job
they would have seut me to some remote
office in the far West
WHERE THERE ARE COYOTES
and other dangerous creatures" He
became bench mOlder after he came
here and claimed to have worked at
Salem. Or, as well as III the wire mills
al JOhnstown, at the time of the great
flood there, but was in Pittsburg on that
particular occasion. Later, with his
father. mother and brother, he went to
Newark, n. j.. and last May, having
been longer out of employment. went
west to Washington and Idaho and
prOspected for gold there. He
tells of rather fearful tale
of the dangers he encountered from
rough miners in that country, and says
that no man who was not willing to
spend his earnings in drunkenness and
debaucheTy was permitted to stay there.
He went back to Newark, and claims to
have been emdeavoring to secure work
there ever since. he says that he lived
with his father and mother and brother
at 12S Burnett street. This agrees with
the address of the earlier letters re-
ceived from him. He claims that his
father and brother went to Florida to
take up land, but that he did not think
1t worth while to go, as he could get
nothing to do anywhere. With con-
siderable emphasis he denied that he
is an anarchist or socialist, or ever
attended any meetings of those bodies :,
but contends that he was prevented
from securing employment, because he
was not member of the Knights OF
Labor or any other labor uuion. AS to
the letters that he has been writing he
claims that he was melted to write them
BY OTHER PEOPLE.
receiving 500 for doing it. Asked as to
the character of the persons who did
this. he disclaimed that they were an
archists, or they formed any associa-
ton. They were merely private per-
sons. He also denied that there were
any threats in the letters he had written,
or any references whatever to dynamite.
IL never saw dynamite, and would not
know it if l saw it," he said. When
asked what right he had to compose
such letters at the bidding of others. he
simply inquired, What right have you
to write down what am telling you q"
''lt was simply business l went into
to make living, just as you write news
for the newspapers"
He claimed that all that was con-
tanned in any of the letters was propo-
sitiOn to each of the men addressed to
forward him the cost of transportation
and an offer to come on there and make a
business proposition to them. This was
after he found that there was no
work 10 be had, and he intimates that
he had 4 plan TO better affairs. AS to
what this plan is, he declines to say
anything, but will probably make a
statement of 1t later at his trial. The