The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1894-11-10
Tho Story of tho Iron Bar.

and the experiences of Sherlock Homes as
gwen in Haaper's Weekly by DR.. Conan
Doyle, have been surprised what mysteries
tregarding the commission of crimes have
been solved by means of small and ap.
parent magnificent clues. In "Puddin
Head Wilson," Mark Twain unravels the
mystery of a murder and the exchange of
slave child for her masters son, thereby
dooming the latter to servitude, by col
ored nurse, by simply the prints of the
curvatures on the ball of the fingers on
common window glass. Holmes is made
by DR.. Doyle to ascertain the perpetrators
of terrible crimes by acts or words which
would be passed by as absolutely insignifi
cant by an ordinary observer. 1t simply
shows that straw may show which way
the current runs. and so In human affairs a
careless expression or neglect of proper pre-
caution may be an index to many unwritten
| chapters of human life. This was partlcu-
larly true of the robbery recently COM
mitted In this city. If the bar OF iron had
not been carelessy left in the office after
the act was done, or the anvil upon which
it had been beaten and the hammer that
was used been placed. away and hidden,
perhaps the perpetrators of this crime would
have yet been unknown. But there is
history connected with this bar of iron
which has not been written, and which !
will furnish intensely interesting reading. |
llxyo hot
in Portland and Rowe IN Salem recognized |
this bar as the one used by the gang when
operating at The DIlles, and so informed |
Sheriff Driver when he visited them; but /
such is not the fact.
As soon as the robbery was committed
the sheriff suspected the guilty parties. and
soon afterwards in walking through the
alley In the rear of Mr.. Klein's residence
picked up the piece of wax, which he after
wards found to be part of the broken ex-
press seal on one OF the specie sacks. Af-
terwards he visited Franks shop, aud found
the anvil and hammer, the tools used in
bending the bar. This s.tisied HIM whe
the parties were who committed the rob-
DcEy, anu nc was OcbcT ulucu tudb tuc pltC6 |
of iron should be used as the means by
which the facts should be ascertained. He
planned the trip to the Multnomah county
Jail and to the penitentiary, and made the
proved of It, and he made the visit When
he asked Hawthorne about he bar, he des-
eribed one much larger than the one used,
and not only did not identify the piece of
iron used in opening the treasure box but
positively stated 1t was not the same as the
gang formerly had In their possession.
Rowe corroborated Hawthorne in this state
ment. Driver knew if this became public
he could never secure the arrest of the
young men, 80 he kept the facts to himself.
He returned to The Dalles, and told the
detectives and the district attorney that
the bar had been identified. The warrant !
Of arrest was issued, and Klein, when con. :
'ronted by the piece of IRON and the state =
Lent that Hawthorne and Rowe identified 8
t, was fearful that, actuated by spirit of ,
'evenge, they would implicate him in
greater crimes than those of which he had | /
been guilty. His own conscience, aud the ]
Tread of these two confederates swearing i
alsely to matters of which he had no Z
proved upon his mind Saturday o
light. Sunday morning he awakened un.
efreshed. and when examined by Driver
md Simmons, the bar of iron and the false
tatement of Hawthorne regarding it was I
ike Banquo's ghost that would notdown at b
liz bidding, He finally broke completely C
lown, and confessed everything in detail. A
after the successful elimination of Mr.. o
Drivers scheme, he told District Attorney a
ayne. Mr.. Gensch, and Messrs. Lord and q
lmmous the facts regarding the bar of a
ron, and the use he had made OF his false 81
tatement. They were all astonished; but "
Omitted that it was clever work, and the a
est that could have been done under the
circumstances. Iu ferretting out a crime
the end iustifes the means," and we do
OF believe that any one will blame MIR.
)river for imposing upon the oredulity of 81
electives and the people. and not letting the .
rue state of facts be known until he had =
his purpose. N
-~4>- | s.