The herald., 1894-12-14

an uninfuenced statement, made volun-
tarily and without hope of immunity
from the capital sentence or hope OF re-
ward.
THOMPSON WON'T CONFESS.
Shortly after the men were again
AIKEN to their cells, Thompson was APP
preached by an officer and agreed to go
to the district attorneys office in the
afternoon and tell bi, side OF the story.
Shortly after 2 O'Clock Detective VIII
Smith OF the Southern Pacific railway
went to the Jail, handcuffed Thompson
and took him to the attorneys office.
There were hall a dozen persons pres
ent. Attorney Appel. who had hereto
fore appeared as counsel for both Thomp-
son and Johnson. stated in the presence
OF the party that the confession that
Thompson was about to make would
not be obtained by immunity or prom
ises OF any kind; that not the slightest
induce ment would be held ont to OBTAIN
all he knew of the affair. District Att
torney Dillon concurred in the state
meat. whereupon kid" Thompson
emphatically said that he had nothing
to say and would make no confession.
He further said that il he was going to
be hanged. it would have to be done
after trial; that he would not tell
what he knew ii he was to die for 1t
anyhow.
TIE KID AS A BANK RoBBER.
A sensational episode occurred when
Thompson was taken into court. He
was met there by an ex-deputy sh erif
from Albuquerque, N. NJ, who identi-
fed the kid" as bank robber who,
in 1889, shot a bank cashier and got
away with $4,000. The exotficer gave
his name az Bradley.
Soon after the Albuquerque man had
concluded his story OF Thompson's
alleged crimes in New Mexico and Ari-
zons he gave an interview to a reporter
for the HERALD. Thompson related the
story as follows:
''In 49," he began, II was acquainted
with two boys named Frank and Billy
Taylor, who went under the name OF
Fox. They got into some trouble in
Gila county, Arizona, by stealing several
head of horses. They fed the country
and were pursued across the Colorado
river by Deputy Sherffs Bud Gray and
Jonn Slanker. The boys. who were only
l6 and II years of age, finally pushed
on across the desert and reached the
Warner ranch in San Diego county.
"While they were COW punching on
the ranch, the officers came up. Frank
Taylor ran and was killed by Slanker.
His brother was taken back and given
one year in the Yuma prison. Taylor
afterwards went to New Mexico, where
l met and worked with him.
"While there he fell in with a young
fellow calling himself Jim Short. but
whose real name was Long. He and
Taylor robbed bank at San PasqCal.
In the fight the cashier was killed. Both
men fed. Taylor was soon apprehended
making his way across the border, and
in fight was killed after shooting an
officer. Short escaped, and now. accord
ing to this deputy sheriff from Albu-
querque, l am the man that assisted i'll
the bank robbery. / can prove that l
am not the man he refers to, and ne is
quite mistaken if he thinks l am.
Every body in that section knows that
am not the man, and l wish had O
chance to prove it,"
ABOUT THE CONFESSION.
A peculiar incident in conn ection with
the confession of Johnson, which on
Wednesday morning appeared exclu-
sivsly in the HERALD. Though Deputy
Sheriff Dowler ia given some credit in
the matter. Detective A. B. Lawson is
said to have been morsR instru tai
in eliciting the confession. Several
years ago, in Trinity county, Detective
Lawson arrested man named Traqden
for CO implicitly in the murder of man
named Erickson. Lawson found that
he was less guilty than the rest and re-
leased him. He afterward married a
sister of Alva Johnson, about which
Lawson learned only few weeks ago.
Tragden had always been very grateful
to Lawson for his release, and endeav-
ored to use his influence to obtain john
sons confession. Mrs. Tragden also
persuaded her brother to plead guilty,
in the hope of saving his neck. and both
she and Tragden made an affidavit the
confession was obtained by their advice
and through the energies of M. Law
sen.