Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-22
DARK TALE OF CRIME
Billy Williams Confession Hangs
Together.
TEE POLICE At WORK ON CLUES
Young Offutt. His Accomp!ice Still
at Large.
THE PRIZE FIGHT SHOOTING

The Stars story Saturday of daring GRIM
iral exploits, in part of which Billy Williams
was and nearly all of which he saw, was
a surprise to all concerned, to Williams
himself, no less than to others. Travel
overnight enlarged the tale by Sunday
morning, but the whole truth, so far as
Williams statement to the grand jury goes,
contained in The Stars account Sat
urday. The fact that there has been a
gang of bold, skillful, unscrupulous crimi-
nails operating in Washington during the
past winter is plain. That they are respon-
sible for all the crimes committed here in
that time Is possible, but Williams story
to the gran nd jury did not assume SO much.
In communication received from him
this morning Williams verifes The Stars
account.
Williams Verifies the Account.
His letter is as follows:
UNITED STATES JAIL, CELL 67,
WASHINGTON, D. c., April p, '95.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
How you obtained such an accurate ac-
count of what I testified to before the
grand jury is a mystery to me.
The Star is always alive to almost every
important event that is going on, hence it
is not surprising when one sees in The Star
a report of some great happening. l de-
sire to correct one statement, which does
me an injustice. While l may have been a
dangerous man, yet L have human heart
and q soul to be saved.
In regard to the assassination of Sergt.
Daley, 1 said that his life was in danger
for three months. 1 refused to do the job.
l told the parties who offered me $500 and
a fine horse and carriage, that l could not
kill the man in cold blood, and l would not
do it. Finding out that l would not do the
job. an ex-polfceman, who was dismissed
from the force through Sergt. Daley, vol
unteered to kill him If l would help him,
which l refused to do. With this correc-
ton, your publication of my testimony be-
fore the grand jury is correct.
Very respectfully,
Not in All of Them.
AS to the various crimes with which
hearsay connects Williams, they are evil
IDENTIFY guess work Williams was cate
chised about a number of jobs other than
the three he confessed, but he could tell
the grand jury nothing except in one case.
He was not in the Georgetown post office
case and knew nothing of it. He had moth
ing to do with the Rosslyn robbery. He
denied knowing anything about holding up
r. a. Golden with the purpose Of robbing
him. Neither did he rob the old man in
Georgetown who had $3.50 saved up. The
Conroy job od the Long bridge is news to
Williams and comes from race track cir
cles, filtered through hangers-on around
police headquarters. The only crime, aside
from the dock safe-blowing job, the burn
ing of the Lady Of the Lake and trying to
assassinate Sergt. Daley, is the Dobbins
shooting case out at the Bateman-English
sparring match near Bladensburg. He
knew all about that affair, but did not, he
says, take part in it. He says Dobbins, the
sporting man, knows all about 1t, too, and
that the police can get at all the facts eas-
ly enough.
Would Not BE an Assassin.
Williams story of the attempt to as
sassinate Sergeant Daley is likely to be
proved true and result in several important
arrests today or tomorrow. 1t is a horrible
revelation of the depths of villainy to which
men can fall. Williams was approached,
he says, by well-known saloon keeper of
South Washington, who said that syndi-
cate of whisky men wanted Sergeant Daley
out of the way. They feared he would get
easies and grcggeries. This saloon keeper
offered Williams race horse and carriage
and $500 If he would take the contract. He
was told how to do it. Various plans We're
talked over before Williams said whether
he would accept or not. Shooting was out
of the question on account of the noise;
stabbing was safer, but the chances were
that Daley would be too alert to be caught.
Dynamite to BE Used.
Finally the syndicate agreed on using
dynamite. and an old blacksmith shop on
7th street, in South Washington, was
chosen as the coign Of vantage. Williams
was to hide up overhead in the shop, and
as DAILY went by he was to kill him by
throwing a dynamite bomb at him. This
course seemed available, and the syndicate
went so far as to furnish the bomb that
was to do the business But to kill man
in cold blood was just over and above Will
Jams. He was tempted by the offer, but
ha
He declined the offer Then the plot took
on another character. An ex-policeman,
said to be member of the Fat Mems
Club, was found who would listen to the
proposition. This man had grudge against
Sergt. Daley for getting him discharged
from the police force, and he was willing
to go into the thing. But he wanted Will
Jams to stay in, even II he didn't commit
the crime. The dynamite scheme was ad-
hered to, and the ex-policeman was to
throw the bomb. Williams was feared be-
cause he had been talked with, and the
syndicate and the ex-policeman wanted
him to be implicated If possible. The last
Williams knew the hired assassin was still
on the watch for his chance, but Sergt.
Daley seemed to know that something was
up, and the chance never came. Whether
Williams was the one who warned Daley or
not Is not.known.
Williams Not to DC Seen.
This morning a Star reporter called at
the jail and asked permission to see Billy
Williams, knowing the prisoner would be
willing to talk to correct some Of the
stories that have been circulated about
him.
There was no porter about the big brown
stone building to convey the information,
''Mr. Williams Is not at home" He was
there, and was in room 67, a large, COM
Portable cell, but Warden Leonard said he
was not at home to reporters or others.
The district attorney had given orders
that no one, and especially reporters,
should be allowed the privilege of seeing
the prisoner upon whose Information SO
many indictments will probably be found.
His information given to the grand Jury
had surprised even those officials, who had
expected he would tell about the safe rob-
berry or "squeal," as such conduct is
termed.
They had expected he would make con-
fession and thought he might possibly clear
up two or three cases other than the safe
blowing job, but when he told of the con-
spiracy to murder Police Sergeant Daley
the officers were very much surprised.
When Williams made this full confession
to the members Of the grand Jury he told
his story in a straightforward way, and
very little cross-questioning was done. The