Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-12-07
FUGITIVE CRIMINALS.

Have Little Show for Escape from
Modern Detectives.
One of the Evanston, Ill.,. street car
robbers has been arrested, Is positively
identified and has made q confession.
He admits his participation In the
crime, names his accomplices and says
that he was induced to join the ganI
of robbers by the assertion Of their
leader that Evanston passengers on the
cars always carried home large
amounts of money. They expected to
take from the people whom they way
laid thousands of dollars. The actual
proceeds of the hOld.up were less than
$50 in cash.
This capture. with the arrest and re.
turn Of Ross G. Van BOkkelen, the
Chicago bank embezzler, are other In
stances showing that crime in almost
all cases Is fruitless Of profitable re-
suits and that, under modern methods,
the escape Of criminals Is next to I'M
possible. Thieves, as class, obtain
but little plumber except in rare cases.
What they get benefits them but little.
II thief makes large haul once In
n great while he squanders It almost
Immediately. As n rule bank EN-.
bezzlers elbow In" the fruit Of their
larcenies In blackleg speculation, in
lavish extravaganza or In other vicious
practices.
1t has been subject Of frequent re-
mark that postoiiice thieves take great
or risks and obtain less proceeds from
their crimes than any other class Of
criminals. The most that they can get
by robbing money letter Ii few dol
lars. The aggregate which they can
realize by a course of crime lasting for
months cannot exceed u few hundred
dollars. Detection and punishment are
rs nearly certain as any other human
event Not one postOfiice thief In TO-
600 escapes the penalty OF his crimes.
Bank embczzlers are In the same
class Of criminals. sure to be detected
and punished, II the officers of the bank
TINT they rob are true TO duty, not only
rs good citizens but as the custodians
Of property belonging to others. II
they refuse to prosecute the faithless
employees who steal tho money Of dc.
positors they commit breach Of trust.
No social influences nor human emo.
lions Of pity should actuate n bank Of.
flcer to cOndOno the crime Of n thief In
the employ Of his bank. II they per.
nit one thief to escape 1t Is an encOur.
ngement to every other emplOye with
larccnous instincts and under tempta.
ton.
| Modern detective methods have been
so perfected that Il fugitive criminal ID
safe from arrest nowhere within the
limits Of civilization. Where extradi.
ton treaties do not exist the comfy of
nations IL exercised In the surrender
OF fugitives from justice. Tweed. the
greatest New York thief. was surrcnd.
cred by Spain. although no treaty re.
quircd his cxtraditlon. There II no
treaty with Mexico requiring tho sur.
render of criminals In the Van Box.
kelcn class. but tho government Of
that country would have given him up,
II he had not returned voluntarily. II
II next to impossible for fugitive
criminal to leave a trail behind him
which cannot be followed or to dnd
protection under the laws of any or.
ganiZed government In China, Brazil
or Borneo an American thief Is not se.
cure from arrest II the men whom he
defraudcd and robbed are determined
to catch and punish him.