The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-05-04
Remarkable Story Of Crime in a
Great Metropolis.
THE PARTIES ARE ALL CROOKS
The Natural Son of Bank Burglar
Caused the Death Of His
StepmOther.


down town the skull of murdered wo-
man. There, for six long hours, was
unfolded a horrible story of crime. The
central figure in the story is James e.
Logue, known to the police departments
of the continent as Jimmy" Logue-
burglar, bank robber and one of the
most notorious all-around crooks in the
annals of crime.
The case turned upon the murder of
one Of this mans wives, Johanna Logue,
but it was a fitting climax to remark
able tale that proved that he was not
her murderer. On the night of Febru-
airy %, 1879, Johanna Logue vanished
as suddenly as If the earth had opened
and swallowed her. The newspapers at
the time were full of it, rewards were
offered, and no one was more indefatig-
able in his efforts to locate the woman
than Logue himself.
On October 16, 1883, II years after
wards a carpenter repairing the house
at 1850 North Eleventh street, tore up
some boards in the kitchen and there
found the skeleton of a woman. When
1T became known that Logue and his
wife lived in the house, suspicion at
once pointed to him as the murderer,
but all search for him proved unavail-
ing.
On an evening in March last the door
bell of Coroner Ashley, in his private
residence, rang, and, answering it in
person, he was confronted by an old
white-haired man. who said abruptly
II am Jimmy Logue ami / have come
to give myself up" The coroner hand
ed him over to the police, under an as
sumed name. From that time on the
coroner and Detective Geyer worked to-
gether in secret until they had unravel-
ed the complete story, which eliminated
a few days ago in the arrest of a man
whose identity was not revealed until
today.
He is Alphonse Cutaier, Jr., an illegit-
innate son of one of Logue's former al
legged wives. Cutaier's crime, for he has
made a confession in which he acknowl-
edges causing the woman's death,
though he asserts involuntarily, is best
understood from brief recitation of
Logues career.
He was already a notorious charac-
ter when, in 1868, he was married TO
Mary Jane Andrews. With her he lived
two years, when, without the formality
of a divorce, he was welded to Mary
Gahan, who. though she had not been
wife, was the mother of an Is months
old child, Alphonse Cutaier Jr. Logue
and Mary had not lived long together
when he became enamored of her sis
ter, Johanna Gahan, whom he estab-
lished in a separate household, paying
all expenses until. in 1868. Mary died.
Meanwhile, Logue. who had been work
ing at his profession, fell into the hands
of the police for a series of burglaries.
On May %, 1871, he was arraigned at
the Central police station for sentence,
but before the case proceeded he asked
Magistrate Smith to do him a favor
first He wanted to be married to Jo-
hanna. The magistrate complied and
Logue was then sentenced to seven
years in the penitentiary. During this
term Johanna boarded in this city, and
promptly upon his release, in 1877, Logue
came to her.
They went to New York, where for a
time he operated with the equally no.
torious Peter Burns, who died some
years ago in Jail in Florence, Italy.
In February. 1879, Logue and the wom-
an came to this city. Meanwhile young
Cutaier had become a barber and Logue
fitted up a shop for Cutaier, Logue and
Johanna living with him in the dwell
ing portion, which was extensively fur
nished. A few days after this Logue
and the woman went to New York for
a short visit. There Logue fell in with
another burglar named George Mason
and on the evening Of February 20 the
men left for Boston, telling Johanna
they would return shortly. The fol
lowing Tuesday Logue returned and
found his wife gone. He came to Phil
adelphia and went to his home. There
he found Cutaire. his journeyman, Fit
Eckert, and young apprentice named
Harry Fricke. Cutaier told him that the
last he had seen Of Johanna was on the
preceding Saturday.
With the assistance of her brother
Peter Gahan, Logue searched the COun
try far and wide for her, but to NJ
avail. In November. 1879, Logue was
sent to prison, and after his releas'
on April %, 1898, he was lost sight o.
until he gave himself up to Coroner
Ashbridge.
At the time of her disappearance tn,
woman wore jewelry worth $4,000 anC
had in the bosom of her dress four 81, OO
government bonds.
Cutaier and his wife lived at thu
house for a year after Johanna disap
peared. when a foul odor coming from
under the kitchen floor made the WON
an so sick that they were compelled t
move away.
After that the house had numerou
tenants. Search was made for Eckert
the journeyman, and it seemed to be 1
homeless esarch. Finally Detectiv
Grier found him in a barber shop OF
Houston street. New York, where 70
a long time he had been shaving from
twenty to thirty metropolitan police
men.