Omaha daily bee., 1895-08-23
THE GRIswoLD hank RoBBER.
officer O'Hrien Misses His Man, but
Gets All His Record.

Deputy Sheriff O'Brien returned yesterday
from his eastern trip. He came back alone,
instead of having his hope g%ratifed of bring
ing the man Riley. the Griswold bank rob
Der, by whom O'Brien was shot when cap
turing the gang. The officers here had got
a tip that Riley was under arrest at Pres
colt. Ontario, and ~telegraphed there to have
him held until O'Brien could get there. 1t
appears that there was Just enough OF a
mistake about this TO allow Of Riley getting
away. He was under arrest at Ogdensburg,
N. Y, Just across the river from Prescott,
and before O'Brien could get there Riley
had slipped out through one OF the meshes
of the law. The offense for which Riley
had been arrested was for picking the pocket
Of a man living at Prescott, and this led to
the confusion in the advisory telegram. Riley
had squared the matter with his victim, had
put up a cash indemnity for a fellow to go
on his bond for 5000, and when the day for
trial came neither the prosecuting witness
nor Riley showed up.
O'Brien's visit was not in vain, however,
for he found out a good deal about Riley, and
now the officers east and west have, by a
comparison of notes, come to an agreement
as to Gust who he is, and are In better con-
dition than ever to nab the right man ana
to hold him. OF course Riley is a pickup
name, and 1t did not help the eastern Of
fcers much in trying to locate him. 1t is
now learned that he is familiarity known
throughout the east. and that he belongs to
a gang who, in the summer time, work up
and down the lakes, working just such
crowds as that which attended the wild
West show al Ogdensburg, where Riley got
%pinched. In the winter time they do safe
cracking and daylight sneaks at bank coun-
tiers, and, in fact, almost any kind of money
grabbing that can be planned. Riley had
served time once in New York for a dia-
mond robbery at Oswego. One of the fell
lows captured with him here for the Girls
void bank robbery was in the same diamond
robbery, and got his dose at the same time.
He was the one whom OBrien wounded.
His real name is Willard, and he formerly
kept a hotel near the Canadian line and used
il chiefly as a cover for smuggling and
various crookedness, until he was warmed
out. He is now serving time at Fort Mad
isou.
1t is now learned for a certainty that Riley.
after the shooting of O'Brien and the wild
chase across the bottoms, reached the river
shore, and there securing a log managed
to navigate across to the Nebraska side on
that, the voyage being a wild one on account
Of the floating ice. Near Bellevue he found
friends Of a shady reputation, who sheltered
him until he could make a safe escape out
of this part of the country. At the time OF
his escape James Raph saw him trying to
cross the river on a log and told the Of
fcers, but there were so many conflicting re-
ports coming in that all Of them could not
be investigated in time, and 1t now seems
that the very one which was not thus run
down was the very one which would have
led to his capture that very night. OBrien
has by no means given up hope of yet seeing
his assailant look out at him from behind
the bars, and makes the prediction that
within a very short time he will have tina
satisfaction. He is too well known a crook
now that his identity has been so fully es'
tablished, to long keep out Of sight Of the