The San Francisco call., 1896-02-13
How the Money Was Found
Divided Into Parcels and
Reburied.
FROM LUXURY TO A PRISON
Mystery of the Great Yolo Train
Robbery Solved by Detective
Thacker.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Feb. II. = The
mystery which has so long hung over the
disappearance of $51 300, the proceeds of
the great Yolo train-robbery which oc-
Cured on the 18th of October, 1894. has at
last been solved. A man who has been
living like an Eastern nabob on the hard
pelf of Wells, Fargo & Co. for the past few
months occupies cell in the County Jail,
and at least $4,000 of the stolen money has
been returned to the Golfers of the
company.
For the past three years member of the
tramp fraternity known as Karl has re-
sided in brush camp within 100 yards of
the place where Browning and Brady so
hastily buried the proceeds of their sue
cessful robbery. The real name of this
man is J. P. Harman. Some four DAYS
after the robbery Harman, or Karl, as he
Is better known, found the money, divided
it up into separate parcels and reburied it
in other spots.
Some time nfterward he took a portion
of the gold, as he claims, $40, 900, and went
to San Francisco, where he represented
that he had been left large fortune by
relatives in the'old country. He engaged
apartments at 91S Folsom street, which
he furnished in the most luxurious style.
and Immediately proceeded to procure
himself an outfit of silk underwear and
other clothing fit for any prince of the
blood.
Harman soon demonstrated that he was
a blood of the bloods and knew how to
spend his money in wine dinners and the
society of women, and his ill-gotten wealth
disappeared like the dew before the morn
ing sun.
In the meantime Detective Thacker had
obtained clew to the disappearance of
Karl from his chosen haunts in the brushy
precincts of Yolo County and had. been
endeavoring to get trace of him.
Eventually he found that he had been
intimate with a man named Augustine,
who resided in Sacramento. He found the
latter, who admitted that before Kard left
Sacramento he had sent him, Augustine,
over to his camp in the woods to get a
quantity of provisions which was there.
When he got to the camp he found a num-
ber of papers in which money had tean
wrapped.
Last week Thacker obtained a trace Of
Karl in San Francisco, and soon afterward
had him pointed out by another German.
Thacker accosted the man and requested
him to accompany him to Wells Fargo's
office. He did SO, and was there accused
OF having taken the money.
Pinned down, he acknowledged that he
had found the coin, but insisted that he
had only taken $4,000. He gave up $2O49,
which was deposited in the German Bank.
AT Thacker's request he Iaccolnpa MED the
latter to Sacramento and went to the place
where the money had been buried. On
their return Karl was arrested by Sheriff
Johnson and charged with seereting money
known to have been stolen.
Thacker then went to San Francisco and
found that Kari had loaned a sum oi
money to 81. S. Kordt, wine merchant of
Battery street. The latter stated that
Karl had requested him to take $20, 600,
but he had refused. He had borrowed,
however, 5000, giving his note for the
same. This sum was also recovered as has
been a 5000 diamond stud, Sl75 gold
watch a very large assortment of valuable
clothing.
Karl has loaned and spent, In ALL $11 ,0OC
of the proceeds of the robbery, and it Is
believed that he knows where the balance
OF the stolen wealth is secreted.
Several months ago Thacker found
$4,000 buried near the scene of the rob-
berry. Brady and Browning took about
$l70o, and Karl has accounted for $11 900
and probably could account for the rest.