The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-06-04

Among Crinainals.
Anthony Mellon, the partner Of W. H.
Knowiton. or Rebel George as he is
more commonly called, was not in a good
humor yesterday. DIR. Van Dyke, who
has charge of Mellon, also preferred that
he be left to himself. The wounds on
Melons head are all superficial, but he is
suffering considerable pain from badly
broken right arm. The bone is broken
near the socket at the shoulder. and the
surrounding flesh has swollen a great
deal.
Mellon can be excused for his gruffness
because things have been going hard with
MIN ever since he arrived in Seattle. AS
crooks say: Seattle is not right" This
means that the town is hard to work the
police are not in sympathy with swindling
and the judges in the superior court are
inclined to give seven and eight spots
An Eight spot means eight years in the
penitentiary.
The first thing Mellon did in town was
to visit Mrs. Wilson on Madison street.
and by his appearance at the conclusion
of his visit it would have been better for
him to have gone to dog fight. People
who are wise to the way of crooks may
wonder why Mellon made such fight
when he saw that he had slipped into
bad mess The real reason was that he
did not want to lose a large sum OF paper
money he had in a pocketbook. A Post
Intelligercer reporter learned last even
ing that Mellon had between $3.50 and
$3.50 on his person. OF this either $3.50 or
$3.50 was in his trousers pocket the re-
mainder being In a pocketbook. He fought
TO save the pockethook, and did so, but
the cash In his pockets was stolen by
kid" Wilson and the woman who passed
as his wife 1t is not known whether the
Wilson's realized that Mellon had so much
money. or whether they would have fed
so quickly If they had known the size of
Melons roll"
1t will be recalled that Knowiton told
yesterday about the fight between himself
ard Mellon, that Mellon demanded that he
share half the loss. of the 1890, as he had
done in the .repairS OF valise. Mellon
meant that Knowlton ought to bear half
the loss he experienced by the Madison
street robbery. AS to the repair of
valise. there is "nigger in the wood
pile which may be explained by assum-
Ing that the Wilson woman or kid" Will
son stole knowltons valisc, and that
certain sum Of money was paid to have
IL returned. This Is mere assumption. of
course. but II is not reasonable that there
would have been anything said about the
trifiing cost incurred in the repairing
of a vaiise. Neither KnowIron nor Mel
lon value $40 or so when they are in clover.
and the condition of their finances at pres
ent proves that they have been prospect
ing In rich territory.
Great Faro Players.
Knowlton is one OF the greatest faro
bank players in the country. and 1t Is
said that Mellon is In the same class
Mellon however. lacks the nerve of his
elder companion. although he may he as
smooth and oily in other directions 1t
may sound strange to some people TIC hear
that Knowton is wei! liked by those who
know him. other than in his professional
capacity as swindler. yet 1t is true. lie
Is good-natured man. fine judge of hui
man nature, and always ready TO help a
friend. His nerve is something remark
able and 1t Is not an exaggeration to say
that he is the king-pin of all criminals
ever handled by the local police. with the
exception of Tom Blanck. who tried to
kill Detective Cudihee.
knowlton knew Blanck. and read his
character like book Bianck was
Knowlton's physical master, but his in
fcrior mentally Ex-City Detective John
Roberts spoke to Anthony Mellon short
time before he was taken 70 the hospital
about the way Tom Blank shut knowiton
up in a cell when he made his escape that
ended in death
Yes" replied Mellon George has told
me about that. He said Blanck had dis
agreeable way of giving orders. But he
oheyed'
k0owlton Is a greater criminal than
Blanck. because he uses his brain. Blanck
was a desperate. who did not value
life and who cleared obstacles from his
path by means of his pistol. which he
could use quicker and more accurately
than any other desperate who ever came
to the Pacific Northwest. BlGnck had a
wonderful blue eye. but II WAS hard eye
to read. knowlton has the most wonderful
eyes the writer has ever seen. They are
clear. and ordinarily would he spoken of
as blue. hut the longer you look the more
they appear 10 have green tinge. II he
fsstens his eyes on you. there is a feeling
engendered that he is reading Your
thoughts and sizing you up from head 10
foot He can take a mans measure and
do II very quickly.
knowlfon is now - years old and there
is not a state or territory IN the Union
that has escaped his visitation. He IS
known by every detective In the country
who has any idea about hts business and
If he had served the fun quota OF the SEN
fences that have been imposed upon him
he would have been in Jail twe,ltv-three
years. He never serves a full sentence
because he is a model prisoner and does
not believe In the ''gei away system.
Give him his liberty without dollar to
wealth. He plays for high stakes both
In gold brick swlndiing and faro. His
success is due n the fact that he is the
most original man IN his business" and
can read human nature. He ran act any
character he assumes perfectly. as was
proved by Banker Weddings description
OF Nnowlton. disguised as n countryuan.
taking his first ride in an elevator His
originality is seen in the plot by which
he got Mr.. Woo'ipg 10 come from Aber-
deem ~ Seattle 90 inspect the gold brick
He took Mr.. Noosi!ag out in the woods
whore his partner. John Russell was
waiting. dressed up as an Indian Russell
had the brick but as soon as II was bored
Russell made a quick trip 10 town and
transformed himself into an aSsayer and
when Farmer" na0witon entered tha
room with Banker Wedding Russell was
reading a Bible.
The article printed in tho Post-Tntelli-
gcncer yesterday morning about knn~l-
ton gave prominent business man 90 this
city quite a start. Perhaps IL saved him
from bitter experience.
Nuonltou Oar on Rail