The herald., 1897-08-18
MOST OF THEM ARE BURIED
BUT SOME REVIVED IN THE
CAUSE OF JUSTICE
Story of an Incorruptible Lawyer, a
Drink-Loving Detective and a
Nervy Miner


for embezzlers. absconders and other
high class fugitives of similar sort,
said an old forty-niner down the river
the other day, were to make run TO
the gold fields of Alaska, I'll wager
they'd make a roundup that would as
tonish them. 1t was shown during the
earlier years of the gold excitement IN
California that newly discovered mining
regions have an indescribable fasclna-
tion for men who, having stolen large
sums of money in their own communl-
ties, have been compelled to make run
for it, If the fact had been sufficiently
well known then, there would have been
a whole lot of vacant claims OF men VINO
struck California during the very best
of it and took out of the ground many or
them, enough gold to repay their OBJ
legations ten times over-which some OF
them did, and some didn't. The klon-
dyke country will be filled with money
takers from every corner of the United
States, whose double purpose in going
there will be to get enough dust out of
the placers to square themselves with
the people they have stolen from, be-
sides enriching themselves legitimately
There were not a great many appre-
tensions of embezzlerS from the east in
California during the gold days, but
there were some The most notable was
the capture of the bank embezzler John
s. Desire, who had stolen in the course
of years nearly 100000 from bank in
Charleston. S. c., and who, when he saw
that his discovery was drawing nigh,
made a final haul and jumped around
for California by way of Panama.
He was caught at Sacramento in 1851,
by a lawyer from Charleston, who had
been armed with police powers by the
governor of South Carolina, and Desire
was certainly the hardest loser when 1t
happened that ever came over the hills
1t was not such a wonder, either, that
he felt like hard-hit man when the
lawyer from Charleston appeared with
the warrant and requisition papers for
his arrest, for Desire was one Of the frs;
men to strike it rich early in 1850 in the
Shasta country. He had taken out some
thing like $500, 900 when his captor turred
up, and he had hundreds of thousands
more IN sight We all thought out there
that Desire got rather the worst of it
when every offer he made his lawyer
captor for a compromise was rejected
i
from the Charleston bank while he was
its cashier had been the savings Of
large number of small investors. AND the
bank was so doue up by the theft that it
had to quit when the discovery came
after Desires flight. This had so en-
bittered the plur dered depositors that
when it was learned that Desire was in
California under the name Of Matthias
they sent the lawyer after him with iu-
structions that any cost Desire was 10
be brought back to South Carlina for
heavy punishment. The lawyer was
stubborn and an incorruptible man.
"See here" said Desire, when the law
yer appeared at his place ir Sacramento
and showed his papers, I'm in the hole
In Charleston to the extent of a little
under 100000 That's right, isn't it?'
1.-The lawyer nodded.
Every WE'LL said Desire, here's a
check for the amount. That squares it,
doesn't it?'
mo said the lawyer; I'm under in
etructoins to take you back; I'm going to
do it.
"'But, you're going to be sensible
man, suppose? Now, here's check
for $150, ,0OO-it will be honored at that
bank right across the way-in satisfac-
tion of the money of the bank I appro-
priated for cotton speculation; and
here's another check-also to be cashed
Immediately across the way-for $780, 900
for the indulgence with which you have
or are going to treat my request
"'But I'm not; I'm going to take you
back by the next steamer
what?' exclaimed Desire. But, once
again All Of the money that yet have
beside the 5000, 900 have already offered
you is another 100000. Take it all, go
back to Charleston, and make a settle
ment of my affair with the bank-and
you need draw no more briefs
"'Desire, you must get ready to come
back with me-, replied the lawyer.
Besides the $500 900, I'll give you a
half interest in my diggings,' persisted
Desire.
1.-The steamer sails in three days, and
the coach leaves tomorrow morning for
San Francisco; get ready, Desire
MY friend, do you know that could
employ men to kill you before sunset,
and that nothing would ever be done
about it?' asked Desire in wrath.
MOI very WE'LL desire, WHeII tNeTe
are deputies outside this door at this
moment to see that you do no such
thing; pack up
And pack up the embezzler simply
had to. His lawyer captor brought him
safely to Charleston, where he got a
long sentence in spite of the wealth and
the deeds to his claims he brought with
him, and he died in prison a few years
later. The lawyer went to congress and
died fighting for the Confederacy.
1.-The detective who went from New
Orleans in 1856 to get William B. Dalton,
who had misappropriated something
like $4,000 from a private banking firm
of which he was member and then
struck for California by way of the Horn
on a sailing vessel, left his bones out
there. Dalton killed him and then blew
his own brains out The absconder had
made pretty fair strike on his placer
claim, and was easily within reach of
100000 when the detective turned up.
But Daltcn's success mad turned his
head and carried him into tide of dis
sipation, with the result that he got into
the habit of spending more of his time
carousing in San Francisco than he did
on his claim, which he generally left to
the supervision of a friend with an a.
joining claim while he was on these San
Francisco visits. Dalton was in the