The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-11-19
DESPERATE CLARK.
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE GRIM
INALs OF HIS TIME.


Been Equaled-Hanged at Last For Muir
der-The Refined and Pious Woman who
| Mourned Him. 3
There lived in this city until few
years ago, and may be living here still,
frail, careworn little woman whose
life had been linked with one Of the
| most unhappy and yet most interesting
romances in the annals of this centu-
ry's crime She was the wife of John
Clark, one of the most remarkable Grim
inals of his time Although thorough
ly respectable, we'll educated and high
minded woman and a devout member of
the church, she lived with him for
years, tried her best to reform him,
sought to protect him from the officers
who were ever on his trail and was
faithful to him to the end
Clark was the son of prosperous
business man i'll Rochester. When he
was boy, he figured in all sorts of
wild escapades, was arrested several
times for small otfenses and had devel-
oped into professional crook before he
was 90 years old. One of his most nota-
BILE traits was his love of display. He
was small and slender, with clean cut
features and black. curling hair. He al
ways wore silk hat, low cut vest,
white kid gloves and small, pointed
shoes that pinched his tiny feet. He al
so wore several large diamonds on his
fingers and shirt front. When he was
still very young, but long after his rep
utation had made him terror to the
town, he eloped with his cousin, a
beautiful young girl, carefully reared.
It was short honeymoon. The authori-
ties were too hot on his trail to allow
him to prolong his stay with his wife,
so, leaving her with friends, he set out
again on his travels From that time
until his death his visits to his wife
were far apart and uncertain. He was
too busy carrying out his bold plans for
robbery to stay long i'll the town.
Jailer John Cawthra of Rochester,
who knew Clark we'll and was present
when he was hanged in that town, in
conversation recalled the desperate
CLARK was the nerviest man ever
knew" said the old jailer when he
was on one Of his visits n,Rochester, he
was walking one day through the ar
cade right in the center of the town.
1t was crowded with people, and they
all knew who he was. With his gay
clothes and handsome face he was very
conspicuous. He was walking with
girl-he was a great mani for the girls
and he was twirling cigarette in his
mouth. A big, strapping man passed
them, looked back into the girls face
and smiled, That angered Clark With
out a moments s hesitation he drewsa re-
volver from his pocket and fired. The
bullet knocked off two of the mans fin
gers. Clark wiped the revolver with his
handkerchief, put it back in his pocket,
and, telling the girl to wait moment,
stopped to relight his cigarette. He was
as cool as if nothing had happened, and
you can bet there was no one around
there who dared touch him. They knew
he was John Clark and that he wouldn' t
hesitate to fire again Oh the slightest
provocation.
"Clarl made great deal of money
from his robberies He took something
like $4,000 out of Mexico, most of it
from a bank. He was arrested in one of
the southern states and lodged i'll Jail,
but he escaped before he had been there
a day. Later he was caught i'll this city
and locked up in the Tombs How he
got out no one knows to this day. There
were charges enough against him at the
time to send him to prison for the'rest
of his life. There are those who knew
Clark well who say he made at least
100000 by robbing houses and banks.
He was, in my opinion, the most skill
full burglar of his time. we'll remem
Der one night when business man of
Rochester was robbed by him. The
| mans house was on East avenue, the
| best street of the town. Clark discov-
cred that he kept good sized roll of
bank notes in his clothes all the time
The man was in the habit of sitting up
far into the night, and when Clark ap-
| peared on the scene to enter the house
| he discovered the owner in dressing
| gown, with his back to the window,
reading. This discovery, however, did
| not discourage Clark. He went away
and came back with long stick, to
which were fastened a string and hook.
| Suddenly the man inside looked up to
see his trousers, with his roll Of bills in
them. going swiftly through the air and
cut Of the window He must have
/ shcrght they were bewitched, for he
/ oould nos sse for the moment the string
and the stick As soon as he had recov-
e-a5 MS salf possession he ran out tc
iosk for the 1hisf. but it was no use.
4 ClGk was lar away by that time
/ CLARK was co-nsrsd IN Rochester a,
last Es ha6 !lss returned from one ot
n2s 2sog tcurs pf burglary through ths
cs1a-E- Es WIS sesn coming cut O.
-as bg-#s where his wife lived, and two
nE st2rss policemen went IN pursuit O.
him Whsa they oo-nerad him n al
allsy. hs su1sd gnd hos ons Of then
dead
All fos ti.ae lie was in jail await
ing the execution Ct his sentence 70 b
ss5.