Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-12-02
DESPERATE CLARK.
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE GRIM
iNALS OF HIS TIME.

A Daring and Goodness That Have Seldom
Been Equaied- Hanged at Last For Muir
der-The Refined and Pious Woman who
Mourned Him.
There lived in this city until few
years ago, and may be living here still,
a 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-
rvs crime. She was the wife of John
Clark, one of the most remarkable Grim
inals of his time Although thorough
ly respectable, well 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 III Rochester. When he
was boy, he figured in all sorts of
wild escapades, was arrested several
times for small offenses and had devel-
oped into a professional crook before he
was 20 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, a 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
Itwas 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 in 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 in Rochester, he
was walking one day through the ar
cade, right i'll 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 a
| girl-he was a great man for the girls
and he was twirling cigarette i'll his
mouth. A big, strapping man passed
them, looked back into the girl S face
and smiled. That angered Clark. With
out moments hesitation he drew re-
volver from his pocket and fired. The
bullet knocktd d 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 a moment,
stopped to relight his cigarette. He was
as cool as il 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 on the slightest
proyocation.
"Clark made great deal of money
from his robberies He took something
like $50, 600 out Of Mexico, most of it
from bank. He was arrested in one of
the southern states and lodged i'll Jail,
but he escaped before he had been there
day. Later he was caught in 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
/ 800, 600 by robbing houses and banks.
He was, i'll my opinion, the most skill
ful burglar of his time. well remem
ber one night when a business man of
Rochester was robbed by him. The
mans house was on East avenue, the
best street of the town. Clark discoy-
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
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
out Of the window He must have
thought they were bewitched, for he
could not sec for the moment the string
and the stick AS soon as he had recov
cred his self possession he ran out to
look for the thief, but it was no use
Clark was far away by that time.
tClark was cornered III Rochester at
last He had just returned from one Of
his long tours Of burglary through the
country He was seen coming out of
the house " here his wife lived, and two
or three policemen went in pursuit of
him. When they cornered him in an
alley, he turned and shot one of them
dead
'sAll the time he was in Jail await
ing the execution Of his sentence to- be
hanged his wife was daily visitor
+ She is still d handsome woman, with an
air of refinement and good breeding
about her He was the coolest man l
ever saw on the scaffold He walked up
the steps smoking cigarette and smil-
ing as if he enjoyed himself. Just wait
| till finish this smoke and I'm ready. y
he remarked They let HIM finish it.
sHis death broke his poor wife's
heart | saw her two or three years aft
erward, and she was wrinkled and old,
and the gray was beginning to come in
to her hair. She drifted to this city,
and perhaps she is here yet. New
! York Sun.
In the Belgium parliament when
member is making long speech he may
be supplied with brandy and water at
povernmest eznense.
| Versatile DR.. Bedloe.
Among the accomplishments of DR..
Edward Bedloe of Philadelphia, the
American consul at Canton, China, is
remarkable skill in mirnicry. He can
initiate with his voice the accent and
mannerisnGs of speech of all the leading
actors and orators as we'll as number
of musical irstruments. His limitations
of the twanging of banjo are exceed
ingly accurate. some years ago DR..