The San Francisco call., 1897-04-27
MINING STOCKS
CAUSED HIS RUIN
Cripple Creeks Defaulting
City Clerk Is in
Town.
Marshal P. EaIes Will Return
With Him Probably This
Mrning.
Huri Frankly Acknowledges His
Crime and Kaen.y Feels His
Pos tion.

Marshal p. Eales of Cripple Creek, Colo,
arrived at the City Prison yesterday after
! noon with Joseph 7. Hurd, the defaulting
City Clerk of that municipality. The
Marshal is on his way to Cripple Creek
with Hurd and will probably leave this
morning.
Hurd was arrested IN Sonoma County
by Marshal Orr and was taken from
Cloverdale to the County Jail at Santa
Rosa Sunday morning.
He is man of education and refine
ment and feels his position keenIy. He is
native of Canada, 3S years of age and
held important positions on the leading
Eastern newspapers before settling in
Cripple Creek. Before his election a. City
Clerk lie was connected with Colorado
news aper.
He speaks frankly of his fall from grace
and attributes it to his infatuation for
gam bling in mining stocks.
''Just before the Presidential election
last November he said yesterday, ~ put
all the money l had on hand and all
could borrow into mining stocks, expect
ing that after the elections stocks would
go up in value.
Contrary TO my expeota tion stocks de-
clined and | ioolishly took about $4,000 of
the City funds to meet the deficiency,
vainly hoping that a turn In the wheel of
fortune would come to help me out Of my
difficulties.
Nothing of the kind happened, and
realizing that L would go out of office in a
short time and could only cover up my
defalcatiCn until my term expired, took
$1,000 of the Cty's funds and fled.
My original intention was 10 make my
way to Japan, but after arriving here
changed my mind and decided to take to
the mountains, and here am"
Speaking OF his arrest by Marshal Orr
he nin,ed that If he had been armed the
Marshal would not have got him without
a fight, but he philosophically conclude S
now thatit was better he was unarmed.
He has been married seven years and
says he never had any family trou ubles.
| His downfall was due solely TO his iniatu-
alton for specializing in mining stocks.
When Hurd was arrested $500 was found
in his pockets. He told Marshal Eales
that he had given $500 to e. P. Atkinson,
the Pullman conductor on the train from
Ogden.
Hurd reiterated the statement last
night. He said: The conductor took me
| for a Pnkerton man and kept his eve
upon me. When 1 went to sleep he
opened my gripsack and searched through
| it. but found no papers 10 give him a clew
| 10 my identity. He examined me closely
as sle pit and noticed that l wore wig
| Then he searched through my clothes
and found n false mustache in my vest
| pocket
Next morning he told me that was a
fugitive from justice, and hinted that he
could deliver me up. / saw that denial
would be useless, and as he might carry
out his threats / told him l would give
him $500 to get me safely out of the coun-
try. He told me he could not do that, but
| he could give me some good advice which
would be worth the $780, and I gave him
the amo..nt in five 500 hills.
at was through his advice that left
the train at Suisun aud went over the
mountains to Calistoga."
Marshal Eales and Detective Reynolds
saw ConG uctor Atkinson at his residence,
Ill Alpine street, last night. Atkinson
emphatically denied that Hurd had given
! him any money, and If he saio 80 he was
not telling the truth, adding that his
word should be taken in preference to that
of an embezz er. He admitted that he
saw Hurd on the train and talked with
him a good deal on usual topics, but not
a cent passed between them.