The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-04
MRS. CONOVER IS SMOOTH
She Found It Easy to Work a
Philadelphia Judge.
AND THE CROOK, WENT FREE
Burns Was in Hook for Pocket
Picking, and 1t Was Not Known
That He Killed Man in Chicago
Until After the Judge Had Been
Buncoed.

Philadelphia, Jan. 4. One of the neatest
bunco games Of recent years was worked
last Saturday on Judge Yerkes, who was
induced by pitiful tale told by a weeping
woman to release boy he had sentenced
to the Huntington Reformatory. 1t was only
q few hours later, after mother and son
had left Philadelphia, that telegram was
received from Chicago, saying that the boy
was wanted there for murder. When the
boy was sentenced Chief Miller learned that
Chicago was his home, and q photograph
was taken and a proof mailed to Chief
Badenoch OF the Windy City. The boy was
then known as Edward Burns, and had been
arrested and convicted for picking pockets
in Market street store.
On Thursday night woman with youth
visited Moyamensing prison and declared
she had received in Chicago an anonymous
telegram stating that her son was in Jail
here. She gave her name as Mrs Edward
Conover. and Edward Burns she identified
as her erring son.
Conover Was Released.
Mrs. Conover's subsequent trip to Doyles-
town and her fearful pleadings with
Judge Yerkes have been exploited, and
on Saturday the Judge released Edward
Conover, saying that it was his first official
act OF the New Year, and he trusted it
would he fraught with good results. The
scene in court was most affecting, but it
now appears that the whole performance
was a well planned scheme to deceive the
judge.
M
Iieved 10 have left Philadelphia about
noon on Saturday, and six hours later
came a reply to the photograph sent by
Chief Miller, stating that the original
was Vincent ShevIin, and he was wanted
in Chicago for murder. The photo
graph arrived in Chicago on Thursday
night, and Chief Miller was cxasperated
at the delay in answering, but he imme-
diately stationed detectives at all the
railroad stations, and wired Roger O'Meara,
superintendent of the PittSburg police, to
examine Chicago trains. 1t was too late.
The fugitives had a good start, and had
disappeared.
AS late as IL 80 O'Clock on Saturday
morning Detectives Bond and Murray
saw the woman and the boy at Green's
Hotel, and not knowing Burns had been
released, came near rearresting him.
Came Near Being Rearrested.
The woman explained the situation,
however, and the two detectives hurried
back to the city hall, where they found that
the young man then known as Conover was
actually free. When arrested the young
man wore knee brooches, making him look
much younger than he really is, but he had
on long trousers when the detectives Saw
him leaving Green's Hotel.
A later examination showed that the
woman had registered al Green's as Mrs.
Shevlin, although at the prison and before
Judge Yerkes she represented herself as
Mrs. Conoyer.
From Chicago it waslearned that Vincent
Shevlin, though but sixteen years old, has
record CT having served a term in the Pom
tiac reformatory, having been sent there
when but eleven years old. He is tire nof
Mrs Conover, who has several other names,
Shevlin being one Of them, and Mike and
Johnnie Shevlin are his brothers. Both of
them are well known to the police. Vim
cent is wanted for the murder on November
20 of James Maher, also a crook.
James Maher frequented the home OF one
sembled to sort their booty and tell of their
achievements. Maher had nice-lOoking
woman for a wife, and she generally went
with him to Mollie Motifs home. Either
she or James had been injudicious in the
use of words, for when they went there on
the night OF November 20 last a quarrel
greeted them.
Maher Fell Dead.
The police do not say with any great
certainty what the quarrel was about
but they do know that the upshot of it
all was a fight, during which a shot was
fired. and in response to the bullet which
accompanied the noise James Maher fell
dead. SO the police found him.
They also found Mollie Mott in the house,
andlearnedthatt the rest oftbecOmpanyhad
been composed of Patrick Fogarty, Mike
Sage and the Shevlin boys. General ar
rests and a confession convinced the police
that Maher had been killed by Vincent
Shevlin, who was the only missing guest.
Although indicted, the police heard moth
ing of him Until Edward Brown was con
victed in this city on Thursday.
The police here sent his picture to Chi
cago and Edward Brown was identified as
Vincent Shevlin, we'll known thief and al
legged murderer.
AS to Mrs. Conover, she Is not known
to the Chicago police, by that name, at
least, but it is asserted at the Chicago
headquarters that they know who the
woman is, and that she has figured at one
time or another as the maternal ancestor
of at least fifty crooks in the vicinity OF
the Illinois metr opolis.