The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-03-01
TACOMA Feb s-spec,al.-Tnere has

TACOMA. Feb. E4-Special.-Tnere has
been unearthed ar the county jail one OF
the most sensational disclosures that
ever appeared Ia this county. IL IS tas
confessions % Frank Smith. alias
slim walter Murphy and Fred Rob
erts. who were sent UP early last Decem-
Der for having burglars tools In their
possession. December Smith ana
Murphy were each sentenced 5y Munich
pal Judge Reid 20 one year in the county
Jail and $40 fine. Roberts was sentenced
TO six months. The sentences were sub
sequently reduced to six months each.
Murphy says there is an organization Ia
existence TO which all the crooks OF the
Northwest belong The headquarters OF
The knights of the Jimmy" as the as
sociation is named. Murphy says. are at
Seattle. where there are 90 members.
Murphy saws that he Is anxious 10 get
out in time for the queens birthday cele-
hration OF May "A. as that is dead soft
thing" and after that he intends 20 20
TO the Kootenai district and work the
country for all IL is worth.
Smith says he served a year IN Penn
sylvania Jail for burglary. alter which he
went to Oregon. and robbed the rooms OF
guests at the Portland hotel. he was
captured BY a night Waterman. and con-
yicfed by the testimony of a chamber
maid. He served one year at the Salem
penitenfiary He worked his way 10
British Columbia, made several good
turns" and then returned 10 Seattle
where he participated in the robbery OF
Hyams. Panson & Co.'S store, on First
avenue and Columbia street. This rob
berry was OF a jar OF money offered in
prizes in a guessing contest and Smith
says ne climbed over the transom to get
the booty. He says he secured $16 in
that deal He came TO Tacoma and was
captured a short time afterward, at the
Grand Central hotel by Detectives F'lan-
nigan tnow of Portland and Ashley, of
Tacoma. and CudNlee. OF Seattle, For
this offense Smith says he served five
years at walla Walla.
When he was liberated Seattle was too
hot 10 hold him so he came 70 Tacoma.
Then. with Murphy and Roberts. he
rented a shack within three or four
blocks OF Mcdonald & Todd's store, in
the new addition. believing that this es-
adjustment would have a lot Of money
on hand. The shack was fitted Up. and a
false ceiling was fixed over one of the
rooms.
At the robbery Of the store, Murphy was
the outside man, and Smith and Roberts
did the lcoting. They found only % cents
in the cash drawer. This made them an
cry, and they resolved to go through the
entire establishment. They made numer-
Gus packages Of ali the valuable goods they
could secure. 10 the amount OF $3.50 worth.
using blankets for wrappers. and carried
them to their hut, where the booty was
stored in The false ceiling. The next day
they cached $l,0o0 worth Of their goods
elsewhere.
The police searched the place, but fall
cd TO find more than few OF the stolen
articles: but subsequently one OF the rob
bers accompanied the officers to the
shack TO restore the goods on condition
that no greater than a county jail SEN
tence be given them.
The confessions of these criminals viii
be looked upon by the authorities in the
entire Northwest as some Of the most
important evidence ever brought out re-
gardlng crimes that have been CON-
mitted