The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-19

Fifty dollars reward for very tall
man" reads a circular posted in all the
police stations of ST. Paul
Acting under this incentive, Detec--
! tiVeS Michael Sweeney and Jack Daily,
who saw "a very tall man. making
| home from his work Thursday even
ing, arrested the gentleman and lodged
him in a cell at the Rondo street sta
ton, where he has remained ever since.
At the station the tall man gave the
name of William A. Mckinney. aged
| twenty-eight, and said that he was a
sign painter in the employ OF Frost &
Walker, at 462 Broadway
But the police have a theory. They
think that the prisoner is w. G. Hol-
comb of Dodgeville, Iowa county, Wis.
who escaped from the county Jail on
Nov. 18th last, where he was held for
trial on the charge Of forgery.
The arrest was made on the strength
OF circular sent out by Sheriff John
b. Wallis, of Iowa county, Wisconsin.
The circular describes Holcomb as a
man six feet five inches tall weighing
$50 to 1870 pounds, twenty-seven years Of
age, with dark hair and mustache. His
two upper teeth project outward from
the center. making the edge of said
teeth form the shape of the letter "
The prisoner at the Rondo station
does not exactly answer to the forego-
ing description, as he is even a taller
man than the very tall man" want
ed. Moreover Ibis two upper front
teeth" do not project outward" or IN
any other direction at the present time,
fer they are gone. Their absence is d
very suspicious circumstances to the
police.
At any rate, the fact that they had
! captured "a very tall man" with two
missing upper front teeth that might
have projected outward before they
were extracted, was communicated to
the sheriff of Iowa county. In reply,
Chief Cess received a telegram yester-
day afternoon from Under Sheriff Mon
day instructing him to hold Holcomb
and he would come at once.
Meanwhile the prisoner, who insists
| that his name is Mckinney. remains at
! the RondO street station, while good
| friend Of his executed every energy
| yesterday to secure his release.
The friend who did not make known
his name, called on County Attorney
i Anderson in the afternoon and laid the
| case before that official. He said that
he had been with Mckinney since the
first of last November when they were
| in business together in Chicago.
why that man Mckinney" said the
| friend, was never inside Jail in his
| life l have known him for several
years. Besides he don't answer the de-
scrption given the police. He is six
feet eight inches, instead of six feet
five. He's got a brother six feet seven
inches: another six feet six inches. and
his father was six feet four. You
might say he comes OF a tall family.
He's twenty eight years DID, and it's
true he has a small dark mustache.
We've been in st. Paul since jan
uary. and have been employed at Frost
& Walkers paint shop. It's shame he
should be thrown into a cell and kept
there two days just because he hap
pens to be a very tall man. 1 want to
get him out at once. You can be sure
he won't run away"
County Attorney Anderson assured
Mr.. McKinney's friend that he could
not release him, and that the only way
to get immediate action was to sue.
out writ of habeas corpus.
The friend departed much disappoint--
ed. but declared that he would hire
lawyer and get writ.
Holcomb is described as being a
"crank on school supplies" some of
which he is charged with obtaining
possession of on a forged order,