The sun., 1898-06-05
STORIES ABOUT CROOKS

As Related at the Recent Gatherin
of the Chiefs of Police IN Mil
waukee.
1t is one thing to catch thief and j
is another thing to hold him. Durin
the meeting of the Chiefs of Police OF al
the larger cities of the United States an,
Canada, which occurred at Milwaukee
recently, which Chief of Police Dolan O
this city attended, there were reminis
cences without number of remarkable
captures and of escapes which borderet
closely upon the miraculous. Tones O
criminal history were taken from thu
shelves of memory and opened at chap
ters of thrilling interest by the mef
themselves who had been the principa
actors. History? Yes, that is the
proper word, but most men would pro-
nounce it romance.
''The most remarkable escape from
prison that | can recall,' said William
A. Pinkerton to a group OF Chiefs and
Superintendents, ''was that of Frank
Steadman from the San Quentin prison.
But I'll not tell you about it, for here is
John Glass, who caught Steadman and
sent him back to San Quentin
Chief Glass Strengthened his six feet
three inches, and pjnched the brown i'm
perial on his under lip refectively for a
moment before he responded to the looks
of inquiry bent upon him by those not
familiar with the story.
The escape to which you refer, Pink
erton, was made after ] sent Steadman
to San Quentin, and not before. was
not the fortunate one to get him after
that last wonderful break. And to tell
the truth, have never taken to myself
much credit for taking him the time l
did, for it was to considerable degree a
matter of good fortune. You see, we
were just at that time keeping our eyes
open for bank robber by the name of
Barnes, who had gone into one of the
banks out there, covered the one man
who happened to be alone in the place
at the time, locked him up in the vault,
and then coolly walked out of the bank
and out of sight with all the funds he
could get his hands on.
"One day man answering closely the
description we had OF Barnes stepped off
the train at Los Angeles. We took him
in tow at once, but found we did not
have the bird we were after. However,
we managed to hold him long enough to
find out that he was Frank Steadman,
who had become notorious even at that
time as successful Jail breaker. He
had four or five escapes from prison in
southern Indiana credited to him, had
got away from Joliet, and had still seven
years to do at the Illinois prison, had
also been at San Quentin and had es-
capped from there with five years unfin-
ished.
"Steadman was machinist by profes-
sion, and burglar by inclination.
When he was sent back to San Quentin
to finish his time he was put to work
with other convicts in the engine ROOM.
1t was here that an idea came into his
brain that for absolute dar ng and fear
lessness was typical OF the man. He had
noticed that every evening at the time
the men working in the engine room
were lined up to be marched away, the
machinery was stopped at exactly the
same moment. He had observed as well
that a window leading to an adjacent
roof was not far from the top OF the big
driving belt of the engine. From that
roof it was possible to reach The outer
wall OF the prison. Beyond the wall was
freedom. He had escaped so many times
that his mind reverted again and again
to the window high up ON the wall of
the engine room. Apparently it was be-
yond all possibility OF being reached. No
ladder was to be obtained. Had such
thing been even standing in place against
scale it with catlike dexterity. although
the work of but few seconds, he well
knew would be futile, possibly fatal.
Bullets travel faster than legs, and the
guards were not bad shots. But desper-
ate deeds demand desperate means.
Some minds may work with an in
genuitv born of despair, but Steadman's
was of different calbre. His plans
were the outgrowth of steadfast optimism
He never ceased to scheme, as he never
ceased to hope for liberty.
cone day there came to him, as if by
the, thought that the big !
belt might be the means OF carrying him
to his goal. He found that it was i'm
possible to count the revolutions of the
driving wheel, but there were lacings
in the broad belt, which he was able to
distinguish as a sort of blur as it passed |
a given point. For days and days he
counted, and in his cell at night he
spent his time in calculations. He dig
covered the exact plumber of revolutions
the wheel made per minute. He learned
also, by constant observation, just how
many times the belt went round after
the engine was shut down
cone evening, when the line had been
formed as usual at the close Of the days
work, and as the big wheel began to
lose its momentum, suddenly convict
sprang from the line, leaped to the belt,
with outstretched arms graphing both
edges of the broad leather. He had
well the strength that would
be required, for the terrific wrench did
not loosen his grasp. Outward and up
ward he swung until he reached the
topmost point OF the circumference.
The nicely Of his calculation had reaped
its reward The belt stopped. He
eaped to his feet, sprang through the
and was gone before convicts
)r guard had recovered from their aston
He caught up guards coat
md hat, dropped from the wall and got
,way in the dusk of the evening. | am
Inclined to believe that as mathemati-