The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-04
ONCE A BANDIT
NOW A MINISTER
kid" Davis the Robber, and Rev.
ireland the Preacher.
A PARADOXICAL CAREER
A PARAD0XICAL
He is in the City and Will Conduct a
Series of Revival Services in
One of the Baptist
Churches.

one mans life. Such is the case, however,
and the Rev William F. Ireland who has
come to Birmingham an evangelical
mission, is the same man who as kid
Davis was a notorious meraber of the
famous Dalton gang of desperadoes and
murderers. For ten years he led life of
crime and adventure which stands almost
unparalleled in the history of criminals, but
was finally converted while serving an
eighteen months sentence in the Pennsyl-
vania penitentiary.
Immediately on the expiration of his sem
tence he started out as reformer and
spends most of his time in prison work,
believing that he can 90 the greatest
amount of good with that class with whom
he was associated for so long a time.
To talk to this innocent, it might be called
pious, looking young man one can hardly
believe that he was once a fearless des-
perado, pickpocket and professional safe
cracker, who let nothing stand between
MIN and the execution of his crime. Many
are the men who have looked into those
steel blue eyes as they sighted over the
barrels of gun and had to hand forth
their valuables, but none of these victims
ever thought they would see those same
blue eyes looking over the pages of
Holy Writ and telling young men the story
of salvation. His career is paradoxical.
Narrates Story of His life
AT the request of a reporter he briefly
narrated the story of his life which was
full of thrilling incidents from beginning 10
end.
Il was brought up by Christian parents"
he said land was taught to say my
prayers the same as other boys. but the
adventurous spirit seized me and at the
early age of fourteen 1 ran away with Bar
NUNS circus, which was showing in Boston
at that time
"The big show posters and great mys--
ferrous within of the show got me inter
ested and l wanted to go. Father OBJ
jected, but l went anyhow, and from then
my career began. L remember quite well
hw my mother looked that afternoon when
l told her goodbye. She admonished ME
to get back early from school, but it was
ten long years before L saw her again, and
during tnat time l had seen and suffered
the trying hardships OF a criminals life.
ine Ir.cks OF tiie ArAue
II finally left the show and landed in
Chicago where l fell in with the sneak
thieves on Clarke street. After duly serv-
ing my time as an apprentice in the art of
stealing l was taught how to slip in a
mans room, how to crack safes and in fact
all the tricks of the trade, in which l
soon became a professional. l have been
in many close places while plying my for
mer trade and in several instances barely
escaped with my life. l remember one of
the boldest things l ever did was to pick
up $500 from gambling table in Chicago
and got safely away with it.
IRON Chicago L went to Colorado and
Joined the famous Dalton gang, with whom
l was associated for two and a half years
Jack Dalton and 1 soon became personal
friends, and many long and weary rides
have We taken though the lonely Colorado
mountains while flying from the officers"
Were you with the Dalton gang at the
time of the Cotfeeville raid, when SO many
were killed?'
Almost shot to Death
mo; at that time L was barely breathing
on sick bed more than fifty miles from
there A few days before l was riding at
the head of the band about forty miles from
Denver, when, without the least warning,
the officers bounced upon us and the bullets
fell around us in a shower. However, we
returned shot for shot, and when the firing
was over L was severely wounded, having
four bullet holes in my body. To stop lne
flow Of blood l stopped up the holes with
cork shoppers from the TASKS the men car
!.
hausted, being finally cared for by an old
man to whom we disposed of our stolen
property. And, by the way, that man was
at that time, and is now, considered big
church man in his community.
After the breaking up of the Dalton
gang l gradually drifted eastward, and
while in a small town in Indiana l mar
ried the daughter of Methods. preacher
with whom l was boarding. We left there
and went to Australia, where my criminal
practices were kept up, but l could not
stay out of this country, and returned 10
America, my wife dying shortly afterwards
Started Gambling Houses
soon after coming back I started up
two gambling houses in Baltimore. l lad
organized a gang OF thieves and robbers,
who were faithfully working the city
when one night one of them held up peize
fighter and was caught. On promise of
acquittal he 'peached' on me and / was
arrested, and after hasty trial sentenced
to five years in the Cherry Hill penitea-
tiary. This sentence was afterwards di-
minished to eighteen months, and it was
while serving out this sentence that be-
came converted and accepted Jesus Christ
as my Saviour"
On being questioned about the methods
of picking pockets as employed by thieves
Mr. Ireland said: 1T is mistaken idea that
the entire hand is used. The two first an
gers only are used and an adept in the art
can use them the same as pair of
pinchers."
He further said that pickpocket never
had any trouble in locating the pocket in
which money or valuables were carried, as
the owner would invariably place his hand