The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-17
TR|CKED THEO FF|CERS
$
But He Could Not Escape From His
Own Conscience.
STRANGE CASE OF A THIEF
RETURNS FROM THE KLoNDIKE
TO SURRENDER HIMSELF.
Gave Up the Money He Had Stolen,
Paid the Expenses Incurred In
Hunting Him and Asked That He
Be Made to Suffer For His Crime
Escaped Twice From Prison.

Chicago, Sept. ia special to the
Times Herald from Memphis, Tenn, on
the surrendering of c. o. Summers tc
the Mississippi authorities says:
Charles o. Summers formerly detec-
tive, an escaped convict from the Mis-
sissippi penitentiary, gold hunter OF
the Klondike and a man with con-
science is again in prison. he jour
neyed all the way from Dawson City,
Alaska, to New York, from New York
to Memphis and Memphis to Jackson,
Miss, to surrender himself as safe
robber.
Summers arrived in Memphis Thurs
day and called on superintendent G. w.
Agee of the Southern Express company
at his office. Summers said he was tired
of liberty that does not mean free
DOM" Even in the Klondike he had no
peace of mind. He thought of going to
China, but his conscience led him back
to Mississippi.
When he walked into Mr.. Ages office
he was prepared not only to declare re-
pentance, but to make restitution. He
turned over to Mr.. Agee $1,000 in cash
to cover the amount of his indebted
ness to the Southern Express company,
even including the company's expense
of pursuing him. He said that he
would also reimburse the state of Mis-
sissippi for the expense of bringing him
back from California, which he did
promptly upon reaching Jackson, pay
ing $500.
Mr.. Agee told Summers he would
trust him TO go to Jackson unattended
and that he could leave when he got
ready. Summers left Memphis and
Superintendent Agee received a tele-
gram dated at Jackson saying he had
arrived.
Wanted to Serve Sentence.
When Summers reached New York
from San Francisco, having gone from
Dawson City to that place, he wrote to
Governor MacLauren of Mississippi.
His feelings during the years he was a
fugitive in exile were expressed in this
letter. He desired to serve out his SEN
tence, make reparation for the wrong
and go forth in the world a man not
hunted by his fellow men.
In 1892 Summers was detective, anG
in that capacity was employed by the
Southern Express company to capture
Eugene Bunch, who had robbed
Southern Express train car at Ham
mond, Ia, in the spring of 1892. Bunch
was killed and his companions in the
robbery were captured.
While in the pursuit of the train
robbers, Summers was in and about
Meridian, Miss, a great deal, and ia
miliarized himself with the details of
the Office of the Southern Express COM
pany at that point. Soon after he re-
turned to Chicago and divulged to Tom
Murray, another detective, plan he
had conceived to rob the safe of the
express company at Meridian. Both
Summers and Murray resigned their po-
sitions and left Chicago for Meridian.
Summers had in the. mainline made a
false key to the office door and to the
safe. During the temporary absence
of the night clerk and his force, Sum-
mers entered the Office and safe by
means of false keys and distracted
parcel of $1,000. The money was hand
ed to Murray, who left on train for
New Orleans, while Summers retired to
&c hota1