The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-30

Matthes, brought them to Wichita and
put them in Jail. They are charged with
horse and cattle stealing and win be
charged with counterfeiting. Ballard told
in his confession that Matthes' farm was
headquarters for the gang. Three stolen
horses were found by the sheriff yesterday
at Matthes' place. Their owners are
known.
Later yesterday afternoon Deputy Sher-
if Dunkin arrested Herbert Simpson and
Willis Simpson here in Wichita, on charges
of horse stealing. They are BARRIERS. Bal
lard says that Herb Simpson dressed in
Women's clothes and went TO the jail in
Eureka, where Dobbs was confined, and
offered him saws to cut his way out of
jail Dobbs refused because ne said he
was innocent. The jailer at Eureka cor
roborates this story about a woman COM
ing there at night to see Dobbs-
That makes four alleged members of the
gang in Jail here A reporter for The Star
talked with Mr.. and Mrs. Matthes late last
night. They said they did not know what
they were arrested for. They admitted
that Frank Allgood Alvin Ballard. Bill
Turner and the Simpsons had been often
at their house north of Hutchinson.
Oficer Fleeman and Sheriff Simmons
have found a bag of counterfeit silver dol
lars in a closet in the rear of Mrs Jones
dressmaking place hare in Wichita, where
Ballard told they were hidden. The mould
for making the counterfeits was found in
a sand bank where he told it was. They
have recovered eighteen horses in this and
Greenwood county and returned them to
their owners. They have the location of
fully fifty other stolen horses described by
Ballard.
The murder of William Coulter, which
Ballard charges to Allgood, was done in
1889. Coulter lived with his wife on a
farm near Eureka. He was treasurer of
the district and had drawn $500 from the
bank to make repairs in the district. One
night two men, one with a mask on and
dressed as a woman came into Coulter's
house and shot him dead. Mrs. Coulter
fought the man in woman's clothing and
pulled out part of his mustache.
Mrs Coulter and William Taylor were ar
rested for the murder, but were acquitted
Alvin Ballard says that two years ago
he and Turner and Allgood went to the
Coulter farm and drove off nine head of
cattle and Allgood told him then that it
was he who murdered Coulter. Ballard
drew a map Of the Coulter farm for the
warden and it was correct in every par
ticular.
W. P. F1eeman was deputy sheriff in
Greenwood county when Coulter was muir
dered. Fleeman said last night: ct have
known Allgood and his gang for years. 1t
is with a good deal of satisfaction that I
am running them down.
Leavenworth, Kan, March 2S.-A!vin
Ballard, the young convict whose confes-
sions led to the arrest of Allgood and the
Simpson brothers. repeated his story this
morning at the penitentiary. Ballard is
tall and erect, holding his head thrown
back. He has none of the lines in his face,
unless it be recklessness, to indicate the
criminal Since his entrance into the Kan
sas penitentiary he has been employed IN
this harness shop. He wears the good be-
havior uniform and has been permitted to
grow a slight, Hght-colored mustache.
Two distinguished features Of his face are
the unusual length of his eyelashes and
tho heaviness of his eyebrows, which al
most meet. Until he became interested in
the story he was telling, Billiards. speech
was marred by very perceptible lisp.
This disappeared, however.
For an hour Ballard declined to say any
thing, asserting that he had told all tiat
had led to the arrests and ne would not
say anything new until he was called to
the stand Not until he was assured that
he would have the protection Of the state
officers in any attempt of others to harm
him would he speak. Much that he knew
ne withheld, on the, advice of the prison
chaplain.
Ballard is only 20 years OF age, yet he has
been identified with the worst criminal ele-
ment of southwestern Kansas for three
years. He was sent to prison for eight
years for the theft of a team in Wichita
about year ago.
I'm surprised that Allgood had been ar
rested instead Of Turner" he said. 'sTur-
ner Is not near so willy as Allgood and it
seems queer he lodged the officers. There
are two men in the prison whom you don't
know, warden. They have been connect
ed with the work of the gang and If you
keep me quiet can get all they know"
Ballard hesitated TO continue his story
once begun. His statement, so far, re-
ferred to a system of communication be-
tween the convicts of the state peniten-
tiary. one that no warden has ever been
able to break up. The prisoners have a
cipher code for writing and one of tapping
with a pencil, not unlike the sound of a
telegraph instrument
I'm April, 1886. was thrown into jail for
grand larceny in Wichita" Ballard said
''and I was innocent The prosecuting wit
ness who secured my conviction went 10
work afterwards and got me released. The
reason / was sent to jail was that it
shielded some others who got away. In
iau I met a counterfeitar and three others
and got very intimate with them After
got out got them a set of tools for break
ing Jail and they took me into their conf
dence. They got me TO go with them and
showed me how TO make good money. They
made gold, silver and paper and l could
not tell them from the real thing They
showed me how to open safe and all
that They had plans that bound all OF
the gang together and 1 learned them
know all the hiding places I was with
them on mast of their raids and l know
about the workings in most OF the crimes
Of the gang. We mad runs from Texas
and the territory ali through No-Man' $
Land, the sand hills and the Grass
mountains. The sand hills south OF Hutch
inson was the favorite place 10 make
run after a raid.
I'VE stole horses. buggies and cattle
know where there are tooLs hidden all over
the sand hills. Those that robbed ire
Hutchinson postoffice are hidden or
Matthes ranch. There are caves and IN