The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-01
NO JOY IN STOLEN MONEY.
SOMERS MAKES RESTITUTION AND
RETURNS TO PRISON.

His Strange Carecr-Hunter of Train Rob
Der Bunch-His Theft of 900, 900, Flight,
Capture, Two Escapes aud surrendeR
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. %. There is no pleas
ure in stolen money" is the testimony of Charles
o. Somers, the noted express robber who has
Just voluntarily surrendered to the Missisaipud
authorities, and has asked to be allowed to serve
out his term In the pcnitcntiary. Somers has
travelled widely in the last five years, has visited
Europe and lived cxtrayagantly there; but hi,
crime has weighed on him all the time and made
his money valueless and the fact that he was
an escaped convict liable to be arrested at any
moment. has. like the deaths head at the Persian
feast, always stared at him and destroyed all
pleasure.
The story Of Somers's crime is full Of incident
and would point dozen morals No one would
make a stronger missionary against crime than
he, for better tell how ut biteth like an
adder" Somers only 20 when he came 70
Louisiana and Mississippi as a Pinkerton de-
tectivc to assist the railroads and express com.
panes in hunting down the gang Of train robbers
who. under the leadership Of the famous Ben
Bunch. had made three or four big haus near
Duck Hill, Miss and Buckalunna. Beulen, La,
and at other places The campaign agains
the robbers was very hot and In II Somers took
a leading part The railroads contributed lib
orally indeed they were willing 10 contribute any
amount to get rid Of the nuisance. Somers showed
considerable generalship. He had a large posse
secured in Washington parish, where the gang
made their headquarters, and finally captured
Major" Hapgood, one Of Bunch's lieutcnants
Hapgood OF some other Of the men were bribed to
bctray the robber chief and Bunch was finally
cornered Pearl River. He had always said
that he would never be captured alive, and he
held to his word. for he was finally killed In q
skirmish refusing to the last to surrender,
Somers IS connection with the put him on the
inside, 50 far as the express compa MES were
cerned. He was their agent and trusted one.
and he had free to the Office and to the
where the money was kept While in the office
at Meridian chance was offered 10 him to walk
out with $50, 900 without any danger of immediate
detection II was, he said momentary tcmpta-
ton which he could not resist; he took the money
and walked out, and as he was a good detective
and knew Just what detectives would do. he knew
how to escape and got away without the slightest
difficulty There is every reason to believe
Somerss story that he yielded TO a sudden temp
tation. His former life had been blamelcss
There is nothing to show that he had conceived
a plan of robbinR II a simple case, where
he had $50, 600 before him, saw a chance to get
away with IT, and yielded to it, He opened tho
safe. got the money and escaped.
Well planned Somers's escape was he was
not destined to enjoy his liberty long A few
months aftcrward he was captured, brought
back to Meridian and tried. convicted and SEN
fenced to five years Imprisonment at ha rd labor in
the penitentiary. Somers felt the disgrace very
keenly, as he was man Of good family He
was confined in the pentcntary in jackson, but
he lived in mental terror lest he should be sent TO
one Of the State convict farms, then under con-
tract labor, and where the life was very hard
and severe. As he subsequently wrote to Gov.
Mol al. ,1,-
need remain in the Mississippi penitentiary who
does not care to stay there, Fearing that he
would fall into the hands of the convict CON
tractors, Somers planned to escape He had been
in prison only few months when he left it, He
had stained his convict clothes that ut would
not give him away" and altered il so that II could
easily pass muster This he wore under the
ordinary prison garb He waited until a green
guard was placed in charge and stationed at inc
northeast tower Of the penitentiary. He persuaded
the guard that the warden wanted him and that
he was "trusty." and when the man went to tho
warden, he slid down a small rope and escaped.
He well provided with money. for he had
"salted away" the 500. 600 he had stolen, and he
made at once for the Pacific Coast intending 70
60 to China or Japan.
Somers found serious difficulty in his way. He
| was too well known. for a detective he had m 81
hundreds Of persons. and the Pinkerton men were
| all on lookout for their former companion. Ono
Of them recognized him at San Francisco, Just as
| he was about sailing for Yokohama, and he was
! arrested and brought back to Mississippi and
! again placed in the penitentisry. He served
sixteen months this time but in April, 1894 he
escaped and has been free man until he volun-
tary surrendered himself this week
Somers's second escape was simple enough
| He bribed one of the guards French by name
| The two came together TO New Orleans, where
Somers paid French. and they separated. lie
| took the steamer to Europe. where, under tho
name of Nelson. he has resided most Of the time
| since. He had plenty Of money he was foItunate
and increased the $50 00O and enjoyed every lux
| ury, but his life abroad was none the less bore
to him and full Of regrets The money taken
from the express company was paid back but even
this did not satisfy Somers's conscience or quiet
his fears Last year he returned from Europe.
spent some time in Canada, and finally wandered
off to the Klondike where he went into the mining
business and was again successful
| But all this time he suffering mental tor
ture, and never once enjoyed peace. lie was
constantly In fear that he would be arrested sent
back to the Mississippi penitcntiary and be pun
| ished as twice escaped criminal He was 80
well known that he always on the edge Of
discovery, and his arrest at San Francisco con-
WINGED him that he would be identified by any
tremely nervous temperament. this constan,
dread preyed upon his mind and affected
his health.
In short, Somers had made up his mind 10 sur
render and serve out his term. He had for more
than two years thought OF surrender, but the idea
Of the striped suit and going back to the hardshipG
Of nit ntiary life from the comforts he was en-.
ioying dissuaded him, What seemed to have
finally turned the scale was the fact that he was
only 33 years Of age II he did not sur.
render he would have to endure the present agony.
his constant dread Of capture, for the remainder
Of his life thirty years more II he surrendered.
he would have, at the worst, less than four years
to serve This finally decided him. On his return
from the Klondke, he went TO New York from
which city he wrote 10 Gov McIauren on Sept
TO- informing him that he intended to surrender.
explaining his crime and his two escapes from the
pententiary and asking ClemcnCy. He left soon
after for jackson, stepped over TO Memphis on
Sept Is. where he tecgraphcd the Governor that