The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-03-29
OUTLAWS CONFESSION
May Save Two Innooents Serving
Life Sentences For Murder.
AN ORGANIZED RAND OF ROBBERS

who, According to the Confession Of
. Member of the Gang, Have Been
Guilty OF Many Of the Crimes Charged
Against the Dalton Boys,
Kansas City, Mo-, March 29.-The
Star prints three column story regard
fng the arrest of a remarkable gang Of
Kansas criminals who have for years
lived by means of robbery and murder.
One Of the gang Is believed to be tho
murderer Of Joseph New, who was kill
ed In Greenwood county, Kan, two
years ago, for which crime News wifi,
and George Fl. Dobhs are now serving
life sentences. So firmly does Warden
Landis, of the Kansas penitentisry, BE-
lieve in the innocence Of Mrs. New and
Dobbs that he will Immediately urga
Governor Stanley to pardon them, Frank
Altgood, alleged to be the real murderer,
is in Jail at lola, Kan, under charge Of
forgery. Alvin Ballard, serving All
eight year sentence in the Kansas pen,-
Tertiary for horse stealing. has confessed
that he, Altgood and "Bili'' Turner were
the murderers of New, and that Mrs.
New and Dobbs are absolutely innocent.
Turner has not been found.
It seems that the men who murdered
New and robbed his dead body conspire.i
afterwards to convict the widow and
DObbs. The supposed murderer, Alt
good, according to Ballard, even went
SO far as to try to get on the jury which
convicted them. Ballard goes on to say
that he, Altgood and Turner were menl-
bers Of an organized gang of thieves
and murderers that operated in south.
eastern Kansas. As result of his con-
fession IL stolen horses, q bag of counter
felt silver dollars and counterfeiting
outfit have been recovered. Fifty other
horses stolen by the gang have been To-
Gated. Besides Altgood, B. l.. Mathes,
Mary Mathes and Herbert Simpson are
under arrest. The officers are on the
trail Of other members of the, gang. Of
icers who have been working on the
case have corroborated many Of Bal
lard's statements.
Ballard confessed to the prison officials
several days ago, and the arrests noted
were the outcome. Ballard said
"We had runs from Texas and the
Indian Territory all through No Mau's
Land and the sand hills south of Hutch
inson. Kan. We stole horses, buggies
and cattle. There are caves and under
ground houses all over the northern part
of the territory and Kansas that were
dug or found by the gang. Up in the
sand hills they have lots Of plate ma
chinery where we turned on the money.
Mathes' ranch, near Hutchinson, Is the
headquarters Of the gang. Mathes has
a corral on the ranch in which stolen
cattle and horses are driven from the
territory and then shipped. There are
tools hidden all around the ranch house
and a few graves, too"
Ballard described these graves, smiling
as he said that 10 one knew who their
occupants were. "A few stragglers," he
said.
Mrs. Mathes, Ballard said, kept a
diary of the gangs doings, and was thus
enabled to aid in procuring alibis. "This
gang" continued Ballard, "did lots of
things the Dalton boys were credited |
with. The older ones in the gang have
robbed trains tor 20 years, and are
guilty Of crimes others are suffering for.
Three Of the men who were in the Mis- |
souri, train robberies have been robbing |
the trains and stages in Texas and the
for 20 years. Altgood and
Jim Kennedy made several holdups near |
the Blue cut together. Altgood has done
a turn in some eastern penitentiary."
Kennedy is believed to be the notorious
Jack Kennedy, now in the Springfield,
Mo-, Jail awaiting trial for train rob-
berry.