The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-08-20

nau ieit hcf "he Soh' an" N"h"'N'"
wealth.
After that we corresponded regularly
my wife introducing herself by letter
and inviting my little farmer girl. now
wealthy, society woman, 10 visit US
She only lived In Denver part OF tn
time. and had a residence I'm crippl
Creek, Col. where she owned consider
able property.
| QUARRELED OVER BILLIARDS.
"About t;is time ! was engaged on I
big murder case i'm far Western state
in which the facts were about as FOL
lows. Two young men had quarrele,
| over a game Of billiards. and the younger
! man of the two, n stranger In the town
had struck his companion over the heae
with a billiard cue. cracking his skull
the blow ending fatally
''Ine murdered man bore a quarrel
some disposition but his father was
| one of the most popular judges on the
1 bench OF the county, while everything
about the young man who struck the
| blow indicated that he was either a
| gambler or billiard sharp.
THE newspaper clippings from which
/ got these facts went on to say that
| the prisoner when arrested gave the
name of John Smith and steadfastly re-
fused to give any other name, and said
he lived wherever fancy dictated.
THE same paper soon after announced
that the grand jury had indicted the
prisoner for murder i'm the first degree.
Then came postal card announcing the
escape from the county jail of John
Smith, aged about 20, indicted for MUIR
der In the first degree, giving a full de-
scription OF the fugitive and Offering
$1,000 reward for his capture
THE card was signed by the common
pleas judge 0ather of the murdered mani
and by the sheriff from whose jail Smith
had escaped.
THE prisoners youth and frank. man
ly bearing at time when he might have
made his escape had he joined other
prisoners I'm a plan 10 break jail oper-
ated I'm his favor and the sheriffs wife
persuaded her husband to permit the
prisoner 10 hold interviews with his
mother In the pail residence instead OF
the jail corridor-a jailer OF course be-
ing always present.
1T appears that Smiths mother had
called at the jail very frequently and
came one Sunday evening with change
of clothing for the prisoner and carried
the clothing TO the residence of the Jail,
at time when the sheriff was away.
She had made friends with the sheriff's
wife TO such an extent that Smith was
brought over from the jail adjoining to
see his mother-who was going away
that night to be absent nearly month
FLED FROM HIS KIND JAILERs.
''The sherlffs wife said: Yes, John
can step In the next room and change
his clothes he would never run away
from u.s. But John did run away and in
the excitement that followed the discov-
cry fifteen minutes afterward it was
found that Johns mother had likewise
disappeared.
1T was this method of escape that led
TO such big reward coupled with the
fact that IL was the judges son that had
been killed. The sheriff said IL was found
afterward that horses had been hitched
I'm the civinity of the Jail and the whole
AFFAIR indicated careful planning from the
outside.
II had photograph of the missing man
and much information sent me from a
friend living in the same town.
This friend did little detective work for
me. which resulted in learning that Smith
had at one time lived at Cripple Creek,
Colorado. and had folks living there now
that would see him through Acting up
on these clews my thoughts at once re-
verted to Mary at Cripple Creek, and
wrote her, sending Smiths photograph,
and asking that, as wished to save the
expense OF trip to Cripple Creek. she
for old times sake, investigate in per-
son.
1T was not long before received tei,s
gram asking me TO meet her at Chicago
in three days from the date of the mes
sage at "A number and street I'm the SUI
burbs. ] had TO call at the designated
number three times before / met Mary.
She trembled. burst into tears. and ex-
claimed.
HoUNDING HIS OLD SwEETHEART'S
SON.
"'My God, VIII, IL is my son you
have hunted TO his DEATH!
well, you can imagine my horror. My
first words were i hope TO God he Is
not guilty of wilful murder-as / shall
take no further step in this matter
She told me size dreaded every hour
she was away from the boy. as he was so
conscious that he had acted in self-de-
fence, he was for giving himself up rather
than remain cooped up in the one room
at Cripple Creek. | advised her ne must
be removed from there at once and-kill-
ed. explained killed flguratively.'
We would have TO give evidence of his
death, and as the sheriff knew | was in
terested In capturing him, evidence of his
ueath coming from me would be received
without suspicion. If / could get some
surrounding or connecting circumstance
TO support IL. We took the first train otS
of Chicago TO Cripple Creek, where we
took Tom out at night and removed him
to place of safety i'm another state.
Meantime telegraphed the sheriff that
| had traced my man To Colorado, and
would soon have him.
The Cripple Creek diaster that. wiped
out so many lives I'm such brief time
followed as II by Gods direction. and my
work ended when | wired the sheriff from
near Cripple Creek, soon following the
disaster, that among the lost was JoiN
Smith.
THE visit TO me the other day was most
imprudent. but as they were leaving the
country forever, Toms mother, the sweet
heart OF my boyhood, could not resist the
temptation.
IF l have condoned murder II was I'm a
good cause, but 20 tell the truth, I be-
leve when Tom struck down the Judge 8
son with that billiard cue he did IL I'm self
defence"
SUNDAY DOWN THE BAY.