The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-14
MATHEWS BEHIND THE BARS.
ABsCosDISG MANAGER OF MURPHY
q CO. BACK IN SAVANNAH.

Pinkerton Detectives Lischk- and
Fanntag Were His Travelling Com
paHiOnS From sitks, the Capital of
Alaska-They Ragged Their Game
at Both Juneau and Skagvvay.
Mathews Took His Arrest Quietly
After Ii Had Been Efected-Nith
DefaIcations, Reward and IN
penSes Murphy a Co. Are Ont SIe.-
OOO-Mnthews Must Take His Med
icine.
In charge of two Pinkerton detectives.
F. F. LIschke and 4. F. flaming, w c.
Mathews. the absconding manager of the
agency OF Murphy & Co, in this city,
was brought back to Savannah yesterday
morning and lodged in the county jail.
There ne viii await trial upon the three
indictments, charging larceny after trust
OF some 5000 found against him by the
present grand jury.
The detectives started with their prison
er from Sttka. the capital Of Alaska about
two weeks ago, and since that time have
moved steadily back towards Savannah.
Mathews had been apprehended first at
Juneau and then a Skagway, having
managed. through the medium Of some
legal technicaiities, in Guiding the clutches
of the officers at the time of his first
arrest. He then had plenty OF money and
ne spent it freely. His person was or
nateiy decora led with diamonds and he
lived the life of high-roller. The money
he had with him had been sccumuia ted
with comparative ease. ana he got rid OF
it with an equal facility.
Once firmly in the tolls and on his way
back TO stand trial. Mathews was quiet
enough He came all the way without
being manacled in any way add gave the
detectives absolutely no trouble When
he was started on mis- way to jail after
leaving the Central train in the morning
he baked and SHE'D a little over the pros
poet, but few persuasive arguments suf-
need even IN this instance TO still his OBJ
Jections. He went and he stayed
Mr.. john L. Gatins. one Of the stock
holders in the corporation of Murphy q
Co, joined the detectives and Mathews in
Atlanta, and came on with them to Sa-
vannsh- Mr.. Gatns stated that Afathews's
oefaication amounted 10 s. 80, and that
with the reward Of 81 900 offered and paid
for his arrest and the expenses OF the de-
tectives incurred in efecting it, the total
loss TO the company would aggregate
nearly or quite $1,000. OF this sum. MIR.
GatiDs said neither he nor his associates
expected 10 recover a single dollar
one OF the detectives said yesterday
that upon their return 20 Portland and
Seattle, where they live, they would have
Travelled just l0,000 miles In search Of
Mathews and in getting him 20 Savannah
and themselves back TO their homes
Their itinerary has embraced almost the
whole Of Alaska. and they have expert
enced Arctic cold and almost tropical
heat within the last few weeks
Il may Be stated with posiiiveness that
no offers to compromise the case will be
received by Murphy d Co We have
never expected to get back any part of
the money that was stolen from US from
she time that We instituted steps to Sc
cure Mathews arrest" said Mr.. Gatins
"and We have expended a considera BILE
amount since that time in rewards and
expenses. our purpose was TO protect
ourselves against dishonest employees who
might be engaged by us in the future and
TO show thas we would not submit to
robbery. We would not consider any Of
fer OF compromise though II embrac ed
the return Of twice The amount of money
we have lost
Mr. Gatins tells good story on him.
self, that is strkingly Illustrative of the
complacent point Of view that Mathews
has occupied. The swindler is said to
have told ore of the detectives as a sam
pie Of his own ingenuity. this story that
Mr. Gatirs lie Is on himself
why, YOU know, we thought quite a
good deal Of Mathews when he was with
us In Atlanta" he said. and we tried to
do all that we could for him. When he
happened to need money which was not,
apparently, an infreluent occurrence, |
used TO lend ii to him myself When he
came to Savannah n returned these sums
of money he had borrowed and patted
myself on the back and thought how am.
TIly our sagaeity in the choice of a man
sgeT for the Savannah branch had been
vindicsted. I never knew until he made
his hurried exit from the stage that the
morey with which he made good his in
debtedness 10 me had besn stolen from
the firm"
Mrs. Mathews reached the city yester-
day morning en- he steamship Tallahas-
see from New York, and during the after
noon paid visit 70 her husband at the
jail. She left Savannah at about the
same time as did her husband. and since
then has been stopping at various points
in New YORK state