Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1901-08-16
ROBBERS GOLD WAS FOUND
JACK WINTERS CONFESSED
He Guided the Party to Place Where
1t Was Put-He Tells of the Rob-
bery-WiH Receive Light Punish
ment, if Any.

San Francisco Aug. 12.-Jack Win
tiers, who was arrested for the Selb,
smelling works robbery, has con
fessed the crime and so far S13O.OOv
: worth of bullion has been recovered
from the bay, where he had sunk it
For three days the detectives have
tried all sorts of intimidation to max,
Winters confess. but their threats ap
parently had no effect upon him
Finally he asked to see Superintend
: ent Ropp of the works. who. he said
was the only friend he had In his
conversation with Ropp Winters man
ner indicated that he knew where the
gold had been hidden. Ropp told him
that they had strong case against
him and that he would be sent to
prison for 80 years. He said:
You will be an old man when YOU
get out and it will do you no good to
hide the gold. We know it is hidden
in the water near the works and we
Will search every inch. You may be
sure that the gold will be found before
you get out of prison."
| Winters finally weakened and told
Ropp that he had taken the gold, and
would take him to the spot where it
was hidden. The criminal, in com.
pany with Superintendent Ropp and
force of detectives, left on a tug for
Crockett. There they waited all night
for the low tide. Winters pointed out
the place at the end of the railroad
wharf, behind the coal bunkers, at
the beginning of the Vallejo slip. AT
that point at low tide the mud is about
four feet deep, covered by a foot of
water. When the tug first reached
Crockett, Winters pointed out the
spot in the water where he said he
had thrown the gold. Superintendent
Ropp marked the place on the wharf
and the tug steamed away to wait for
low tide. In the morning Winters
himself got into the mud and water
up to his neck and for and hour and
a half CROPPED for the missing bullion
Up to 10 o'clock $4,000 worth had
been recovered. This includes the
four bars of fine gold. Winters had
put some of the bars in bags. He said
that one of the bags had broken and
some small bars had dropped out. 1t
IS now only a question of careful |
search to find the rest of the $3.50. 900 |
Winters claims that he did the Job |
all alone. He says that he made Ia |
trips from the vault to the wharf from
which he dropped the gold. The
'melter officials, however, are positive
hat he received assistance from some I
one. The detectives think that his
story that he did it all himself is cor.
'ect.
The tug with the detectives and the
prisoner, Winters, on board has re-
urned to the city.
Winters, when he had made I'D his
mind to tell all he knew about the
rlme, was exceedingly willing to give
Ill the information that was neces-
airy for the recovery of the bullion.
ie practically assumed charge of the
perat1ons and led Captain Seymour
nd Superintendent Ropp to the dock.
ie acted more like one of the detec.
ives employed than as prisoner. AS
DON as he arrived at the waters edge
e called the superintendent to his
lde and said: Nov watch where
am going to show. Be careful that
gu get the locations right"
STOPPING, he picked up three stones
nd pacing forward he tossed one of
lem into the water. 1t fell to the
outh OF the spot at which the pris. 9
ner stood. Another stone fell to the :
ast and the third was thrown directly :
front of Winters.
That" said the prisoner "wiu
ark the water boundary of the place r
mere your geld is hidden" :
stepping to the left, Winters drewI \
nail from his pocket and asked for :
hammer. He then paced off a few :
lrds to the right and drove another !,
Ill in the timber.
The gold, he continued, twill he =
tween these two nails, somewhere =
line with the stones l Just tossed a.
to the water" =,
small boat was secured and into =,
IL Oe1iS, DSleCIlV6 hlmDall of | o.
e Pinkerton agency and two labor a.
were loaded. Winters assisted in
search for the bricks. He talked
bly, all the while. The deep mud
ally put stop to operations, and
was decided to build a cofferdam III
fore trying to recover the rest of p
: treasure la
told the officers that he '"
lnned the robbery long ago with 80
mute detail. He had been two or ~,
zee months on the work on his little W. NJ,
incl. i,i'
t had taken two nights labor to su
through the brick wall of the wa
elter. Most of the boring in the Sn
tom of the vaults had been done ki,
the night when the gold was taken. an
carried the plumber, which was cir
IVY from the vault to the water and
'osited it where the water was from
ee to six feet deep at low tide. The {
lance from the vault to this cache sta
about quarter of mile and he nrC
DE II round trips. He was at tw,
TX four hours on Monday night str