The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-01-04
CAPT. HENRY W. HOWGATE.
Release from Prison of the Notorious
Government Robber.

OONCAuAAChb aOObCAs
Capt. Henry w. Howgate, who
stole 1880 600 from the United States
nineteen years ago, and for twelve
years eluded the til eless search OF
the secret service sleuths, will no
released from the Albany, N. Y,
to morrcw, and Will
celebrate New Years Day at the
house of his daughter in Washing
ton.
1t was for love of Nellie Burrill, a
beautiiul clerk in one of the Govern
ment departments. that Howgate
robbed the United States. Tho story
of his crime, his pursuit and his cap
ture after twelve years makes up
romance which is now most un-
happily ended by his release ttom
prison. u free man with his long
standing debt paid in full.
No official crime-hot even the
stDali1gs Of Capt. Oberlin M. Carter
-maoe such sensation as that
~h,ch accompanied the arrest OF
apt. Howgate on Aug. 9, 1881. he
was Captain In the signal service
trusted by his superiors, admlred by
eminent tfficials, and occupy lug
high place in the estimation OF
scientific men who were interested
in Polar discovery and in meteoro
logy. He had an ambition To ne
come head of the Weather Depart
ment, and was IN fair way OF sue
cess when bis crime as discovered.
He would probably have have
been different man to-day hau he
not fallen in with Nellie BurrIll. To
supply her with 1uxurles he be-
trayed his trust as disbursing OF
ficer of the Signal Service, ana stole
sums of money from the Govern
ment aggre eating nearly 100000.
For many years he had been
secretly robbiBg the Government in
order that he might support Miss
Burrill in surroundings OF oriental
splendor in a mouse on an island III
the Potomac, where he spent much
of his time.
The storm burst in the summer OF
1881, while Howgate and Miss Bur
rIll were Wishing Mount Clemens in
Michigan. Some of his methods
had been questioned and he had
promptly resigned. Gen. Hazen in
vestigated, found a shortage OF $4O :
600. and the Captain was arrested
and taken to Washington. The
d. putty VITO had him in charge took
him to his home at his request.
Howgate asked the privilege ot re-
tirlng to wash his hands. 1t was
granted and he escaped through a
window into the street and was
never again sighted by the United
States authorities until Sept. n,
1894, when he was found living
quietly in New. York City as an
obsc dealer in second-hano
books, with basement shop at u
Fourth Avenue.
| Howgate might never have been
caught had it not been for the pro-
fessional pride or instinct of formel
secret service detective, A. IL. Drum
mond, who had been assigned eigh
lteen wears ago to the task OF finding
the embezZler, and who, like Javer
in HupO's tale, could not resist the
temptation of finding his man, ever
after he had lost his position In thu
Government employ.
Howgate was sentenced to impris
Oull6ub III CA6hV JS~.O' ~
served his sentence like a mode
prisoner, winning all the commute
lions for good conduct provided BY
law. At his release he will be z
years old. Nellie Burrill has dis
appeared long since, and nobody
knows where che is.
After his escape at Washington
many times did the sleuths COM
upon bis trail, but always when To
trail was a year or so old. The.
followed him up and down the rang
, of North America, but he was Away
long before them. From the Indie
into Mexico, from New Orleans I
the borders of British Columbus
from New York to Colorado, t
Nevada, to Dakota, to California, t
Victoria and back again to the East
. the trail led. Sometimes the VIC
man was with him, sometimes n
was alone.
b Finally the sleuths grew weary an
the. scent was lost. But Drummon
never forgot the forger and en-