The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-11
WINTERS WEAKENED
HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT TC
BEAR ON SUSPECT.
SAYS He DID THE JOB ALONE.
MADE FOURTEEN TRIPS FROM
VAULT TO WHARF.

Where the Stolen Bullion Was
Sunk and in an Hour and n Half
Had Recovered $14I,5OO of the
Missing Treasure-Now Only N
Question of Careful Search to Find
the Rest of the $2SO,OOO.
San Francisco, Cal, Aug. 10.-Jack
Winters, who was arrested as sus-
pect in connection with the Selby
Smelling Works robbery, has confess
ed. and so far Sal 500 worth of bullion
has been recovered from the bay, where
he had sunk it.
Tor three days the detectives have
tried all sorts of persuasions to make
Winters confess. but apparently with
out effect. Finally Winters asked to
see Supt. Ropp of the Selby works.
who, he said, was the only friend he
had.
In his conversation with Ropp, Win
tors indicated that he knew where the
gold had been hidden. Ropp told Win
ters that they hSd a strong case
against him, and that he would be sent
to prison for thirty years. He said:
You will be an old man when you
hide the gold. We know it is hidden
in the water near the works, and we
will search every inch. You may be
sure 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. Winters, in company with
Supt. Ropp and a force of detectives,
left on a tug last night for Crockett.
They waited there all night for low
tide Winters pointed out the place at
the end of the railroad wharf, behind
the coal bunkers, at the head of the
Vallejo ferry 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 steam
ed away to wait for low tide.
This morning Winters got in the mud
and water up to his neck and for an
hour and a half CROPPED for the Snissing
bullion. Up to 10 o'clock 100000 worth
four bars of fine gold Winters had
put some of the bars in bags. He said
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 $2S0.000. Winters
claims he did the job all alone. He
says he made fourteen trips from the
vault to the wharf from which he drop
ped the gold.
The tug, with the detectives and the
prisoner, returned to this city this af-
ternoon.
winters story.
Winters told the officers that he
planned the robbery long ago with mi
mute detail. He had been two or three
months working on his little tunnel.
1t had taken two nights labor to cut
through the brick wall of the smelter.
Most of the boring in the bottom of
the vault had been done in the night,
when the gold was taken. He carried
the plunder, which was very heavy,
from the vault to the water and de-
posted 1t where the water was from
three to six feet deep at low tide. The
distance from the vault to the cache
was about a quarter of a mile, and he
made fourteen trips. He was at work
four hours on Monday night. Four
small DdrS OF Te0DeQ BOlu De COHCcdl6u
among the stones of the breakwater
at the further mouth of the railroad
tunnel.
His purpose had been to use this gold
for present needs. Winters on his last
trip had perceived that dawn was
breaking. Not daring to complete the
trip, he laid OH the shore the two gold
bricks which were found Tuesday
mofning at the point where the rob-
ber's boat was supposed to have land
ed. The trail of red pepper ending at
that point had been a blind.
In view of the fact that promises of
clemency were made to Winters in
consideration of unearthing the gold
it is thought his punishment will be
light.
Detective Gibson is quoted as say
ing that it was promised Winters by
President Ralston of the Selby Smelt-
ing Works that he should not only be
not prosecuted, but should receive $685.
900.
winters cannot be prosecuted" said
Detective Gibson, "for there is no evil
dence against him. All that has been
drawn from him was secured by the
detectives under promise that it
would not be used against him. Under
such circumstances it would be ex-
tremely difficult to secure a convict
tion."
SCHLEY,S ARI,E COUNSEL.