The age-herald., 1901-08-11
Tells How He Got the Bars from the Smelling C0m-
 panys Vaults
DID II ALL BY HIMSELF
After Making Confession He Went With the Detectives and In Mud
 Up to Ills Neck Searched
 for the Hidden Treasure.

San Francisco, August 10-Jack Win-
 ters, who was arrested for the Selby
 smelting works robbery. has confessed
 the crime and so far $130,000 worth of
 bullion has been recovered from the bay
 where he sank 1t.
 For three days the detectives made ev-
 cry effort to induce Winters to confess
 but without avail. Finally he asked to
 see Superintendent Ropp of the works.
 who, he said was the only friend he had.
 Tn his conversation with Ropp Winters
 manner indicated 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 thirty years.
 He said: You will be an old man when you get out and 1t will do you no good
 to hide the gold. We know 1t Is hidden in z the water near the works and we will
 search every inch. You may be sure that the gold will be found before you get cut of prison"
 Winters finally weakened and told Ropp that he had taken the gold and would
 take him to the spot~where 1t was hid
 den.
 The criminal, in company with Super
 intendent Ropp and force of detectives,
 left on tug last night for Chockett. There they. waited all night for low tide. Winters pointed out the place at the end of the railroad wharf. behind the coal bur aers at the beginning of the Vallejo | fesry slip. At that point at low tide the mud is about four feet deep. covered by
 about a foot of water. When the fnE
 reached Crockett, Winters pointed out
 the spot in the water where he had said he had thrown the gold Superintendent
 Ropp marked the place on the wharf and +ha tu1 steamed away to wait for low tide.
 Found Gold Himself. This morning Winters himself got into
 the mud and water up to his neck and
 for an hour and half groped for the missing bullion Up to 10 o'clock siloooo
 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 It Is now
 only a question of careful search to ma
 the rest of the $2S000o. Winters claims
 that he did the job alone He said tnat he made fourteen trips from the vault 10 the wharf in which he dropped the gold
 The smelter officials, however, are posi- tive that he received assistance rom some one The detectives think that ms
 story that he did all himself Is correct. Winters when he had made up his mind In tell what he knew about the crime
 was exceedingly willing to give all the information necessary toward the reoov- Ia
 one of the detectives than prisoner. As soon as he arrived at the waters edge he picked up three stones and pacing IoI-
 ward, tossed one into the water. IL Ish to the south of the spot at wnlcn the prisoner stood. Another stone fell to the cast and d third was thrown directly in | front of Winters. That, said the | prisoner Twill mark the water Dounoary | of the place where your gold is hidden. | Stepping to the left Winters oreW l nail from his pocket and asked TOT | hammer. He then paced off yew yaros to tha rioht and drove another nail in the | timber . ~ .The gold" he continued, will be be- l tween these two nails somewhere in line with the spots marked by the stone l | just threw into the water"
 1 A small skin was secured, and Into It
 sheriff Vale, Detective Kimball of the
 Pinkerton agency and two laborers were | loaded. Winters assisted in the search l for the bricks. He talked glibly all the
 while. The deep mud finally put a stop to operations and 1t was decided to build
 A coffer dam before trying to recover the l rest of the treasure.
 Planned 1t Long Ago. Winters told the officers that he plann-
 ed the robbery long ago with minute de-
 tail. He had been two or three months
 working on his little tunnel It had taken tvIo nights labor to cut through the
 brick wall of the spelter. Most of the boring in the bottom of the vault had been done in the night when the gold was
 taken. He carried the plumber, which
 was very heavy fro mthe vault to the water and deposited it 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 round trips. He was at work four hours on Monday night Four small bars of refined gold he con- cealed among the stones of the break water just at the further mouth of the railroad tunnel
 His purpose had been to use this gold for presentneeds. Winters on his last trip, had perceived that dawn was break ing. Not daring to complete the trip. he laid on the shore the two bricks which were found Tuesedeay morning at the point where the robbers boat was sup posed to have landed. The trail of red pepper ending at that point had been blind. Tn view of the fact that promises of clemency were made to Winters in consideration of his unearthing the gold l 1t is thought his punishment will be light. Detective Gibson Is quoted as saying that 1t was promised Winters by Pnesi- dent Ralston. of the Selby Smelling Works, that he should not only not be prosecuted but should receive $26.o0o.
 "winters cannot be prosecuted" eaid Detective Gibson, flor there Is no evil dence against him. All that has been drawn from him was secured by the de- tectives under promise that it would not be used against him. Under such circurn- stances 1t would be extremely difficult to secure q conviction"