Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-03
.ABADG|1n[N RECORD.
Frank Shercleff Will Be Brought
Back to Prison From
Missouri.
Marshall County 5 Diamond Thief
Has His Parole Revoked.-
A Clever Rascal.
Supreme Court to Convene Jan
uary 2l..Weaver will Quail.
fy..Ladd Chief Justice.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. Sit seems that
Frank Shercleff, who sojourned for
awhile in Marshall county during the
past year, while he possessed ticket of
leave granted by Governor Shaw, is
soon to be brought back to Iowa to
serve out the unexpired term for which
he was sentenced at Logan for the IA
nous Pollock diamond robbery. He will,
at least. be brought back If the Missouri
authorities have no special use for him
in Kansas City. 1t ia probable that the
Sheriff of Marshall county will be de-
tailed to get Shercleff, as there are but
few persons In the state who couio
identify the diamond roDber fully. Sher-
cleft was paroled in November year
ago after serving seven of his seventeen
years at Fort Madison. Governor Jack
son took some interest in the man, and
when he found that he was being work
ed on grinder at Fort Madison had
him changed to an employment that
would not kill him. Just why Governor
Shaw paroled Shercler has never been
made known Soon after he got out ne
was back among his old associates in
Omaha. Just then the Cudahy kldnap-
ping occurred and 1t was surm1sed ne
knew something of that. The parole
had required that he remain in Omaha,
and he afterwards stated to Governor
Shaw that he was OF the point of con-
fronting cudahy ana protesting that he
had nothing to do with the kidnapping.
Instead, he came to Des Moines and
obtained permission to return to Iowa
and go on farm near Melbourne With
his brother. He promised to be good
and declared he wanted to get away
from his old associates in the cities. For
a time his reports came regularly from
Marshall county. but during the summer
they ceased, and the sheriff of Marshall
county was asked to look him UP. He
had fled. Nothing further was heard of
him until last week when the Kansas
City officers arrested him there. He
tried TO get away and was shot thru the
foot.
Frank Shercleff is believed by many
who know lin to be one of the smooth
est of criminals. His aliases We're
James Burke, kid" Mccoy and John
Cummings He was young man, thin
and pale, ard did not look capable of
tackMng a train load of people, like he
did at California Junction. He got the
SIS, 900 worth of diamonds. What be-
came Of them does not appear. The fact
that he was paroled and not pardoned
showed that the governor was not at all
4. sr Tltyk 11n
didn't give up the diamonds to anybody.
Inquiries have been sent from here to
the firm in New York which lost the
diamonds to find out If they got any Of
the diamonds back and they refused to
reply There is no doubt that the dia-
monds were distributed among the gang
in Omaha that was concerned In the
Cudahy kidnapping. Since the depar-
ture of Shercleff from Marshall county
last summer 1t is alleged by the Denver
papers that he has been operating In
several cities of the far west and max
ing good hauls II is stated that he was
concerned in diamond robbery in Sac
ramento, where he made good haul. A
Denver paper gives his previous story
as follows:
"Ten years ago he was arrested here
on suspicion Of robbing q Fifteenth
street jewelry store, but never tried, be-
cause he was sent to Iowa for commit
ting a greater crime. The prisoners
right name is John Cummings and he is
SO years of age His aliases are Burke.
KID Mccoy, Johnny Wilson and
Frank Shercleff. An idea of the desper-
ate character he is can be gathered
from the fact that in Seattle some years
ago he held up at the point of a gun the
three proprietors of a well known gam
bling joint. Each of the proprietors was
known to Burke to be a desperate man,
having in turn each killed men. Yet
Burke held up the three at once. and
made them turn over $4,000 from the
safe, after which Burke coolly walked
out of the place and, going to his room
around the corner. planted" the mon
ey. and afte, making change of dress
walked back to the gambling Joint and,
unknown to those present, calmly asked
about the trouble. Some time later
Burke put stick of wood in the latch
of a door of a iewelry store IN San
Francisco In such a fashion that the
proprietor was penned in. and then
calmly broke the huge show window
anu Wdlheu OIL Win Y',NVV "ot'A W
jewelry."
Another of the paroled men who went
wrong while out on leave is to be re-
turned to the penitentiary. That is
William Smith colored of this city. He
had been mixed up In several bad
scrapes somc years ago. and was sent
up for three years for robbery. He was
OUT on parole and on Christmas eve got
into a quarrel in a Des Moines saloon
and killed the bartender. He will be
tried for this crime, but will first serve
out the unexpired portion of his former
sentence. He is bad man all round.
The next term Of the Iowa supreme
court will commence Jan. Il next, when
Judge Weaver will take his place on the
bench and Judge Ladd, of Sheldon, Will
become the chief justice of the state.
The cases haSe been assigned for hear
eng as follows: First week-three days
beginning the DIST. cases from districts
No. /, 90 and 8; two days beginning
the oath, cases from districts No. and
6. Second week-three days commen-
cling the 27th, cases from Nos. Z. s, IL. 10
and 13; three days commencing the 3oth,