The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-26
STRANGE POLICE PICTURE.
Lone Highwayman Who Covers
Score of Persons with Revolver.

Lone Highwayman Who Covers
Score of Persons with Revolver.
Mr.. Robert A. Pinkerton Of the IA
nous detective agency has recently
complimented his friends in Savannah
with a remarkable picture of the police
type, and one that has attracted a
great deal of attention and comment.
Only a limited number were made and
they were not for sale.
The supply has been completely ex-
hausted, and a request made by the
superintendent of police for an extra
copy had to be turned down. The pc
culiarity about the picture, Hands
Up" is that no matter in what posi-
ton it is faced, whether from front,
above, below, or at either side, the
subject has one constantly under his
eyes, and gun" in fact, as one moves,
the eyes, the gun" and the highway
mans figure appear to move also. There
is an interesting story connected with
the picture and one which Mr.. Pinker-
ton sent to those in Savannah whom
he remembered.
The picture (water COLOR was first
seen in 1890, by Mr.. William A. Pin
kerton, at The Owl Saloon" a noted
sporting resort in Spokane Washing
ton. Doc" Brown, the proprietor, was
an old acquaintance of Mr.. Pinkerton's
and through him, Mr.. Pinkerton
learned that the picture was painted
by German artist named Ludcke,
well known in the Western states as
the Cowboy Artist" the model was
an old scout and trapper, who lived
| about Spokane for many years, and
was known there by the nickname of
| Death on the Trail" Mr.. Ludcke
obtained the suggestion for this pic
ture from the following incident of
Western life
A masked highwayman had robbed
several gambling houses at different
points in the West, by suddenly spring
| ing into the room, and, with a big re-
volver presented, commanding Hands
| Up" keeping employees and players in
this position until the robbery was
committed, the highwayman then
! backing out of the room, warning all
not to attempt to follow him.
| At Reno, New, he held UP and robbed
a faro bank" located in hotel near
the railroad depot-the proprietor, sew
| eral of the employees and guests pres
ent, had the reputation of being gun
| fighters"
A suspect was arrested for this
robbery, and a large 4S-caliber re-
| volver, together with several hundred
| dollars in gold coin, was found in his
valise. At his trial, some of those
| who were present at the time of the
robbery attempted to indemnity him as
| the masked highwayman. When it came
| to the DISCRIMINATION of witnesses,
! the gun fighters" who were present
when the robbery was committed, in
order to account for their non-resist-
ance, each testified that the "hold-
NVv,fg 1T. 1t
| and had him covered with his gun.
On these statements (the good char
acter of the suspect having been prov
| END, the prisoners attorney ridiculed
the case out of court, claiming that
one man could not cover" with his
gun" a dozen persons at the same
| time, therefore the suspect was hon
orably acquitted. Ludcke, the Cow
Boy Artist" who happened to be in
court during the trial, claimed that
he could produce a picture of man
with a pistol, covering any number
| of persons at the same time, just as
the witnessed had testified. The sketch
entitled Hands Up" was the result
Of Ludcke's efforts.
Mr. William A Pinkerton, .fancying
the picture urged DOC" Brown to
have Mr.. Ludcke paint in oil for him
a life-size picture of the Masked High
wayman; this Mr.. Brown did and pre-
scented 1T to Mr.. Pinkerton. Mr.. Pink
erton's personal interest in the picture
| arose from the fact that "the suspect
arrested at Reno, Net was one of
their detectives, at that time working
| secretly in Reno, on an important rail
| road wrecking case for one of the
| overland roads. He was so situated
when arrested that he could not at
the time, in justice to the work he was
engaged upon, disclose his identity.
| This suspicious circumstance, accord
| ing to the keepers of the faro bank"
| and the 'gun fighters" made another
strong point against him. A year
later the Pinkerton's caused the ar
rest in Colorado, on charge Of highway
| robbery, one Frank Shercliffe, alias
Kid Mccoy, who proved to be the
masked highwayman at Reno, New.
| He was taken by the Pinkertons to
Harrison county Iowa, where he was
| put ON trial, convicted and sentenced
to nineteen years imprisonment on the
charge of highway robbery of a jew
elry salesman, a member of the Jew
| elers' Protective Union. Although only
| "a years old, Shercliffe was one of the
most desperate criminals in the West.