Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-12-10

Who Fled $1,000 Miles Eut Was mt
Last Run Down The Stern (Easo
! !, After Sergeant Loy,. Darrell. 49,
There have been many long pursuits
OF criminals, great In the distance
travelled, the obstacles overcome and
the persistence of pursuing officers,
but that of Sergeant Wood of the Ma
T tai, South Africa, police, is,doubtless a
record breaker. The man sought by
Sergeant Wood was charged with en-
bezzling large sums OF money at Pie
termaritzburg.. He got away from
| South Africa, and went to New York
Although the detective had information
as to where his quarry was hiding,
yet he had first to- visit London to
obtain the necessary extradition pa
Eers. Then he hurried to America,
and with the assistance of the United
States police, ran down his man.~s,y
the time be mad reached Martizburg,
he had been travelling hard for nearly
three months, and had covered nearly
21,0O0 miles.
One of the sternest chases oe recent
years was after Loys Darrell, formerly
sergeant in the Seventh United States
cavalry. Darrell enlisted at the begin
ming of the Spanish-American war, and
distinguished himself in Cuba. There
he fell in love with a pretty Spanish
girl and gheggared himself in buying
finery for his sweetheart. To obtain
more moneyshe robbed and murdered
a companion in arms named Crouch.
He then fed. ,
A detective named ,Dupuy was put
upon the murdereris track, and finding
a clew, started for New Orleans. He
was right in his surmise that Darrell
had gone there, but when he arrived
the bird had flown. He had left on a
British. mule transport for South At
rica Dupuy took train for New York,
fast boat for Southampton, rushed by
rail across Europe, caught boat of
the German-East African line, and
finally arrived at Beira, in Portuguese
East Africa. -
There he waited, like spider for
fly, and just as Darrell was fancying
himself safe from pursuit, he pounced
upon him. Later on the detective de-
posted the prisoner safely in Castle
William Jail in New York. He had
travelled in all $1,000 miles and spent
Sl257 in the chase.
One of the most astonishing crimi-
mails England ever produced was a man
named Benson, who began operations
in London, with two confederates. He
organized a series of swindling COM
panies in the city, while he, himself,
pretending to be an invalid, lived in
the greatest luxury in the Isle of
Wight. lie posed as great philan-
thropist, was foremost in charitable
works, and went into the very best So
Gers cers of the law, he lived fof Some
years on the proceeds Of his swindles.
But one day the crash came. He was
arrested, sentenced, and got long term
in Portsmouth Jail. = -
No sooner was he out than ne was at
his old tricks again. These eliminated
in Switzerland, where he managed to
gain the affections of the daughter OF
an English officer. Through her he
induced her father to trust him with
the investment of his entire capital,
some $4,000. He bolted with the
money. Chased across Europe, de-
tective caught him at Bremen. To
avoid scandal the victim promised not
to prosecute if Benson would give up
the money. The latter did SO and left
for America. Hardly was the vessel
out Of sight before it was discovered
that the bundle of scrip the thief had
handed over was worth at most $160.
Followed across the Atlantic, Benson
escaped TO Mexico, where he made $685.
0Go by passing himself off as Nine
PATHS agent and selling forged concert
tickets. BY this time his photograph
was in almost every police bureau in
the world Yet he lodged and twisted
under dozen aliases, and was heard
of in almost every South American
state before a clever New York detec-
tive ran him down in Rio after two
years hunt.
Even then he cheated justice. Land
ed in prison in New York he walked
UP stairs chatting amiably to his jailer.
Suddenly he made spring and jumped
clean over the bannister He was
picked up with broken back. and died.
The police never exhibit more re-
lentless energy than in hunting down
2 coiner A coiner's crime is against
government, and so the whole forces
OF the state are against him. The
United States suffers far more from
coiners than England does and is pro-
portionately keen to run down such
offenders. Early in 1900 man, named
Hastings vas surprised in his work
shop, from which he had issued many
thousands of small silver coin, but he
was too quick for his woufd-be cap
tors and escaped No fewer than seven
secret service men were put on his
track. The remarkable fact is that
Hastings Iever attempted to leave the
States.
Ellfer, one of the detectives, got a
hint that a stranger was in the woods.
He took blanke. and some food and
hic himself in thiclet. Very early
in the morning Hastings passed, car
lying a bag Of food. Ellfer tracked
! him to his refuge and saw that the
forger was armed. He waited some dis
tance away in hiding. When night
came Hastings came out with a dark
f, lantern and searched every bush near
! his hiding place. At last he was sat.
isfied AMI went back. So soon as ELL
fer felt sure the man was asleep he
! crept up and had the handouts on him
before he could wake On the way to
iail Hastings told his captor that he
r.