Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-06-25
NOTABLE MAN HUNTS
HOW CRIMINALS HAVE BEEN CHASED
TO THE ENDS OF EARTH.

| Relentless Energy of the Police In
| Tracking COuntcrcciters.
| There have been many long pursuits
of criminals, great in the distance trav-
| eled, the obstacles overcome and the
! persistence Of the pursuing officers, but
that of Sergeant Wood Of the Natal
(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 informa-
' ton as to where his quarry was hid
! ing vet he had first to visit London to
obtain the necessary extraditlon pa
pers Then he hurried to America and
with the assistance of the United States
| police ran down his man. BY the time
he had reached MaritZburg he had been
travelling hard for nearly three months
and had covered nearly 2l000 miles.
One of the stcrncst chases Of recent
years was after Logs Darrell, formerly
sergeant in the Seventh United States
cavalry. Darrell enlisted at the begin
ming of the Spanish American war and
distinguished himself at Cuba, There
he fell in love with pretty Spanish
girl and beggared himself In buying
fnery for his sweetheart. To obtain
more money he robbed and murdered
companion in arms named Crouch.
He then fled.
A detective named Dupuy was put
upon the murderer's track and, finding
n clew, started for New Orleans. He
was right in his surmlse that Darrell
had gone there, but when he arrived
the bird had flown. He had left on a
British mule transport for South Afri-
ca. 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 a
fly, and just as Darrell was fancying
himself safe from pursuit he pounced
upon him. Later on the detective de-
posted his prisoner safely In Castle
William Jail In New York. He had
travelled In all 81 900 miles and spent
$4,250 in the chase
One Of the most astonishing Grim
inals England ever produced was a
man named Benson. who began oper-
atoms in London with two confeder
ates. He organized series of swim
ding companies In the city, while he
himself, pretending to be an invalid,
lived In the greatest luxury In the Isle
lanthropist, was foremost In charitable
works and went into the very best
society. BY dint of bribing certain
officers of the law he lived for some
years on the proceeds of his swindes.
But one day the crash came. He was
arrested sentenced and got a long term
In Portsmouth Jail.
No sooner was he out than he was at
his old tricks again. These eliminated
In Switzerland, where he manae ed to
gain the affections Of the daughter Of
an English officer. Through her he in.
duced her father to trust him with the
Investment of his entire capital, some
$50, 600. He boltcd with the money.
Chased across Europe, detective |
caught him at Bremen. To avoid scan
dial the victim promised not to prose-
cute 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 S1G0.
Followed across the Atlantic, Ben
son escaped to Mexico, where he made
$4,000 by passing himself off as Nine.
PATHS agent and selling forged con
cert tickets. BY this time lis photo
graph was In almost ever police bu-
reau in the world. Yet he lodged and
twisted under dozen aliases and was
heard Of in almost every South Amer
lean state before clever New York
detective ran him down in Rio after
two years hunt
Even then he cheated justice. Land
ed in prison in New York, he walked
upstairs. chatting amiably to his jailer.
he made Il spring and jumped
clean over the banister. He was picked
up with a broken back and died that
night.
The police never exhibit more relent.
less energy than in hunting down a
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
keen to run down such
offenders. Early in 1900 a man named
Hastings was surprised in his work
shop, from which he had issued many
thousands of small silver coins, but he
was too quick for his would be cap.
tors and escaped. No fewer than seven
secret service men were put on LIS
track. The remarkable fact Is that
Hastings never attempted to leave the
states.