The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-10
AMAZING ROBBER WHO
STOLE FOR AMUSEMENT
Fascinated by Story Of Jelkyll and Hyde, Man Of
Means and Holder of Public Office Com
mitted BurglarieS for IS Years.

on wayside boulders and tackled to trees
and while the ink was yet fresh he emit
cred the home of his friend Pollard, went
into the bedroom where Mr.. and Mrs.
Pollard were asleep, stole Mrs. Pollard S
watch and pocketbook took the store
rounded out the evening by getting away
with several hundred dollars worth OF
clothing and dry goods.
He Was a Great Reader.
Adams was an omniverous reader. He
has fine library. and his housekeeper
ruined him.
DO you know she said. "he used to
sit up all hours reading. and 1 often won
dered it didn't drive him crazy sooner
than it did. Reading is the cause of il
all, it has turned the poor mans head.
History and adventure figure largely in
this strange burglars collection. He has
the entire works of Poe, Sir Walter Scott
D mas, Shakespeare, kGpling, several vol
umes of Napoleon. Dickens and Thack-
erays-all the standard authors and poets
shelves and boxes and bureau drawers
packed full of books.
When asked what Influenced him to
the life of a burglar he eyed the reporter
for a moment without making reply then
with a half smile he spoke.
lave you ever read DIR. Jekyll and
Mr.. Hyde?' he asked. That was all he
would consent to say at the time but
later he reverted to the subject, saying:
That book fascinated me. The first
time | read it 1 was fascinated" He
would not asert directly and positively
that he was moved to commit his first
robbery by reading that fiction, but he
limited at 1t broadly. He has read the
he enjoyed reading detective stories by
Gaboreau and Conan Doyle.
Robbery Was His Amusement.
why did you not try to overcome the
influence to steal?" he was asked.
oh" said he. there was not much
ed money, but simply because robbing
and afterward listening to the comments
OF the people amused me.
Il was never amused by the recreations
that pleased most men. | always sought
pleasure in some unusual way, and rob-
bling for the fun of it was unusual"
No amount of questioning by the Off
GERS has succeeded in inducing Adams
to admit that he has been engaged in
crime longer than fifteen years. He be-
gan when he was 80, he says, but will
not tell which was his first robbery or
where it was committed.
Things have been found in his house
since his arrest which were not taken
from any house or store in this town.
Stole While in Legislature.
One OF the constables discovered n
whole lot of white neckties which Adams
said he got when he was representing the
town at Montpelier.
He also found Mystic Shriner's red
fez with the symbol of the Mystic Shrine
and the word "Monadnoc' on it. Adams
is not even a Mason, to say nothing OF
being Shriner. He says he bought the
fez at the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Most
of the goods found in the house were
stolen within the year How he disposed
of such booty as dress goods. hats, caps
shoes and hardware taken In previous
years is a mystery. The belief is general
that in some of the robberies he had an
accomplish.
Adams is supposed to have comfort
he had desire to be detective and was
trying to get position in the Secret Ser
vice Department at Washington, but his
mother objected and forced him to give
it up.