Smyrna times., 1902-07-16
NOTABLE MAN HUNTS
HOW CRIMINALS HAVE BEEN CHASED
TO THE ENDS OF EARTH.

I
Relentless Energy of the Police In
! Tracking COunterfeiters.
| There have been many long pursuits
I z 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
GSouth Africa police is doubtless a
record breaker. The man sought by
Sergeant Wood was charged with en-
bezzli1g large sums of money at Pie
termaritzburg. He got away from
South Africa and went to New York.
Although the detective had informa-
tion as to where his quarry was hid
ing. yet he had first to visit London to
obtain the necessary eXtradition 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 21,OOO miles.
One of the sternest 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 a pretty Spanish
| girl and beggared himself in buying
| finery for his sweetheart. To obtain
more money he robbed and murdered
a companion in arms named Crouch.
| He then fed.
| detective named Dupuy was put
upon the murderers 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
British mule transport for South Afri-
ca. Dupuy took train for New York,
fast boat for Southampton, rushed by
rail across Europe. caught a boat of
the German East African line and
finally arrived at Bera. in Portuguese
East Africa.
There he waited like a 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 $1,000 miles and spent
S4,25O in the chase.
One of the most astonishing Grim
inals England ever produced was
man named Benson, who began Oper-
ations in London with two confeder-
ates. He organized a series of swim
ding companies in the city, while he
70 bo Inv
lived in the greatest luxury in the Isle
of Wight He posed as a great phi
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 swindles.
But one day the crash came. He was
arrested, sentenced and got long term
in Portsmouth Jail.
No sooner was he out than he was at
t his old tricks again. These eliminated
l. in Switzerland. where he managed 20
> 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, 1000 He bOlted with the money
: Chased across Europe, detective
caught him at Bremen. To avoid scan
dal the victim promised not to prose
20 cute If Benson would give up the
money. The latter did so and left fol
% America. Hardly was the vessel Out
9 of sight before it was discovered thai
7. the bundle of scrip the thief hat
2. handed over was worth at most $160.
n Followed across the Atlantic, Ben
n son escaped to Mexico. where he made
70 $1,000 by passing himself off as Nine
- PATHS agent and selling forged con
cert tickets. BY this time his photo
u graph was in almost ever police bu
+ reau in the world Yet he lodged an,
ir twisted under dozen aliases and wa
as heard of in almost every South Amer
u lean state before a clever New YOr
10 detective ran him down in Rio after
~ two years hunt.
:, Even then he cheated justice Land
, ed in prison in New York. he wake
10 upstairs, chatting amiably to his jailei
Suddenly he made spring and jumpe
clean over the banister. He was pickle
up with broken back and died tina
Dh night.
10 p The police never exhibit more relen
n less energy than in hunting down
a eoiner. A coiner's crime is again'
al government, and so the whole force
at of the state are against him. I'll
u United States suffers far more fro
gh coiners than England does and
1t. proportionately keen to run down sue
ys offenders. Early In 1900 a man name
~ Hastings was surprised in his wor
,io shop. from which he had issued mar
~ thousands of small silver coins, but
was too quick for his would be ca
tors and escaped. No fewer than sevC
80, secret service men we're put on
track. The remarkable fact is tn
oa Hastings never attempted to leave Il
~ cfafoc