The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-05
Men Who Robbed the Union Bank
Not Allowed to See
Visitors.
ANECDOTES OF THEIR CAREER.
Lived Like Wealthy Young Gentle
men in Hartford-Collins Once
Jumped Seventy-fve Feet
Into River to Escape.
REPrRLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Hartford, Conn, March Judge John ].
Coogan called at the County Jail this even
ing but did not see Rudolph and Collins, as
the 81 eriff and his Deputy were absent
letter from your correspondent was
given to Rudolph this morning by Sheriff
Smith asking him if he had any word to
send to the people Of Union or Stanton and
saying that anything which he might desire
to have sent to Miss Ollie Byers would be
cared for.
Sheriff Smith said afterwards that Ru-
dolph took little notice of the letter. though
at first his face betrayed visible surprise.
He remarked ttat he had nothing to say
now.
Rudolph and Collins guarded their money
well while il was in the Allyn street fiat.
Every morning when they left the house TO
get breakfast at the Allyn House, the
SWEETEST hosiery in Hartford. they locked
the door of their room. hanging the kew
where only Mrs Mcintyre. the iandlady.
knew OF II, that she might prepare their
room for the day.
Collins turns out to be a clever revolver
juggler along with his ether clever traits.
He has visited the house in front Of which
he was arrested. and throwing his J0-caii-
Der pistol into the air that it struck the
ceiling, gently would catch it by the han
die III its fall
Collins's relatives have attempted to oh
tain interviews with him. but have been re-
fused by Prosecuting Attorney Calhoun.
Il do not think that any good would come
of the men being questioned concerning
their exploits. They feel like heroes badly
enough now. and would be only too glad
to relate their escapades. / do not believe
in that kind of herosm'
1t is still matter OF conjecture as TO
when and how the two deSperadoes became
acquainted. 1t is thought that they learned
much about the Use of firearms from the,
lead miners near Joplin. and that their first
Job OF note was in Joplin six weeks before
the Union affair.
Several Missouri train hold-ups are now
being laid al their door.
Sheriff Brush was expected in Hartford
tonight but he has not yet shown up and
is not now expected until Thursday evening
at o'clock
The pictures of the men and the guns
which they carried have attracted wide
spread attention, and at least hundred
people called at police headquarters to-
kit
All the cartridges have been given away
as souvenirs: except dozen. which will
be introduced as evidence at the trial. Col
Inns and Rudolph are putting in their time
at the jail reading and smoking. They are
not allowed knives or forks. and their food
men have been noticed to take sort of daily
casthenic exercise. presumably to keep in
perfect athletic trim; Collins in particular
Keeps on the move after breakfast, dancing
first on one foot and then on the other.
DESPERATE MEN.
I've been In the Hartford Police Depart
ment nigh on to fortythree years. and l
never saw much booty brought in
single haul as the arrest OF William Ru-
dolph and George Colips returned" said
Cornelius J. Ryan, Chief of Police. Hart
ford. Il never knew two such desperate
men. and it double discounts any tales we
have been telling about headquarters in the
last decade. 1t would make your heart glad
to hear the jingle of the coin as we counted
cut the money. I confess money never
made the same impression upon me before.
There was Gardiner Howell. prince of
second-story workers, whom We got. and
We grabbed just after he returned from go
ing through the coronation crowds in Lon
don, when he came to Hartford to the
Charter oak races. There was Eddie Mon
ahan, the Arizona Terror, who got out of
Indiana State Prison in packing box. and
l could name ycu scores of others whose
capture reflects credit on the Hartford de-
partment. but We never made captures of
men SO desperate. whose crimes were as
great, and who had as much swag in their
possession when caught as these same Ru-
dolph and Collins"
i've wanted this man Rudolph. and We
wanted him bad said Detective Dough-
er;y. assistant superintendent of the Pink
erton New York office and at the head of
the criminal department. of the great crime
Bankers Association has expressed wish
to put stop to the raids on banks in the
West by making an example of this most
fragrant assault on the vaults of the Union
Bank But we men on the case were actti-
ated by desire to see justice done to the
man who had killed one of us. Charles ].
Schumacher, the dead detective. had been
East on several jobs with us. and he had
come under my notice only recently. never
killed man in my life, but / could have
put Rudolph out of the way with no COM
Functions at all.
SMALL CLEW.
YES it is peculiar how clever men like
these, and though in a measure they are
uncouth in their methods. they are never
theiess dangerous and clever thieves. will
leave loopholes by which their arrest is
caused. When a burglar goes out to do
job he always wears soft hat. II dis
trunk used by boz; ,bsI men we two
large for the head Of the wearer. for he had
filed out the sweat-band with piece of
This tn a m C dah
that the men were MissourianS, and the
ones we wanted even If other things had
"The importance of small clews. too. is
told in the arrest of these two men. If
Superintendent Charlesworth OF the st.
scrap paper with the writing George Col
Inns, Hartford. Conn., we would never
have unearthed the men in Hartford. Fol-
lowing out that little cew by our own and
Hartford detectives has landed these men
behind bars. OF course We didn't know that
Collins, had formerly lived in Hartford. that
he had been in the Connecticut Reform
School for BOYS at Meriden, or that he had |
a stepfather and two half-brothers named
LaPlant.
I'm Missouri Collins was known as Fred
Lewis. fir
DEEDS OF DARING.
IF they had told me they were after |
Frenchy Collins could have found them
said Roundsman James tally. an under i
sized, rotund patrolman; who for years did
Inns lived. fThat boy has given me more |
trouble than ! ever had with any other |
young roughs in my life continued Lally |
Sure 1 knew him. Didn't 1 chase him up |
a coal run one night and he dived off the |
Connecticut River and SWAN to the East |
shore a good three-quarters of a |
mile? Another time he gets on the Com |
merce Street drawbridge and undressed |
standing on the shore yelling to him and |
when the draw swings back he dives into |
the river again."
IT made those Colt guns Rudolph and |
Collins carried said Roundsman James |
Moran. formerly an expert gunmaker in |
Colts armory and an old National League |
catcher. Il have made many of them in |
my time. and / guess 1 have worked on t
all the big ones that have been turned out |
In recent times. Captain Stratton u s
mory: Superintendent l.. c. Grover of the |
same shop. and others who have examined !
ne weapons claim them to be the ia,.- |
gest hand shooting irons ever built ANA |
so all Hartford is agog over the capture
Of the two desperadoes.
GENTLEMANLY YOUTHS.
81 have been suffering from nervous
prcstration ever since I heard the news |
said kindly faced landlady of 90 Allyn |