The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-02-13

Fifteen years ago Charles Tabor. .
typical Missouri cracker. killed a man
in a saloon fight He was sentenced TO
serve a 90 year term IN the JeuerSOk
City pen Last July he was pardonsd
out He came to Lawrence. kas., an
dug himself cave in the bank Of tbs
Kansas river. down below the dump.
Fifteen years in the 9enitent1ary had
changed him. He had become more re
fined He had rubbed up against va
rious post-graduateS IN crime and had
absorbed their tactics. He talked in
soft. persuasive tones He smiled
easily. He picked UP smattering OF
law and knew some legal phrases n
walked like a cat. and his beady eyes
set close to his long. hooked nose. NerS
shifty and watchfuL He has not cut his
hair since he doffed his striped clothes.
and it hangs down his back like
pirates tresses- His thin. cruel lips.
which curl and smile and grimace, are
not the lips Of a man who would dare
to fight in the open. They brand him
as sly. cultured criminal who smiles
in his enemv's face, and stabs him
when he turns his back
Tabor secured a little piece Of ground
near his cave. and made It his osten-
sible business to collect old metal. rag
and refuse from the dump He did odd
Jobs about town.
For some mysterious purpose Of his
+ own. presuma bly, to use them as accom-
plices. Tabor made friends with a num-
+ Der of small boys, and encouraged them
70 visit his cave. They we're naturally
much hOnOred by this attention from
such q mysterious and distinguished in
! dividual as an ex-cOnyict who lived in
a cave. 1t was equal TO a Tom Sawyer
experience
sam Henderson was one Of these boys.
sam Is u years old, and can not read or
write That is quite a mark of dis
tinction for resident of the Athens
OF Kansas. isn't ito
1t is said that Sans mother IS TO
blame for his neglect She used to live
in Toreka. Her mama was Caferty.
Her husband is a Santa Ee section boss
When sam was taken sick with scarlet
fever few months ago, his fond
mamma promptly bundled him off to
Uncle Charle-' Taborfs cave and for
/ a small consideration Uncle Charley
agreed 20 nurse the lad through his
sickness.
While sick in the cave Sam Hender-
son watched Tabor making counterfeit
dimes and quarters Tabor made no eff
fort to conceal his work. but whsn the
boy recovered from his sickness. he
sought 10 implicate him in his crimes
BY giving him some OF the counterfeit
money to pass sam succeeded in pass
ing some Of this, and 50 old man Tabor
thought he had the boys mouth stopped.
sam told his mother about what Ta-
Dor Was doing A few days Ia ter Ia bcr
tried to pass a counterfeit dime on Mrs
Henderson. This made her angry. and
she and Tabor had p row. The outcome
of If was that Mrs Henderson told sam
that he must tell the officers about what
Uncle Charley was doing This led up
to the arrest Of Tabor by the United
States officers
Tabor has been in jail for some days.
/ and his hearing before United States
+ Commissioner r F Hayden was held
Thursday afternoon in United States
+ Marshal Mackey's Office
First sam Henderson and the officers
told their stories practically as related
above They showed the slugs of metal
the broken m0uIds made of plaster Of
paris. piece OF glass used in the manu-
facture of the noulds. an iron ladle, a
lot of rubber type. and metal type set in
wooden handles for dies Il was a sus-
picious looking lot of stuff to be found
on mans premises
You don't have 70 testify unless you
want to-. said the assistant United
states district attorney to Tabor
i've decided to tell ali about it." said
Tabor. We might just as well finish
this thing up today III make a clean
breast of everything and tell you just
what these things are for
All right, 50 ahead" said Mr. Nc
keever
Now Judge. your honor said Tabor
/ picking up A tin box. this box picked
up on the dump. just little ways from
ny cave. These pieces Of metal I melt
cd down from an old umbrella handle.
These ether pieces are zinc. which 1
melted down in that Iadls because I was
told they would sell for more if melted
into bars. This five cent piece here