The sun., 1903-06-21
NAN HUNTING IN TORONTO,
THE CHnyF CANADIAN REFUGE
OF ANE ERICAN CRIMINALS.


L,,,e rhinss by which Fugitives Betrs!
Thems elvr s--Methods OF Banker an'
Bureiar Il te Samo-As Many Refugee
From Am erica in Canada as Ever
TORONTO, Ju ne 20.-In spite OF extradi'
tion treaties Cal ,ada continues to be place
Of refuge for Al nericans who 10 one way ol
.nother have Cd me into collision with the
law. Toronto h as alwsys been the centre
OF this foreign d olony from the States, and
curiously enouH,, fate has decreed that
a man OF the san ,e nationality as the fugi-
tiyes should be commissioned by Canada
10 handle them.
Col John W. Murray, New YORK city
nro1 act, has for twenty y-eight years been
chief OF the Grimm al Investigation Depart
rnent\ for the Ontlrio Government. Dur
inc hiA long career he has visited every part
Of the civilized world in pursuit OF crooks,
and knows more celebrated fugitives than
any othg man In Canada.
What Is it that leads the men to betray
thenselu ,s?" sand Mr.. Murray to-day.
when, ssh ed what had enabled him to sue
ceed b arresting fugitives from justice
who In d sought refuge here. Il cannot say.
PERHAPS 1T is the knowledge they possess
that coee with every guilty conscience.
that they are being sought, together with
the fear. forever with them, IL they evade
Justice a generation, Of possible arrest.
In nv twena y-eight years OF experience,
SUPPOSE | l,ave met every temperament
and conditiop OF the criminal world in this
neculiar feld!-men of great learning and
culture men OF the highest attainments.
and others OF the world Of crime, OF the
product OF the slunls. But their methods
are almost invariably the same, and intelli-
pent men who have wrecked banks by un-
fortunate speculation, and the thug and
burglar Who have wrecked the same in
stitutions at night with dynamite. in the
hope OF looting the strongbo1, seem to
reach about the same conclusions, though
from q widely dinererlt process OF reason
ing. They resort to the same tricks to
eyade the sleuth, and. while one seeks the
best resident portion Of the city and the
other the slum. there is a samenees about
their life from the timN they become fugi-
tives from justice that betrays them imme-
diately to the trained detective.
these men change their names. their
physical appearance, and their clothes.
hut they don t seem toNb capable Of chang
ipg their habits. and by these they are
inevitably recognized. The habits acquired
by a lifetime OF exertiou in a particular
field may not be put of. have discov-
cred, merely because one wills it.
=Thes. descriptions. especially Of the
small things in the way OF habits, are care
fully noted in the circulars sent out by
the police departments Of the American
cities, and they lead to the detection OF the
fugitive when the color OF his hair. eyes.
physical proportions and the other marks
commonly supposed to identify him fail.
For instance, I recall a Cincinnati bank
clerk whom we found because OF his in
satiable appetite for toothpicks.
He chewed them constantly. He dis
suised himself carefully, wore blue goggles
and a wig. but he could not give up the
toothpicks.
Another st. Louis fugitive, man of
prominence in his State. we located at the
racetrack. The circular describing him
concluded with brief reference to the fact
that he invariably attended the races
found him in a private box scanning the
field for horse he was backing.
"A Milwaukee embezzler was described
as a very devout man at home. though it
was added that this was perhaps blind.
and he could not resort to it longer, since
he was fugitive from justice. but did not
believe a man could drop this habit even
though it had been assumed in the first
place merely to disguise his real nature.
Good habits, like bad ones. are equally
tenacious, They can't be dropped in a
moment, and 90 We found this fugitive
a member of a little suburban church, and
teacher in the Sunday school.
will these fugitives fight? No, abso-
IN INV MANY vaara' doalip q
with this class OF criminals, never knew
but two or three to resist when approached
by an officer.
Il attribute this common impulse to sub
nit quietly to the fact that they are in a
foreign country, unaccustomed to the
ways OF the people and realizing that re-
sistance will make a bad matter worse.
man who. at home, would fight to the
death. in a foreign country submits to ar
rcst a. meekly as child.
Perhaps they have been so long expect
ing arrest living in perpetual fear Of the
inevitable, that they are relieved when
the suspense is over. Ihave had more than
one fugitive who had evaded justice for
many years assert this relief. In fact,
so generally have l found fugitives to be
harmless when in foreign country that
discarded the habit Of carrying revolver
in pursuing this class OF wanted men.
But they want lawyer. That lie usu-
ally the first thing they seek, and they make
a.bitter fight. as rule. Their stolen prop
erty, II they have any left, is spent lavishly
for this purpose.
aThe authorities OF the States and Canada
work together very close. and exchange
information constantly. In many cases
We find fugitive who cannot be extra
dited, and he knows it, The fact is noted.
and In time he gets careless.
He can't resist the desire to creep over
the line occasionally. and then We quietly
notify the American officers. and arrests
follow. They all get homesick sooner or
later
j.. Man hunters know how much easier II
is for a fugitive to evade them in a big
city than in the wilds OF a new country
The forest and plain afford no such security
es consested humanity. In my experience
Id this class OF business, have seen that
illustrated dozens Of times. 1t is the per-
rersenees Of fate which points the finger OF
suspicion at the restless fugitive. though
he may have exercised all the discretion
OF the cunning criminal,
He penetrates the unsettled region, has
few nei9hbors and never mentions his