The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-09
.ENGLIsH A BAD IN
Evidence Seems to Show That He's
a Man With a Gloomy
Past.
Said to Have Tried to Induce 9th
ers to Join Him in Vasey
Hold Up.

Further investigation Of these case of
William English, the man arrested
Wednesday, night in the act of holding
UP James Vasey'ss saloon on Fourth street
g. and who said he had been the victim
of a job perpetrated by the officers to add
to their laurels, indicates that there is
no truth In his story. Two men, were
found to-day who are willing to testify
that English approached them over a
week ago and wanted them to help him
do the work. 4 They are Thomas Peterson,
a, barn man at McAllister's livery stable
Christian, a driver employed by F.. M
Parcher. Peterson told the story to a re-
porter to-day as follows: & st.@r. 81.
Il was at work in the barn about two
days before. New Years when English
came in. We talked a little while and
then asked him what he was doing. He
said that he was doing nothing and that
he didn't intend to do any more work.
He said that he could get money without
work. Then after looking around to see
that no one was near he told me that he
had tried to get Bill Christian to help him
hold up Vasey's saloon. He said that Bill
didn't have the nerve to go into the job,
but. that 1T was easy and that we could
make some money without any trouble:
| saw that he was limiting to get me into
the deal and I told him that was not
a robber and did not want to have any
thing to do with the affair. Then he went
away and have not seen him since.''
r Christian Approached.
Christian says that English came to
him and wanted him to go into the holdup
business but that he refused to do so.
He told English that he was afraid and
the latter laughed at him. 80. a Z
= why" said English, ''all you have to
do would be to get the money while I kept
the fellow covered with the gun. There
would be no trouble about that" -. 2
But" objected Christian, r"the fellow
might shoot and then we would be up
against it," -. ~ :--@' = s%rs- t*
"Rosh'' replied English, do you think
would go to sleep? I would kill him
in an instant if he made move.'&
If you did, then we'd both get hung
was the reply. ~ --"t ~ = "
"Well. your neck is no better than
NINE said English. But seeing that
Christian did not have the nerve neces-
sary he walked away. .'' -.
Detectives Grumpy and Brown feel that
they have been subjected to a great
deal of undeserved criticism. They say
that they got a tip, that English and his
pal were going to hold up Vasey's saloon,
from a man who had overheard a CONVEX
sation between the two thugs and by fol
lowing that tip they were able to be
present in time to arrest English although
they did, let the other man get away.
Both officers think that English has told
his story. for a purpose, but they do not
know whether some one tempered with
him while he was at central police sta
ton and induced him to tell the story, OF
whether the man thought that if he told
such a story. he could excite sympathy
and avoid punishment. ~ e., =. Z =. :.
|, - Gives Detectives Credit - .
Superintendent, of Police Ed j. Conroy
| has made "a partial investigation of the
| case and feels that Detectives Grumpy
and Brown are entitled to credit for the
manner in which they captured English
He says that English is wanted for bur
glary in another city and that he has in:
! formation that the man was at one time
! stool pigeon for the Scotland Yard detec.
tivest and is one Of the cleverest men II
his line in the city. q %=s,-ls ~:
L. Detectives Grumpy and Brown have
been making q good record in the pas
| two weeks January 1 they arrested
John Hendricks while he was holding VI
a man on Third avenue S. Then yester
day they arrested Alfred Il. Morey, tht
! notorious counterfeiter: This success il
Thought to have caused some other mem
bers of the force to look at them will
jealousy and may have been responsible
1 for the story told by English. -