Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-21
A N[N CHAP IER
ON SH[RCLFF[.
Detectives Trying to Spirit Him
Away From the Den
nison Trial
TO BE ARRESTED FOR OLD CRIME
Long Time Ago He Broke Jail at Fair
field For a Pardner and Sheriff
Will Be at Prison to Arrest Him
Asain-sentence Expires Next Sat
urday.
special to Times republican

Specfal TO IneS-hepuIiiCaH
Des Moines, Sept. 20.-Still another
interesting chapter is about to be added
to the doubly interesting story of the
life Of Frank Shercliffe," the California
Junction diamond robber.
last Saturday from the Fort Madison
penitentiary, and would have been so
released but for the fact that he lost
some of his good time" by an mad
vertent infraction of Il. rison rules in
the last few weeks of his term. Sher-
cliffe has intended to be a model pris-
oner and is quite capable OF the best
possible conduct. Now mis- release is
scheduled for next Saturday.
But he will not go free. 1t was PLAN
ned that he should be given over to a
detective who would spirit him away
and see that he is cared for until the
trial Of Tom Dennison, the Omaha
policy king, for completely in the rob-
berry because he dug up the diamonds
and sold them. 1t was found that
threats against his life had been made
and he was to be armed for his own de-
fense. Persons had asked that he be
released from the prison at a time other
than that publicly announced so that
he would not be in danger, but this was
refused.
Now comes the news received pri-
vately from Fairfield that the sheriff Of
hot {e, cd vii y,f
fer the arrest of Shercliffe and will be
at the Fort Madison penitentiary to
arrest him and take him to Jefferson
county for trial. !. Nothing is known
iTece of the matter. and it is not Known
in official circles what the accusation
against Shercliffe is in Iowa.
But, as a matter Of fact, Shercliffe
was fugitive from justice in Iowa
long before the California Junction
train robbery. His father is dead and
his mother lives down In Missouri,
having married a second time, and
Shercliffe commenced his career at
Plattsburg. He was a mere boy of 18
when he got into trouble the first time.
October 26, 1889 he was arrested at
Plattsburg for robbing the Wabash de-
pot at that place, but later, in COM
pany with William Clark and Charles
Pullman, he escaped from Jail. Clark
disappeared.
1t was on the night of March 20, 1890,
that the night operator at Lockridge
Iowa, was held up and robbed. They
got his watch and some other things
and went west. A boy in Ottumwa
found some Of the stolen plunder under
q lumber heap in the outskirts of the
city and reported it to the city mar
shall Two men dressed up as tramps
loitered about the yards and were
rewarded by the appearance of two men
who claimed the stolen stuff. They
were arrested and found to be Sh0rcliffe
and Pullman. The two men wore I'm
dicted in Jefferson county and taken to
Mt. Pleasant for safe keeping. While
they were in Jail awaiting trial they
played a trick and made their escape.
One of them made pretense Of having a
fit and the other became excited and
called for some water. The jailer was
near at hand and brought a bucket Of
water. The one prisoner seized it and
dashed it in the face of the jailer and
both ran away. Pullman was soon
caught, but the other man was not
found.
The next trick was characteristic Of
Shercliffe in his later days. Sheriff
Crane of Jefferson county, believed he
had a safer place for Pullman at
home than in Mt. Pleasant Jail and
took Pullman to Fairfield. Just before
the term of court began someone broke
into the Jail from the outside and re-
leased Pullman and both disappeared.
This was believed to be Shercliffe, but
the job was so well done that both
got away Nothing was heard of these
people in southern Iowa or northern
Missouri, and the identity Of Shercliffe
was not known in connection with the
Lockridge hold-up until long after the
California Junction robbery.
1t is now supposed that Shercliffe is
to be taken to Jefferson county to be
tried on the old indictment for the
hold-up of the Lockridge agent. He
will probably get a short sentence
which will make him safe until after
the trial of Dennison, so that there will
be no opportunity for the Omaha gang
to get rid of him and prevent the dis
closures he may make.