Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-16
ECHO OF BIG ROBBERY.
Tom Dennison, Former Salt Laker, Ac.
cused of Diamond Stealing.

Tom" Dennison, who, several years
ago. was prominent gambler I'm Salt
Lake, is now in the tolls at Omaha,
and is accused Of instigating a big dia-
mond robbery, The man who makes
the charges against Dennison Is Sher-
man W. Morris, who was the actual
robber. Morris has many aliases, go.
Ing under the names OF SherclIffe,
Smith, Morris and many other names
The man SherclIffe was in a diamond
robbery in Salt Lake, but when his
case came 20 trial he was acquitted.
The case referred to was the robbery Of
Mrs. James Chesney on south West
Temple street IN the early sos Through
the efforts Of woman In league with
the robbers, Mrs Chesney was lured to
II place where she was robbed OF dia-
m0nds worth $4,000. AT that time
Dennison ran gambling house on east
First South street. Shercliffe hung
around Dennisons place and when the
gambler went to Omaha, Shercllffe
went with him. Dennison was known
as the Policy King IN omaha. Sher-
cliffe got into trouble and is now in the
state prison Of Iowa
The robbery case referred to In which
DennIson has lately been implicated
by Sherciffe, Is the famous Pollack
diamond robbery which occurred IN
1902 Shercliffe has made affidavit that
he committed the crime at the instiga-
ton of Dennlson, The account OF this
crime IL given by Robert Plnkerton,
of the famous detective agency, as fol-
lows
THE robbery took place on the night
OF Nov. 4 1902, William G.. Pollock, a
travelling salesman for the firm OF W.
u. Pollock & Co., Maiden Lane, New
York, was travelling out OF Omaha on
train Of the Elkhorn Valley line, which
Is a branch of the Chicago a. North
western railroad POllack was known
TO carry lot Of diamonds and had evil
IDENTIFY been watched lie was seated
In the smoking car which was crowd
ed when man wearing linen buster
and with his face partially concealed
by a handkerchief, confronted him with
a revolver. Hold Up your hands. /
want your diamonds" ne said
Pollock is a short man, but he stood
up and gave the train rObber fight
The hiRhwayman began shooting. hit
ting Pollock In each arm. Another bull
let, aimed for the heart, was turned
By a pair Of diamond tweezers and the
buckle OF the suspenders. Pollock then
gave up a wallet containing diamonds
valued nj $4,000. keeping back how
ever. a larger wallet containing about
$50 900 worth. by this time the robber
was too anxious about his safety 10
make q search. Pulling the bell rope
he jumped on near Missouri Junction
as the train slowed down,
"Pollack was taken back to Omaha.
The jewelers. Protective union put the
case In our hands and for nearly year
we worked on It, following Sherclffe
MI through the west, We finally caught
him In Leadville Shercliife was taken
10 Iowa and received n T.year sem
tence. II was paroled. and shortly ar
terward left the state secretly, lie was
next heard from In an attempt TO rob
n jewelry store In Kansas City. lie was
sent back TO Iowa for breaking parole.
This was about two years ago lie Is
now IN the Iowa state prison at Fort
Madison
"As measured with other robberles,
the T. Townsend Burden, for example,
I'm which about $4,000 worth OF Jewels
was stolen. the Pollock robbery was not
great affair but II was distinguished
by the remarkable holiness with which
II was carried out the car being crowd.
ed with passengers.
"Shercllffe Is considered one Of tho
most desperate young criminals I'm the
country He In about 2S years Of age.
He has held up numerous faro banks
all through the west Ae an evidence Of
his fearlessness, he once single handed,