The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31

money held for extradition. Am sick.
Cannot remain. Coming on steamer
Tuesday. My associate takes charge. .
Before sailing for New Orleans De-
tective Hotchkiss had an interview
with Crawford, in the presence Of the
Spanish officials, and obtained from
him a written confession OF his guilt
While admitting that he had been a
party to the robbery. the absconder
tried to lessen his own crime by de-
claring that the plan to plumber the
bank had been suggested to him by
two men, named Brown and Bowen
whom he had met accidentally on a
railway train in New York, and with
whom he had afterward become very
friendly. These zlen had taken him to
Browns house on Thirty-eighth street,
somewhere between Eighth and Ninth
avenues Crawford could not locate the
place more precisely, and introduced
him to fine-looking woman presented
as Mrs. Brown. who was also in the
conspiracy They told him that he was
earning very little money for man
in such a responsible position, and that
he might easily make a fortune if he
would put his interests in their hands
and be guided by their advice.
The outcome of several converse
tiOns was a plan to get possession of a
valuable money package on some day
when Crawford should know a large
sum was to be sent away from the
bank. He claimed that on the day OF
the robbery one of his fellow-conspira-
tors. Bowen, followed behind himself
and Earle after they entered the Ad-
ans Express offices, and managed to
substitute a bogus package for the real
one while the two messengers were
faf i've L 7Of II
this attempt until he saw the bank de-
tective. McDougal, turn hack VI
Broadway. Crawford said that he
managed 1t so as to precede Earle in
going up the stairs, which gave Bowen
who was standing at the first turn, in
the shadow, an opportunity to open
the satchel and quickly make the sub
stitution. Crawford declared that the
conspirators gave him only $1,000 as
his share Of the booty, although prom
Using him more. This sum he put in
two envelopes and sent TO his aunt, the
one to whom he afterward intrusted
the package supposed to contain
gloves.
Crawford stated further that Brown
and Bowen, having been forced to flee
the country, sent him word from Paris
some time later. in a letter written by
Mrs. Brown, that the greater part OF
the stolen money had been buried in a
flower bed in the southeast corner OF
a yard on West Thirty-eighth street,
and asked him to dig it up and send
II 10 them. A remarkable fact in this
connection is that the yard referred to
on West Thirty-eighth street belonged
TO the house of the friend and benefac-
tor with whom Crawford was living AT
the time Of the robbery.
Crawford claimed RI have oarria1
out these instructions, and deposited
the package Of money taken from the
hover bed in the safe deposit vaults in
the Firth Avenue hotel building. where
as matter of fact, he was known 70
nave rented a box. He gave as his
reason for not sending the money ia
Farls that he was in trouble himself
DeHlS under constant surveillance, and
Ihought 1t best to keep the money Sc
Greted Tor the time. He admitted that
ne mad carried this money with him IN
Honduras, and that If was the SANS
round on his person by the detectives
by MS description OF Brown and Row
en- the former was a man about 2F
years old. Of slight build and light
complexion, while the latter was fen
years older, two or three inches taller
WIN a sandy mustache and very fat
hands. Mrs. Brown. Crawford da-
scrlbed as about 25 years old. a blonde
with regular features. He had no idea
what had become of these peopIe since
ne Ieft America, having had no further
communication with them. None of
me aHeged conspirators has ever bAen
found, and they are believed 70 III
purely mythical. '
Detective Hotchkiss also had an In
terEieW with Mike" Neiland. Craw-
Ioru companion in flight, who de-
ms hrst meeting with Craw-
ford at his boarding house In San %.
uro' and acknowledged that he had de-
liberately frightened Crawford int
running away by his story of the mr..
SUING detectives. He described their
adventures and hardships i'm trvine
10 escape over the rough country the
dirhculties they experienced in buving
mules, their sufferings from exposure
IN the swamps, and finally their can
lure Dy the soldiers. Neiland said
that Crawford gave him $4,000 in SsO
bills, and also allowed him TO carry q
part OF the time. a large packsge
wrapped in oil-clOth paper and sewed
up tightly. Crawford had told him n
throw this package away rather than
let anyone capture it; for. he said. il
contained money which would send
him 10 prison if found upon him.
AS they pushed along in their fight
Crawford declared repeatedly that he
would put an end to his lift rather
than be taken prisoner; and when the
soldiers surrounded them he drew his
revolver and tried to blow his brains
out. One of the soldiers, however
was too quick for him, and struck the
weapon out of his hand After the
capture Crawford vainly tried TO bride
the guards to let him escape. offerine
them as much as $4,000. When the
large package was opened, il was
found to contain bundles of bills
sewed together with black thread. and
with about a dozen rubber bands
wrapped around them, and a stout COW
ering of buckskin under the oiled pa
per. The money amounted Ia S32, 500
all in United States bills-f1ves, tens
twenties, fffties and hundreds, but
mostly fiVes. Ultimately the money
was returned to the American Elk
change bank.
When organizing the pursuit OF
Crawford, Detective Hotchkiss had ar
ranged with the Honduras government
that any letters and kilograms that
might come addressed to the abscond-
er should be delivered to him. Several
letters were thus secured from the
young man about town in New York
who had befriended Crawford so con-
stantly in the past. and who seemed
now disposed TO stand by him even in
adversitv and disgrace. The letters