Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10

pre-eminent to merit consideration in con-
nection with the present case.
Photographs of these dozen or so We're
speedily struck off, and submitted by the
detectives to all the men VINO had been In
the smoking car at the time of the rob-
berry, to the conductor of the train and the
trainmen, to other passengers to farmers
and others who might have seen the rob-
Der while making his escape and to va
rious people in Omaha. The result was
startling. Conductor D. NJ. Ashmore, with
out hesitation, selected from the dozen or
more portraits one as that of the robber
Mr. Shaw the Omaha well digger, who had
sat just behind the robber, selected the same
photograph, and was positive it pictured
the man he had tried TO talk to. Other
passengers also picked out this photograph,
as did various persons who had caught
sight of the man as he escaped.
The portrait thus chosen by common ac-
cord was that of Frank Bruce one of the
most desperate burglars of the younger
generation in the country, and it seemed
only necessary now to find Bruce to have
the problem solved. Many days were spent,
and hundreds of dollars, in searching for
him. Dozens of cities were visited and
every conceivable effort made to get on his
track; but it was not until his pursuers
were almost weary of the chase that he
was finally discovered living quietly in
Chicago, on Cottage Grove avenue, near
seth street, where he was operating with
another high-class burglar, Billy Boyce
Requfsttion papers We're at once procured
from the governor of Iowa on tie governor
of Illinois, and men We're sent to take
Bruce into custody, when the Shadow
reported that he and Boyce had left for
Milwaukee, where, of course. the requisi-
ton papers were yalueless. Fortunately
that same night they attempted burglary
in Milwaukee, for which they were arrested
and held for ninety days This gave the
Chicago detectives abundant time to iden-
tify Bruce as the missing robber
Mr. Pinkerton himself went at once to
Milwaukee, saw Bruce In the JAIL heard
within two days. to his own complete dis
appointment, and in spite OF himself had
proved a complete alibi for Bruce. To sat
isfy himself In this connection. Mr.. Pin
kerton brought Conductor Ashmore and
Mr.. Shaw to Milwaukee, and pointed Bruce
out to Them and, after looking carefully
at him, both men declared they had made
a mistake In choosing his portrait, and that
Bruce was not the robber.
With Bruce clear, the detectives were
again without suspect, and almost with
out a clew. Just here, however, Mr.. Pin
kerton recalled that on a trip TO the west,
some three years previous, to investigate
the case of a man arrested at Reno. New.
on charge of holding up faro bank.
and while stopping over In Salt Lake City,
Utah, he had run across some sporting
men In that city with whom he was well ac-
Quainted and In his telling them where he
was going and what his business was, one
of them. whom Mr.. Pinkerton has known
for years. had said: why, the man at
Reno is innocent. The men who committed
that robbery are In this city. One of them
is smooth-faced boy. about twenty years
of age, and the other Is heavy-set, dark
complexioned fellow, with dark mus
tache. They are the intimate friends and
companions OF Jack Denton. the we'll
known gambler of Salt Lake. and only a
short time ago. at Salt Lake, they entered
house one night going In through rear
door, and compelled two ladies. who were