Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-10-28

being relieved of his eastern command
kennoch die good deal OF work for
the secret service as roper" He
was familiar with criminals and crimes
was a plasible taiker. and could worm
his way into the eocd graces of couu.
terfeiters with much skill.
1 enlisted his services and ASSIGNED
him TO the same task 4 had given Gal
lagher. He worked slowly. making
Bosses saloon his rendezvous. When
he Thought his relations with Blebush
were sufficiently close he preached the
subject Of buying "coney." AS in the
case of Gallagher. the willy Prussian
did not take offense nor deny that be
ever handled such goods but he began
TO put kenuoch through a course of
questioning concerning his past. Ken
noch claimed he had served In a New
York penitentiary. but he could not
furnish such proofs as demanded. for
the reason that no such proofs ex-
listed, and Biebush was cunning enough
to know genuine proofs from false
ones. Here was failure number two.
did not consider myself anv
shrevder at such work than Kennoch.
but IL is a universal trait for one to
believe he can do n thing better him
self than anyone else can do It Tor him.
1 determined 70 see what l could do
toward leading the old fox into our
trap. was not known TO Biebush. /
allowed my beard TO grow into a stub
Bile and chose the makeup of a river
10
gression I will say that with a few
days growth of beard and rough
clothes l could look tough enough TO
satisfy even the fastidious Biebush, to
whom the appearance OF "toughness"
was strong recommendation. Thus
attired I made my debut at Bosses
4 here was a card game in progress
most of the time. and I sat in" Bic
bush and others whom I afterward
learned were members OF bis baud
played with me. / frequently sat op-
posite my quarry and studied him
closely. Friendly relations were estab-
hshed between us. and / thought mat
ters were progressing favorably until
I limited TO "Old Fred" mat I would
like TO handle some OF his goods Then
l found that / hG3 made just as much
progress as Gallagher and Kennoch
had made-and no more. Biebush said
he did not object to doing business
with me. but that he had no coney
Just then" From the way he spoke
knew ] was wasting my time and be-
fore we landed him behind prison bars
we would have TO practice deeper and
more circuitous methods in "roping."
Failure number three
Before / took charge OF the st. Louis
district I had been informed by a dep
uty warden I'm the Joliet penitentiary
that certain prisoner ia that institu-
ton had intimated 10 him that he had
information which might be OF value
TO the secret service / bethought my
self OF this and went to see him. He
proved to be John Bridges alias Hoo
sier Bill" under sentence for horse
stealing. This worthy was an Indiana
product and something over 40 years
old. He was n congenitai criminal.
stopping only At murder. His favor
lite form OF crime was "garroting. that
Is, grabbing a pedestrian by the throat
from Dehind. thrusting his knee into
the small OF the victim back and thus
pintoning him while his assistant re-
lieved the prey OF his valuables. But
In the form OF crime "Hoosier Bill"
was not over particular, taking side
excursions into the field OF burglary
/ horse stealing and petty acts OF knav-
cry. The Chicago police knew him IA
West side hold-up man OF danger.
Gus character
listened 20 his story with deep in
terest as It bore directly on the case
T in hand-the landing OF the big FISH
we were playing for-Fred Biebush
"Hoosier Bill' knew Biebush intimate.
I ly. He had established this intimacy
by presenting proper penitentiary Gre
denuals, OF which he had plenty. Be
fore he ran afoul Of an Illinois sheriff
and had been settled for driving of
the wrong horse, Bridges had operated
in ST. Louis as a burglar and turned
over 10 BiebGsh such of his "swag" "a
was suitable 20 The latter's purpose
especially the solid silverware. on one
occasion he had arrived 81 the Biebush
residence at four o'clock In the morn
Ing IN cab. bringing with him a
package or silycrv are. The paper wrap
per broke as he was about TO ring the
door bell, scattering the loot over the
porch. The "cobby. helped him gather
II up, after which Biebush appeared
and took IL into the house. | found
this "cab5y" later and used him as a
witness against Biebush.
The "sWag" brought in by burglars
was paid for in "coney." according 10
Bridges. the thieves favoring this wav
OF dealing because they received larger
compensation in representative or
counterfeit dollars than they would in
genuine money. The silver was melted
by Bieoush into bars. TO be used in the
manufacture OF silver money.
But this was not the most valuable
Information CLEANED from "Hoosier
Bill" He let me into the secret OF the
identity or the more active and impor-
taut members of the Biebush gang
"Hankey" Thielen and John Sullivan.
he said. were two OF "Old Fred's" most
trusted lieutenants. serving as doodle
carriers and go-betweens in the deliy
erV OF "cnpQyff for