Evening star., 1905-08-20

\ turning the pages of my album OF
criminals pictures l pause at the de-
ffdnt face of Adam Brown, known TO
q the last generation of thieves and
detectives a James r. Barron. man
whom his fellows in crime delighted to hon
or Barron was a leader born. SiT.ce the
gates of the penitentiary swung behind him
more than thirty years ago I do not recall
another who was his peer in the organl-
z4tion and manipulation Of criminal bands.
nor one who displayed the same versatility
and grasp of various forms OF thleVery.
The sensational crimes that led TO his ar
rest and the remarkable fight the authori-
ties made to bring about his Imprisonment
IL the penitentiary form one of the most
thrilling chapters in the criminal history
of the country.
During the evening of January 10, 1913,
Isaac Mills, travelling salesman 1or me
iewelry house of Arthur RumriH, Wall
street New York reported to the clerk OF
the fremont House. Chicago, in which ne
was stopping. that the trunk containing ms
samples had been broken open during the
evening meal hour and $2l.OoO worth ol
1ewelry stolen The loss was reported i'm
medlately by the clerk to police headquar-
tcrs then in the old RookeTy. The same
night | had returned, and the next morning
| was assigned to the case by Chief WASH
burn.
The circumstances OF the robbery were
these: Mills occupied two rooms. using one
Of them for a sleeping room amt the other
as a reception and display room. Both cl
them opened into the hall. In his sleeping
room Mills kept the small trunk containing
his samples of solid gold jewelry. The door
from this room into the hall he kept fast-
ened with a safety spring that htted INTO
the keyhole and which could be released
only with key he carried with him Ine
Goor connecting his two rooms and the door
leading from the reception room into the
hall were kept locked with the ordinary
key. The trunk was also kept locked wnen
he was not taking samples from 1t or 1e-
placing them.
On the Saturday night in question he had
gone 10 the dining room about $50 and had
spent half an hour there, returning lmme-
diately TO his rooms. He found the doors
locked and his trunk broken open.
The manner of the theft was not DIM
cult to determine The thief had opened
the reception room door with a skeleton
key, climbed through the transom over the
connecting door. secured the jewelry, ana
escaped the same way he had entered. The
safety appliance on the other hall door had
not been tampered with, the thief probably
being familiar with its effectiveness, as It
was device in general use at that time by
iewelry statesmen who carried samples OF
value. Those carried by Mills We're all or
solid gold, and among them was large
number of watch chains valued at slT5
each. The pattern of these chains was en-
tlrely new and easily distinguishabe from
any other on the market.
The job had been deftly and cleanly done,
not the slightest clue having been left by
the robber The case was one of those DIFF
ficult affairs in which the detective has alb
solutely nothing on which to work except
such general conclusions as he might draw.
10 -rir,n fr11l
seldom make excursions into spheres or
crime that have not been closely studied
by them A pckpocket is seldom burglar
and Il con" man never commits crime OF
violence Most of the thefts committed in
hotels are the work of men whose speciality
is stealing from hotel rooms.
1t was in a not very hopeful frame or
mind that | returned TO headquarters.
Other detectives from Central had the
banks and hotels for their special fields.
and with the previous record Of hotel thefts
l was no more familiar than one might be-
come by reading the newspapers. deter
mined TO acquaint myself with this record.
however. and proceeded to examine the
confidential reports to the chief of detec-
tives touching recent crimes, sorting out
all those relative to thefts committed in
hotels These were about dozen in num-
Der during the three months preceding the
theft of the Mills jewelry. Besides the
number which was large enough 10 be sig
nificant, l found general similarity OF
them had been solved and all remained as
mysterious as was the fremont House rob-
berv In most of the cases room doors had
been opened without injury TO the locks
and vaiuables taken from the rooms during
the absence Of the occupants. no material
clew 10 the identity of the thieves being left
for the detectives to work from.
The more carefully studied these reports
the more firmly l became convinced that a
well-organiZed band of hotel thieves was at
work I'm Chicago, and, u were correct in
this il was only reasonable to argue that
the Mills robbery had been the work OF
some member of this band.
After slowing carefully In my memory
the details OF the various thefts reported.
repaired to the Clifton Hotel, in which a
guest had been robbed some time before.
Going back on the register to the day pre-
ceding the night on which the robbery had
occurred. began the examination of the
signatures calling the clerk TO my aid In
the work. Many OF the arrivals of that
day were known either personally or by
reputation by the clerk, and these We're at
once checked Off. As much as could be re-
membered of the others by the hotel en-
ployes was considered. and one by one they
also were checked Off in the process of
elimination.
In tbs way the list was reduced to one