The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-22
EXPERT BANK RoBBER.
He Has Reformed and Says There Is
Nothing in a Criminal Life.
(Philadelphia Inauirer.O

philadelphia Inquirer)
| Watt Jones, known to the police of
| this country, Canada and England as
! one OF the most expert bank robbers
| who have operated within the past 40
years, was in town yesterday and slip
ped away again without the local de-
teetive authorities getting wind of his
| presence.
Jones professed to have reformed.
and is now on his way TO England to
meet friends who. he says, are deeply
obligated TO him. He has a proposition,
ne says, TO write a book of his criminal
/ career for a publishing concern, and
1 his arrangements have been nearly
completed. He processes a serious in
tention 10 settle down and lead a
straight life.
There is nothing criminal life, -
he declares, with his 40 years of ex-
perience. "A man is a fool to follow il.
/ cannot understand why have
stuck 10 it so long.
In my day l have stolen from banks
| hotels and individuals a quarter of a
million, he says, "but it's all gone
come easy, go easy; sporting life, gam
bling, wine: you know how it goes"
Jones is 81 years old. He has black
| hair, slightly streaked with gray, a
strong, ScOtch-Irish countenance, and
III ObAAilASliC iildiliiGI tudl has carried
| hun through many trials of a check
cred career. A score or more years in
jails in all parts of this country.
Canada and England, have left their
marks.
Jones was met walking along Market
street yesterday and talked freely of
his past career-"a wasted life" he
calls it.
What started me?" he repeated in
response to that inquiry. We'll, my
father died when / was years old. My
mother married again, and somehow
couldn't get used TO my new father,
so just ran away when / was II years
o!d-Went to New York. That was in
1860"
The war broke out and he got in
with q bounty jumper" who, when
they began to draft soldiers, went as
substitute for $1,000 a turn. The
bounty man and Jones, who was q
sturdy boy would travel on the same
train toward Washington. The boy
carried a bundle with the mans civ
ilian clothes in it. Somewhere the man
would change his uniform for the other
clothes and the boy and the man then
escape. The boy got 81 500 for his part
in the job.
That is what started me-" he said.
1t was having too much easy money
as u boy"
The last time he was arrested WAS
year ago in Toledo, Ohio, where he
was i'm the workout" on suspicion.
But the last term he served was at
Dannamora, n. Y, for rObbing a priest
of S65 in the Grand Union hotel. New
York
What was your first big job?" he
was asked.
..poolv- n, ,ca ., h., sa;1 ,.a,,,;,,i .oa,,tIx,
1T was a hotel sneak job. / used to
dress well; high silk hat and all that.
/ walked right into a bedroom. There
was woman asleep, and l can still
see the chubby little fists of a baby
clutching at the air IT was pretty az
a picture / stole pocket wallet from
her husbands vest under the pillow.
He was out of the room. The wallet
contained s.. 500. But the man squealed
and said it was $4,000 so as 10 hold up
a lodge he was treasurer for, but he
lied, / was never caught for that"
What was your slickest jOb?" he
was asked.
Lets see," he mused-"California-
FriscO-nO, that was too recent, l
guess. TO tell about" and he shut up
I like a clam.
But he went back 10 1878, when he
and a party of four robbed a bank at
Galesburg, H., of 1900 Then he
told how some of the party entered the
bank at noon and enga ged the atten-
ton of the clerks, assistant cashier,
etc. The president was called up on
the phone by one of them and the
cashier enticed out to the sidewalk 10
confer on business with another of his
pals, who was in a wagon and pro-
fessed to be an invalid.
With everybody in the bank thus en-
gagged, one Of his companions got away
with the $4,000 lying on counter.
Neither Jones nor any of his party
was arrested for that.
But 1 wasn't so lucky UP in Can
ada he commented. AT Toronto, in