The San Francisco call., 1905-03-18
HlzEN ARRESTS
Bold CRIMINAL
Desperate Negro Murderer
and Counterfeiter Taken
by Secret Service Men
LUKE RAY IN CUSTODY
Kills Deputy Sheriff Who
Attempts His Capture
in Cave City, Kentucky

The strong arm of the United States
Secret Service department reached
from Louisville, KY. yesterday after
noon and gripped the collar of Luke
Ray, alias Lee Smith, alias Lee Cole.
murderer and counterfeiter. Ray is
desperate of a kind common in the
Southern States, but fortunately not
so numerous in the North. The credit
for the capture belongs to United
States Secret Service Agents George
w. Hazen and Thomas B. Foster and
they did the job in a remarkably brief
time
On March IL the agents received a
letter from United States Secret Ser
vice Agent S. A. Donella at Louisville,
KY, notifying them that Ray was
probably in California. The letter in
closed photograph and description of
the murderer, who was marked oy
scar on the left cheekbone.
The history of Rays career was Civ
en- as follows: "On September To- 1903.
Chief Wilkie received a telegram an
nouncing the arrest of three negroes,
Ray, Tolley and Willis, charged with
passing raised bills at county fairs.
The chase had lasted about month
and ON the morning Of the capture the
secret service men learned that the
three counterfeiters had boarded a
train for Cave City, KY. The infor-
nation was telegraphed to that place
and when the train arrived a posse of
deputy sheriffs and citizens were wait
ing at the depot. When an attempt was
made to arrest the negroes they opened
fire on the posse and Ray killed one
Of the number named Sheppard. Ray
and Tolley were captured and Willis
escaped during the confusion. Shortly
after the prisoners had been placed in
the Memphis Jail Ray and Tolley broke
out, but Tolley was recaptured and
Ray escaped"
HaZen and Foster did not let the
grass grow under their feet, but started
on search at once. They visited all
the places usually resorted to by ne
groes of the criminal class but without
success. Then they went to all the
photograph galleries in which they
could find the photographs of negroes
and found at the establishment of
Uberti, Pera & Co. picture of Ray but
without the scar. They called for the
negative and saw that the scar on the
left cheek had been faithfully repro
duced, but had been obliterated from
the photograph at the request of Ray.
The detectives ascertained that man
answering the description was work.
lIlS DIS DdTIcIO6T DIT lNS <1SScliiDly SiQD
on Bush street Yesterday afternoon
they saw their man going down the
steps leading to race-track poolroom
in the basement at the southwest cor
ner of Bush and Kearny streets.
Hazen had been advised of the des-
perate character Of Ray and had taken
precautions accordingly. Foster
stepped behind the negro and seized
his right arm, Hazen at the same time
in front catching the negro by the left.
In a twtnkling he was handcuffed.
Foster found a large bowie knife in
the hip pocket of the counterfeiter.
The prisoner was then turned over to
the United States Marshal and placed
in the city prison.
He denied his identity. but the Secret
Service men are positive that they
have the right man. Under the alias
of Lee Cole he had been consorting
with a negress named Sadie Cole at
429 Bush street.