Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-31
DQEVELAND
MOFFETT
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| warned him that detectives were pursuing
MN from Puerto Cortes a hand-car.
/ Neiland had pretended to be Crawfords
friend, and said he would keep him out Of
| the hands of the detectives. Crawford very
much frightened, grabbed up some of his
! luggage and left the house with Neiland 1t
was generally believed that Neiiand had de-
| signs on Crawfords money, and would got
hesitate to kill him. IL need We're, in order
to get it.
Hotchkiss Immediately requested Mr. Bert
| Cecil at Tegucfgalpa, the capital, TO cover
| al! telegraphic points. and, If possible. have
Crawford and his companion arrested on
| resched San Pedro, on March q, he re-
| ceived telegram saying that Crawford and
| Ne1iand had been arrested and taken before
| the governor at Santa Barbara. They had
| been searched and about S32 900 had been
found on Crawford's person. The money
was IN old and worn bills that In every way
Whether they were the identical bills or
| not 1T was impossible to say. as the bank
had not recorded the numbers.
On receipt of this news. Hotchkiss. ac
| ccnranied by Jack Hall. a guide, set out
! across the country for Santa Barbara. The
journey was accomplished but only after
| the most terrible suffering and many priva-
| tons and dangers. Moreover. the fever got
Its deadly clutches upon Detective Hotch-
| kiss: and when he had finally dragged him.
self into Santa Barbara, he cabled the New
York office; Crawford and money held for
| extradition. Am sick. Cannot remain.
| Coming on steamer Tuesday. My associate
| takes charge
Before sailing for New Orleans Detective
Hotchkiss had an interview with Crawford
| In the presence of the Spanish officials, ana
obtained from him a written confession OF
his guilt. While admitting that he had
| been party to the robbery, the absconder
| tried to lessen his crime by declaring
| that the plan to plumber the bank had been
suggested to him by two men, named Brown
and Bowen whom he had met accidentally
on railway train in New York, and with
whom he had afterward become very friend
| ly. These men had taken him to Browns
| house on 3Sth street, somewhere between
Sth and 9th avenues Crawford could not
| locate the place more precisely, and intro
| duced him to a flne-looking woman present
ed as Mrs. Brown, who was also in the con-
| spiracy. They told him that he was earn
| Ing very little money for a man in such a
| responsible position. and that he might
easily make fortune if he would put his
| their advice.
The outcome of several conversations was
| plan to get possession of a valuable
| money package on some day when Craw-
| ford should know a large sum was to be
| sent away from the bank. He claimed that
| On the day of the robbery one of his fell
low conspirators, Bowen, followed behind
| himself and Earle after they entered the
Adams Express offices, and managed to
substitute bogus package for the real
one while the two messengers were going
up the stairs. He did not make this at
| tempt until he saw the bank detective, Nc
| DouSal, tarn back up Broadway. Crawford
| said that he managed it so as to precede
| Earle in going up the stairs, which gave
| Bowen who was standing at the first .urn
| In the shadow. an opportunity to open the
| satchel and quickly make the substitution
| Crawford declared that the conspirators
| gave him only 1900 as his share of the
| booty although promising him more This
| sum he put in two envelopes and sent to
| his aunt, the one to whom he afterward
| intrusted the package supposed to con-
! tain gloves.
Crawford stated further that Brown and
| Bowen, having been forced to fee the coun-
| try, sent him word from Paris, some time
| later, in q letter written by Mrs Brown.
! that the greater part Of the stolen money
| had been buried in a flower bed IN the
southeast corner of yard on West 3Sth
| street, and asked him to dig it up and send
| it to them. remarkable fact In this con-
| nection is that the yard referred to on
| West 3Sth street belonged to the house of
| the friend and benefactor with whom Grew
| ford was living at the time OF tbs rob-
| berry.
Crawford claimed to have carried out
| these instructions. and deposited the pack
age of money taken from the flower bed
in the safe-deposit vaults In the Fifth Ave
nue. Hotel building, where, as matter of
| fact, he was known to have rented a box.
| He gave his reason for not sending the
money to Paris that he was in trouble him.
| self, being under constant surveillance, ard
| thought 1t best to keep the money secreIed
for the time. He admitted that he had
carried this money with him to Honduras,
| and that it was the same found on his per-
| son by the detectives BY his description
| of Brown and Bowen, the former was
| man about twenty-five years old, of slight
build and light complexion, while the lat
| ter was ten years older. two or three inches
| taller, with a sandy mustache and very fat
hands. Mrs. Brown, Crawford described SIS
| about twenty-five years old, blonde, with
| regular features. He had no idea what had
| become of these people since he left Amer
| lea, having had no further communication
| with them. None Of the alleged conspira-
| tors has ever been found, and they be-
| neved TO be purely mythical.
Detective Hotehkiss also had an inter
view with Mike" Neiland Crawford's COM
panion in flight. who described his first
| meeting with Crawford at his boarding
| house In San Pedro, and acknowledged that
| he had deliberately frightened Crawford
| into running away by his story of the pur-
suing detectives He described their adj
ventures and hardships in trying to escape
over the rough country, the difficulties they
| experienced in buying mules, their suffer
| ings from exposure in the swamps, and
| finally their capture by the soldiers. Mel
| land said that Crawford gave him $1,000 in
| $50 bills and also allowed him to carry. n
| part of the time, large package wrapped
| in oileloth paper and sewed up tightly.
| Crawford had told him to throw this pack
age away rather than let any one capture
| 1t, for, he said. 1t contained money VIII CHI
would send him to prison If found upon
| him.
| As they pushed along in their flight, Craw-
| ford declared repeatedly that he would put
| an end to his life rather than be taken
prisoner; and when the soldiers surrounded
| them he drew his revolver and tried to
blow his brains out One of the soldiers,
| however, too quick for him and struck
| the weapon out of his hand. After the cap
| ture Crawford vainly tried to bride the
| guards to let him escape, offering them as
much as $4,000. When the large package
was opened, it was found to contain bundles
of bills sewed together with black thread,
! and with about dozen rubber bands
J wrapped around them, and stout covering
/ of buckskin under the oiled paper. The
money amounted to $50, 500, all In United
| States bills-fves, tens, twenties, 1fties and
| hundreds but mostly fives. Ultimately the
money was returned to the American Ex-
| change Bank
| When organizing the pursuit of Craw-
/ ford, Detective Hotchktss had arranged
| with the Honduras government that any
! letters and kilograms that might come ad-
dressed to the absconder should be deliv-
cred to him. Several letters were thus Sc
| cured from the young man about town in
| New York who had befriended Crawford so
| constantly in the past and who seemed
| now disposed to stand by him even in adj
versity and disgrace. The letters contained
| counsel and reproaches, and seemed to in
| dfpafa that relations a. unlIsJai ia nnila