The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-17


six clerks in the money department
and, unless they were an IN collision,
1t could scarcely have been stolen by
anyone there. As Tor. the express
messenger who accompanied the safe
on the wagon to the train. and then
on the train TO Washington, and then
on another wagon 70 the treasury
building. his Innocence seemed clear
~ established. since the safe had been
locked and sealed according to Gus
tom, before its delivery to him, and
showed no signs of having been tam
pered with when opened in Washing
ton the following morning by another
representative Of the express company.
through safe to its destination. indeed,
has small chance OF getting inside,
not only because OF the protecting
seal, but also because he IS never al
lowed to have the key to the safe or
to know its combination. Later, as a
still further safeguard. the Adams Ex-
press company introduced into its cars
an equipment of large burglar-proof
and flTe-proof safes, especially as a
guard against train robbers, who
found II comparatively easy to break
open the small safes once IN use. In
the present instance. of course, there
was no question OF train robbers.
One important fact stood out plain
and uncontrovertib1e: That a re-
sponsible clerk in the money depart
ment of the Adams Express company
had receipted for a package supposed
to contain S41, 900 intrusted to the
company by the bank. This threw the
responsibility on the company, at least
until 1t could be shown that the pack
age as delivered contained brown pa
per, and not bank notes In accord
anee with their usual policy of prompt
ness ana uberalitys the Adams people
paid over to the Adams Exchange
bank the sum Of Sal, 600, and said no
more about it But their silence did
not mean inactivity Their instruc-
tions to their detectives in this case,
as in all similar cases. were to spare
neither time nor expense, but to con-
tinue the investigation until the
thieves had been detected and brought
to punishment or until the last pos
sfbility Of clearing up the mystery had
certainly expired.
fastening to New York in response
to the telegram sent him, Robert
Pinkerton examined the evidence al
ready collected by his representative
and then himself questioned all persons
in any way concerned IN the handling
of the money. Mr.. Pinkerton, after
his investigation, was not so sure as
some persons were that the package
had been stolen By employees of the ex-
press company. He inclined rather to
the opinion that, in the rush Of bust
ness in the express Office, the. false
package, badly made up though Il
was, might have been passed by one of
suspicious first toward the two bank
messengers. OF these he was not long
in deciding Dominic Earle to be. in all
probability. innocent. While he had
known of instances where old men, af-
ter years of mpeachable life, had
suddenly turned to crime, he knew
such cases to be InfreQuent, and he de-
cided that Earle's was not one Of them.
OF the innocence Of. the other messen-
ger. Crawford, he was not so sure He
hnQ1 n1FnT1N1 efraf7W q hts
Edward Sturgis Crawford at this
time was about 27 years old. a man
of medium height, a decided blonde.
with large blue eyes, and of a rather
effeminate type. HA was scrupulous-
ly dressed. had white hands with care
fully manicured nails, parted his hair
in the middle, and altogether was
somewhat of a dandy. He had en-
tered the bank on the recommendation
of wealthy New Yorker, a. young
man about town, who, strange to say,
had made Crawford's acquaintance
and indeed struck up quite a friend
ship with him. while the latter was
serving in the humble ca pacity of con-
ductor on a Broadway car This was
about a year before the time of the
robbery. Thus far Crawford had at
tended to his work Satisfactorily do
ing nothing to arouse suspicion IN
less It was INDUCING a tendency to
extravaganza in dress. His salary was
but $42 a month, and yet he permitted
himself such IuXurIeS as silk under
clothes. fine patent-Ieather shoes, and
other apparel to correspond. Pushing
back further into CraWfOrd's record,
Mr.. Pinkerton learned that he had
grown up in the town Of Hancock,
N Y, where he had been accused Of
stealing $50 from his employer and
afterward of perpetrating a fraud
upon an Insurance company. Putting
all these facts together, Mr.. Pinker-
ton decided that. in spite of a per-
fectly se1f-pOssessed manner and the
good opinion of his employers. CraW-
ford would stand further watching.
His general conduct subsequent to the
robbery was, however, such as to con-
vince everyone, except the logged de-
tective, that he was innocent OF the
crime In vain did shadows" follow
him night and day, week after week:
they discovered nothing. He retained
his place in the bank, doing the hum
BILE duties of messenger with the same
regularity as before, and living ap
parently in perfect content with the
penses were lightened,s It is true, by
an arranRern ent voluntarily offered by
his friend, the young man about town,
who invited him to live in his own
home on Thirty eighth street, where
bv not only was he saved the ordinary
outlay for lodgings. but many com
forts and luxuries were Afforded him
that would otherwise have been be-
yond his reach
Thus three months went by with
no result; then sour, five. six months;
ard, finally. all but . year. Then,
suddenly, in April. 1899, era Word
took his departure for Central Amer
lea. giving out to his friends that he
was going there to assume the man
aRen emit of a banana plantation of 60,-
600 acres. owned by his wealthy friend
and benefactor.
Before Crawford sailed however.
the Shadows had informed Mr.
Pinkerton Of Crawford's intention, and
asked instructions. Should they ar
rest the man before he took fight, or
should they let him go2 Mr.. Pinker-
ton realized that he was dealing with
man who, if guilty, was a criminal
of unusual cleverness and cunning.
His arrest would probably accomplish
nothing, and might spoil everything.
rTnara vra q IfffIa IflxeIlhnnd that The