The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-09-27
KNEW his whereabouts FOR weeks
INFORMATION GIVEN TO STATES
ATTORNEY AND ARREST
QUICKLY FOLLOWED.

! can do in furthering the cause OF
justice has received another exempli-
fcation in the remarkable achievement
of The Chicago Tribune in
procuring the arrest of Paul
O. Stensland. It nothing had
been considered but the desire to be
first with sensational bit of news
The Tribune might have published in
formation of the whereabouts of the
escaping banker at any time during
the last three weeks. Instead Of that,
and at the risk that the discovery
might be made Independently and pub
| lished by some other paper, the in
| formation was given secretly to the
states attorney and plans were made
to arrest the fugitive.
The success of the expedition ar
ranged by The Tribune was revealed
in the dispatches published announc-
ing Stensland's arrest. For three
weeks the secret was faithfully kept,
and in the meantime the staff repre-
sentative of The Tribune, accompanied
by Assistant States Attorney Harry
Olson, was drawing nearer and nearer
to the goal Not a word was given to
the public that might have allowed
any confederate of Stensland to warn
him. When the matter had reached
such stage that the capture was a
matter of a couple of hours and there
was no possibility of any warning be-
ing given, the news was published.
The Tribune is entitled to the graft
tude of the public for effecting this
capture, and at the same time may
congratulate itself on securing one Of
the biggest items of exclusive news
ever published.
Assistant States Attorney Harry
Olson, who is a candidate for the office
of chief justice of the new municipal
court, acted in the matter with char
acteristic alertness and good sense. He
gave up a vacation to which he was
we'll entitled in order to do what ap
peared to be his duty. He has the sat-
isfaction of personally aiding in the
return to Chicago to stand trial of
one of the great criminals of the age.
He knew the Importance Of the cap
ture and readily adopted the surest
means of bringing it about. He will
have a prominent part in preparing
the case against Stensland when it
comes up for trial, and the people will
not forget his share in the pursuit and
arrest. The man who is faithful to
duty in one place is fit for duty in a
higher place.
The relative inefficiency Of the de-
tective service of the city is again
demonstrated. The lack of an extra
dition treaty with Morocco should
have made Tangier the first place to
look. The scene Of a light opera
which ran for 300 performances in
Chicago last year was laid at the
Grand hotel, Tangier, and the plot
turned on the fact that escaping bank
officials are safe from arrest there.
Whether this suggested the place to
Stensland or not, it ought to have
suggested it to the police. 1t was
stated at the time of the closing Of
the bank that the real name of Stems
land, or at any rate, the name borne
by him before he came to Chicago,
Was Paul Olson, and he registered
under this name in Tangier without
any attempt at concealment. He car
ried a large amount of ready cash
but was without letters of credit or
other identifying papers. This aroused
suspicion in Tangier, and it would
seem that his discovery would have
had thought of the most natural place
for him to go and had made inquiries
there.
When the detective force could not
find any clew to Herring The Tribune
discovered him and induced him to
surrender. When the detective force
announced that the younger Stems
land also had fled, as he might have
done for all the watch that was kept
on him, The Tribune located him.
While the detective force was wait
ing for Stensland to be arrested In
Canada, or Mexico, or Buffalo, The
Tribune found him in Tangier.