The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-23

I take off his clothing. He wore a cap
/ with an ear flap, and in the folds of
/ this they found masonry dust. The
/ negro began to weaken at this but
/ tried to explain that he had been help
/ ing tear down a house. In examining
I his trousers they found small pieces Of
/ taIlow candle in one hip pocket, and in
the watch pocket some mortar dust.
J Williams had washed his clothing be-
I fore the officers got him, but was un-
able to remove all traces of his mole
1 like experience under the bank.
! When shown the insole which Chief
/ Goodwin had found in the bank base,
ment the negro gave up, and calling
Lucas to one side, said:
Il am upsagainst it. I want to make
statement and get off as easy as I
( They asked him if he wanted to make
q confession before the county attorney,
and he said that he did, so County At
/ torney Hungate was sent for. When he
arrived at the county Jail the negro
confessed ia detail
In telling Of his movements inside the
vault, an officer Interrupted to tell him
that he had overlooked $3.50. This
seemed to make Williams feel sad, but
he continued his narrative.
/ The tools used in the attempted bank
! robbery were stolen from the basement
[ of the Santa Fe depot, at the time when
Williams was dlsh- washer in the
I Harvey house At that time in Decem-
ber he was arrested by Tim Donovan.
/ Santa Fe detective. and fined SIS in
police court. Beside stealing the tools,
( he stole a suit of underclothes. He
I served all but three days of his sentence
I in Jail and was released Christmas day
I by Chief Goodwin as he had been q
model prisoner and a good 'trusty.'
/ The negro declares positively that he
was alone in the bank robbing venture,
and that no one knew of it but himself.
/ He has worked at times as a masOn's
/ helper. and in this way gained knoWl-
/ edge of stone work, which accounts for
/ his skill and neatSess in removing the
foundation stones.
/ His cute manner of diverting suspicion
/ by going to the police station to sleep,
/ almost staggered Chief Goodwin when
/ he saw the negro in Lawrence. AS
/ soon as he saw the man he recognized
/ him as the former strusty' and knew
/ that he had slept at the police station
+ Saturday night. AS the attempt was
/ supposed to have been made Saturday
night, he feared that the negro would
prove an alibi, but upon examining the
bum book at the station and discov-
| ering that the negro did not come in
until after midnight, his mind was re-
/ lieved.
! The negro has been transient, and
has no home. except when he stops for
a few days with his brother or grand
mother in Topeka. He is an ignorant
/ looking fellow. but his skill in evading
+ 4uGsltuitS ptONtt4 10 Lie OtilEGIS tiidt, ct-
/ though he was a failure as a bank safe
! breaker he was a dangerous criminal
and worthy of close attention. He has
/ been closely guarded by Jailer Lawson,
and given not the slightest chance to
( escape. This morning ne was photo
graped for the rogue's gallery. and says
he will plead guilty and take his SEN
tence at the first opportunity.
The police are elated over the quick
/ capture, which is a testimonial in their
G ii
great Pinkerton detective agency. THE
underwriters of the bank have started
q swarm of sleuths from the Pinkerton
agency to investigate the robbery. The
sleuths will arrive in Topeka today,
twelve hours after the local officers
I have secured d complete confession from
the culprit and he is practically on his
way to the penitentiary
Williams Tells His Story.
/ Harry Williams occupies the parIor
! cell in the county jail and appears to
/ enjoy the nOtOriety which his perform
I ance has given him. He is the first ne
gro ever arrested in this city charged
/ with such a crime as the one which he
has admitted and the history of GRIM
4 inology shows that it is rare thing for a
negro to be connected with as hazard
/ GUS a calling as that of bank robbing.
! Contrary to the expectations of the
/ police the fobber is a rather q large
man and to look at him one would
/ suppose that it would be impossible for
him to make an entrance TO the bank
through the tunnel which he dug. He is
I about hVe feet SIX inches in height,
! broad shouIdered and of rather heavy
/ build. He weighs about 173 pounds and
wears a number 40 coat.
In telling of his attempt to get rich
/ quiGk, which he seems to take par
ticular delight in doing, he said: II
was needing a little spending money
+ and some new clothes and the thing
4 looked easy to me and SO I went at it.
/ / needed some one to help me, but you
4 can't trust these Topeka tniggers' and SO
I did the job alone. never thought for
j a moment of trying to blow the safe
/ open for I knew that I couldn't do that
in a thousand years. / intended to get
into the vault and work the combina-
tiOn and I could have done that if 1t
had not been for the time lock. /
! worked for the Kansas City Safe COM
pany for four years and I know how
| those boxes are made and how to open
/ them. Tt is an easy matter for man
who understands the business to listen
to the falling of the tumblers in the
door and get inside of most anY OF the
safes which are made nowadays.
He had no explanation to make as to
why the brace and bits were in his
outfit or why he removed the ornaments
from the outside of the safe.
Continuing, he said: Il went down
into that basement Wednesday after
hoon and worked until I got tired, and
then every day until I got inside the
vault 7 worked at the JOB. did not
work at night at all excepting Saturday
night When / would get tired of
working I would sit and listen to the
people in the bank. They seem to be
a lively bunch up there and have some
pretty good times.
Il was not afraid of being caught,
but I couldn't help thinking when I
knew that was pretty nearly into
the vault that I might dig under the
safe and cause it to fall through and
catch me When [ got the hole
through the floor of the vault I had
no trouble at all. I crawled inside, lit
a cigarette and listened to the clock
ticking, and then I knew that I could
not get inside the safe, and was mad
I STAYED in there for nearly two hours