Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-11-26
BETTER THAN TRUST,
PAT GROVE DEFENSE
kidnaper In Story Of His Life De.
clares Combines Guido Bandits.

l
wonder why am still at large" says
Pat Grove, kidnaper. ex-bandit and
general bad man. In Introducing his
story. coffessor and reformation" a
book just out. 1nen he goes en- to
tell why, Pat Grove. who confesses
TO kidnapmg Eddie Cudaby and hold
ing him for ransom, was recently In
New York and tried his hand at news
paper reporting for the World, In n
Firth avenue hold-up, which turned
out to be more humorous than serl.
Gus, though II was an express wagon
containing $4,000 in gold that was
stopped
Il want to start right by confesslng
in plain English that was guilty Of
the kidnapping" he says. at occurred
In 1900. Eddie Cudahy was then a
| boy or fifteen years. |, with an nc.
| complice, took him from his home,
kept him in hiding for twenty.four
hours and returned him to his par.
| en's, unharmed, after the ransom had
been paid to us-s25.00 in gold coin.
Mr. Cudahy did exactly as VIC dc.
manded. During the trial Mr.. Cudahy
said on the witness stand that he
gave UP the money for fear that our
threat of harm to his boy would be
carried out. AT any rate, we got the
| money"
In connection with this crime Grove
was recently tried at Omaha on the
charge OF robbing Cudahy of $25, 900,
but the jury gave verdict of not
guilty, leaving him n free man.
'lf the jurymen leaned in my IA
vor, writes Grove, "they did It for
tAe ssas rsssoa that led me to the
kidnaping-a belief that the law of
our land has ceased to be a thing of
strict Justice and right for our people.
Il have been made to feel this all
my life by cruel circumstances. am
not an anarchist. believe in law
II 1t is enforced fairly and equally
against all. / have done lot of
wrong. but | am not degenerate
criminal without moral sense. am
now thirty-six years old. My Grim
inal career Is closed and am start
can for the evils I have done.
Here Is point want to make:
The big fortunes that have been made
In this country have been mostly
made by men who have broken the
criminal law. Edward A. cndahy
owns one Of the big fortunes / am
thinking about. | have no grievance
against him. He has time and again
befriended me. Nor am | trying to
satisfy grudge against him. He Is
personally big-hearted, strong man,
a lot better than most OF those OF his
class.
"Mr, Cudahy had Just been called
to Chicago on the charge that he and
others of the notorious beef trust had
been making illegal contracts which
allowed them to pile money onto their
already fabulous fortunes.
II held Eddie Cudahy until he
money was paid Mr.. Cudahy and his
associates were charged with Ie-
straint of trade in holding the peo-
pies food until the money was paid
II Mr.. Cudahy had been found guilty
his crime would In many ways have
been greater than mine. would
have been sentenced to ten years or
more. If Mr.. Cudahy had been found
guilty. he would, no doubt, have got
out of II with few dollars fine and
then the price of meat would prob
ably have been put up until he was
reimbursed. For many years I have
been thinking about these things
After telling of his boyhood he
reached the point where he went 10
work for Mr.. Cudahy In his meat
business in Omaha. The first crime
OF his life was committed after he
began to work for Cudahy. One day
former customer OF his own went
to him and told him he was out Of
money and that his family needed
meat. He asked for credit till he
could pay. Grove spoke to Mr.. Cud-
ahy, who. he says. flatly refused.
THE whole proposition made me
angry" he says. Il watched my
chance and slipped some meat off
the hooks, wrapped it up and gave
| 1t to the man, with n couple of dollars
from my own pocket. The inhuman
| policy aroused in me such indigna
ton that felt justified in committing
this, my first crime. Later In the
same day another customer came in
buying S25 worth OF stuff and paying
cash. | put IS in the drawer and $2t
in my own pocket. That was the first
step across the line for my own gain.
In 1889 Grove came to Chicago, In
tending to go into business later II
Iowa. He fell in with bad compan
ions and was robbed of all his none,
but ~. The proprietor Of the place
where he was robbed refused TO pa.
back, and he stuck up" the house
robbing the inmates of $1,000 wortl
Of diamonds. AT pawnbroker's h
was met by the police. He was car
tured after putting three men tempor
arily out OF business. He now ha
name In the land as a handy ma
with a gun. He served seventeen
months for 1t, being pardoned by tn
governor. He got job-but tn
mark OF the convict was on him.