The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-12
NOVEL OF ROBBER
PICTURES OWN ACTS
Sketch Found II Room Of Daring
Youth Story Of Own
Crime.
With Tom Ryan" as Hero He
Describes Bold Newton,
Kan, .stickup."
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Chicago, Dec. 12.-In a remarkable
autobiographical sketch, Joseph Shep-
ard Kearns, 10 years old, self-confe ssed
bank robber and failure in civilized
life, tells how he formulated his
plans to rob q bank and make q stake
before his daring s stickup'' of bank
and arrest in Great Bend. Kan.
The sketch apparently was written
following bis discharge from a press
association aru which he had attempt
ed to- break into = the. newspaper
business. Ahd il was found in his
room at 2445 Prairie avenue, where he
lived il Chicago.
Kearns, Wh1 was captured last Sat
n Iy IN the once wild west town of
cashier at the point Of oun and rob.
bling the bank of $3.50, confessed YES
terday to having robbed the Midland
National bank. at Newton, Kan. on the
afternoon of Nov. 10, when he locked
the clerks and customers, six In ali. in
the bank vault and escaped with
,o~'-- -., Like Newton Robbery. -
The "story'' in the third person is
written on thirty one sheets Of large
SIZE note paper bearing the letter head
OF the Grand Pacific hotel. In 2, scrawi
which would Indicate that the writer tie
was laboring under great nervous ex-
element. va
The climax Of the story is a $4,000
bank robbery committed by the hero in
hypothetical town named Grassville
which might be Newton. It tells Of
sharing the spoils with relatives and
OF a visit to the robbers home. wh;Ie
the boys mother is said to have died
several years ago, his two sisters resin.
ing at Ann Arbor, Mich. received
money from him several times, when it
IS known he had no means Of earning
II. his sisters, Of course, believed he
was working at honest employment.
!. Names Self ''Tom Ryan,
! Young Kearns, sitting down to write
out the 1anc1ful story Of robbery, which
mas counterpart in his actual career
LOOK the name ;n1 Of Tom Ryan, fol
ms hero. The manuscript starts right
l INTO me &C account OF his discharge from
work IN Chicago as follows: -
- m sorry but we find it necessary
TO cut. down expenses and we must Law
off man. As you were the last ens
nlred 1t 1s my disagreeable duty TO pick
upon you as the one. 70 So
- ). Tom Ryan,, for such was The name
OF the person ADJ ressel stood STRICKEN
dumb with amazsme III. ssis - >e :
Going home and after q sleepless
night, he decided Ito: leave the city
He shipped with 4 railroad con true
tion crew, but soon after arriving S.
a barrsn waste got sore on his lob and
quit. Ear from home and among stran:
gers Tom decided to turn bank robber
and went to town farther west. The
next day a few minutes before the
banks closing hour, he walked up
town and into the bank. 49, n :: i 1
Locks All in Vault. =.
"Upon the cashiers inquiring as to
his business he leveled the gun at him
with command to throw up his hands,
:" Sect back in that vault now or I III
blow your head off, he said. ,s~~S3: - -
"The men fastened to obey his order
and he turned the bolt in the: safe
door, making all three Of the men
prisoners. Then he hung a sign on
the window, Bank closed,' next he
snatched a. package Of bills off the
desk. .@>... ~
"Making short detour, he arrived
at his boarding house, where he
counted over the money he had stolen.
He. had taken about $4,000" =.
Then follows in graphic detail how