The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-22

bank robbery. Governor Crittenden
refused to surrender him to the Min
nesota authorities, and the last Bob
Pinkerton heard of him was that he
was leading an honest lire in western
Missouri.
One of Robert A Pinkerton's narrow
est escapes from death followed his cap
ture of Levy Harrington, one of a band
who had held up and robbed a Mobile
and Ohio express train near Farming
ton, III. Pinkerton took his man to
Union City, Tenn, for trial. A bad
man. named Toler, one of the members
OF the gang, attempted to rescue Far
rington. He shot at Pinkerton, who had
the bandit in charge, but the bullet
struck and killed an assistant city mar
shall. In an endeavor to escape Toler
killed a railroad Waterman before he
was finally captured.
A vigilance committee was speedily
formed to lynch Toler and the train rob-
bers. Pinkerton determined to rescue
the men, and did succeed in getting two
of the band out of town. The vigilantes,
however, shot and killed Harrington and
lynched Toler.
Pinkerton was instrumental in run
ming down the chief of the band who
used dynamite on an express car on the
ST. Louis and San Francisco railroad in
1891. He learned that Adelbert Sly,
former driver for the American Express
company, was living in Los Angeles I'M
der the namc of Delabert Elys. Pinker-
ton arrested the man in the Los Angeles
postoffice when he called for a letter
which the detective had addressed to
him. After working on the man for sew
eral days Pinkerton secured a complete
confession from Sly, who declared he
had met the other members of the band
while serving a sentence in the Missouri
penitentiary.
Bob" Pinkerton had perhaps the
largest collection of threatening letters
ever addressed to one man in this coun-
try. He saved many of the interesting
ones and showed them to his friends.
No matter how dire a fate the letters
pictured he was never disturbed. Among
others who threatened his life in letters
was Pat" Grove, who became motor
ious as the kidnaper of Eddie Cudahy,
son Of the Omaha packer, for which
crime he was acquitted, through some
strange miscarriage of western justice.
Grove blamed the Pinkertons for his
imprisonment for robbing Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy train, near st.
Joseph. He wrote from the Missouri
state prison. but like most of the writ
ers never followed up his threats.
Possessing keen sense of humor,
Bob" Pinkerton loved a joke, and did
not hesitate to tell story on himself
Shortly before he sailed for Europe he
related this tale Of a hoax played on
four young men who were fellow pas
sengers on a train from Chicago:
my attention was attracted to the
quartette In the smoking compartment
of the Pullman" said Mr.. Pinkerton,
because three of them We're carefully
pouring the drinks which they took
from a quart bottle into the cuspidore
when the fourth was not looking. This
fourth fellow had a great deal of valu-
able jewelry about his person and was
obviously very drunk, 1 watched their
maneuvers quietly for some time
Finally to my surprise and indigna-
ton / saw one of them .ake u vial
from his pocket and pour ten drops
into the drink, which was intended
for the chap with the jewelry. 1t was
the most brazen and daring case of
Knockout drops I had ever encourl-
tered
Now, you might suppose that It was
up to me right then to cut in but 1t
wasn't. A man can't get the futl
punishment for knockout drops until
they have actually been administered.
So kept my hand out of the business
until could see the end of the play.
THE youth who had handled the
vial handed the 'doped' drink to the
chap, who drank it greco
lily. Then he gradually sank into ~
stupor, yielding to the effects or the
drug. His mouth hung open and he
was helpless. Then the three actually
began to strip their victim of the
jewelry
81 reached the door of the smoking
compartment in three jumps.
Pretty coarse work, sons I said |
just showing them the gun I had in |
my hands, but not leveling it at them |
as to think that you can get away with