The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-11-01
SW|NDLER
MAY Be FREED
Is Now Illegally in Prison
in This City
SENTENCED ON HOLIDAY
IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-
TURN r. c. CROSBY TO SPO-
KANE FOR FURTHER PRO-
CEEDINGS IN COURT.

rs the sentence of r. c. Crosby, the
noted bank swindler, confessed and
convicted. and Wednesday sentenced
to the state prison in this city, legal?",
is question which is being asked in
this city today. He was sentenced on
Wednesday, which day was set apart
as a legal holiday by Gov. Mead, and
is now in the ,penitentiary in Walla
Walla. The matter could be fixed all
right by a new sentence If the man
were not already in the penitentiary,
commencing the five years of servitude
to which he was sentenced day be-
fore yesterday.
why, you can see as well as
what the status of the matter is" said
an attorney this morning. 1.-The law
says plainly that no court shall be
open or any judicial business trars-
acted except to instruct a Jury on re-
quest, receive verdict, exercise pow
ers of a magistrate in criminal action
and to hear applications for writs of
habeas corpus, INJUNCTION. prohibition
and attachment. Sentence does not
come under any of these and b think
the sentence is unlawful. That will not
turn him loose however. He will SIM
ply be sentenced again, in all probable
ity. He may be taken back to Spo-
kane Immediately and resentenced,
which l would say, is the best way out
of the difficulty. AS it is, his sentence
is not legal
Arrested in WaIla WaIIa.
Crosby was first arrested in this city
last June on the charge of swindling
bank of this state. At first he main
tanned he was not guilty and kept up
few days ago, and succeeded in per-
suading the officers that he was not
the guilty man and was released. To
cover up his tracks, which had SO near
Boston and from there expressed to
the above bank the amount of money
% take up the bogus bonds which he
had disposed of on his recent Wash
ington trip. With the payment of the
notes and the return of the collateral
bonds, the evidence of his guilt would
be removed.
With the money he sent to the bank
a letter notifying the institution that
the notes would be presented for pay
men. The letter was typewriter and
the signature of Oscar Will was also
typewriter. He also notified the
banks in Washington holding his notes
that if the same We're forwarded to
the Nova Scotia bank they would be
paid explaining that he had decided
not to buy timber land or locate in the
Could Not Draw Money.
In accordance with the directions.
the notes were forwarded, but pay
ment could not be made. The bank
notified the owners of the notes that
money had been deposited for the pay
ment of certain notes. but since they
did not have the signature of Oscar
Will to compare with the signature
on the notes, payment was withheld.
Crosby evidently did Lot dare to come
from under cover and declare that he
was Oscar Will, or the party signing
the notes, and therefore was never able
to drawn down the money he had de-
posted.
Crosby claimed to be a dairy and
fruit farmer, and has acted his part
perfectly. Ever since his arrest, less
than two weeks ago. at his dairy farm
near Dundee, suburb of Portland, he
has had an air of injured innocence
and has stoutly maintained that in his
arrest there was case of mistaken
identity.
The prisoners marvellous nerve did
not desert him even after sentence had
been passed and he knew his fate.
When he left the court room he shook
hands with Deputy Sheriff F. NICK.
Pugh, one of the officers ia whose GUS
town. and said in a sort of jesting
way:
We'll. I'm sorry I met you
The Pinkerton detective agency
with offices in every city of importance
in the United States. has been on the
trail of Crosby for three or four years.
and several times he has been near ar
rest. but managed to evade the officers
Found His Cache.
The detectives had found that Cros-
by had sum of money, said to be