Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-01
FACED PRISON O00L1Y

IT read with considerable interest that
recent interview in The Star with Detective
Charlie Heidelberg Of New York, in which
he stated that most Of the fugitives from
justice he had taken In foreign countries
had appeared to be glad they were cap
tured." observed Washington detective Of
long experience. THAT may go for the fell
lows who are grabbed In the foreign lands,
but 1t certainly has no general application
to the runaway chaps who are taken within
the bounds of the United States. But this
difference may easily be explained on the
ground that the fugitives who jump for for
eign countries are bound to become home
sick for their own land sooner or later. SO
that it doesn't seem in the least improbable
| that they really do feel bit pleased about
It, momentarily. anyhow. when they get the
clap on the back from the officer sent from
| the United States to nab them. The thing
| that has always impressed me most about
nabbed fugitives Is the GOODNESS which many
| Of them show when caught UP with and ar
rested. I never went abroad after fugi-
tive. but I've gone to many parts Of the
United States to get them. and some Of
them simply astonished me with their cool
ness at the moment of being taken.
"a number Of years ago, for example, I
caught up with a man who had got away
with a number OF forgeries here In Wash
ington. I nailed him at the Planters Ho-
tel, in st. Louis He was a man of forty or
SO, and had been Jagged a couple Of times
he was professional scratcher, as we call
forgers. When the hotel clerk tipped me
that my man was In his room went right
UP and raped on his door. He gave me
the Come in sing-out. and 1 turned the
knob and walked in He was shaving be-
fore the bureau glass. and he didn't even
turn his head around to see who l might
be. He didn't have to. for he saw me in
the glass.
"'Good morning. he said. going right on
with his shave: Fine weather, chi?
"'Buly weather. said I.
"'Do you shave yourself?' he asked me
before I'd had a chance to tell him what I
| was there for. No? Well. you ought to.
| and he went right ahead and staked me to
! a mighty interesting talk about razors and
personally conducted barbering and the ad-
vantages thereof, while I wondered If 1t
could be possible If he knew who was and
If he was aware of the fact that my errand
In his room was to pinch him.
"'Say, I saw swell variety show at the
Standard last night he went on. after ex-
hausting the barbering subject. as he
washed the soap off his face. Clever lot Of
people. Great bunch Of trained dogs. for
! one thing
"'That so?' said l. Any bloodhounds?
| and I gave him a grin that meant to be
significant.
Nope. no bloodhounds. he replied. grim
| ming back at me.
Then he proceeded to tell me all about
| the trained dogs and the rest OF the show.
He spread some maSnesia powder on his
| face, combed his hair. got on his collar and
| tie and cuffs and wastcoat and coat, care
| fully removed the things from the
| bureau drawers and packed his Glad
stone bag, rang for couple OF cock
| tails and some cigars, looked me over and
| told me I was a bit yellow In color and
recommended some dyspepsia tablets and
| liver medicine and then said:
"'Well. old top, I'm ready. There'N be
| some little delay about the extradition pa
pers. won't there? I'm going to walt for the
papers. of course-I like to have these
| things done in form. BY the way. what's
amount of the bogus. and what Washington
| bank Is doing the kicking?'
| II told him. while he trimmed his nails
| and looked somewhat bored. Then we went
down in the elevator, got cab. and were
driven to st. Louis police headquarters.
where 1 had him remanded to await the
papers. brought him to Washington a
few days later: and. at the conclusion Of
his trial. saw him take his three-specker
| with yawn.
Another cool one was a young fellow I
grabbed in Dover Del. He had trimmed a
brokerage firm here for which he was
| manager and jumped without leaving any
trail. Headquarters here got scent OF him
| after couple of months. 1t was found out
before to a girl in Wilmington. Del, whom
| he had known all hts life and that he was
living in a neat little detached house, with
| sent nt'i after him. It was arouno 10 in the
morning when I rang the doorbell of the
little Dover house My man himself came
to the door in smoking jacket and slippers.
and with the morning paper and a cigar.
He took close look at me. and then tipped
me tremendously significant wink.
| why. hello. there. you old scamp Of
Been expecting you every day. I s'pose
you're going to drag me off on that trip
through the timber country that you've
been planning. Ell? Well, business before
pleasure. I'll have to take the trip with
you. 1 suppose. although I'll sure hate to
| leave the little wife soon after our mar
riage. Agnes calling to his wife, a pretty
young woman who just then came into the
hall from the dining room. here this old
| business pal Of mine and he sprung a
phony name for me with great ease in In
Producing me to his perfectly. unsuspicious
wife. He's been threatening for some time
| to take me to look over some timber lands
down south in which he's interested and In
which he wants to interest me, and now I
means the money. you know. my dear: If
things look right. Come right into my den.
| old man-youll excuse us for bit, my
dear won't you,to .. his MS W WI wen
tidy smoking room. while his pretty young
| wife went about her household duties.
| humming happily.
"'Well, IT'S all up the young fellow said
| to me as he'd closed the door of the smok-
| ing den on us. but I'm going to try to make
| a compromise of 1t with the firm. and I
| don't want the wife to know anything about
| 1t, understand? I'm all ready, and we might
as we'll start and then he went to his wife.
| and had her pack him suit case. babe her
| q cheerful and somewhat lingering good
| bye and we left. There wasn't any reason
why 1 shouldn't let him get by with it that
| way If he wanted to. He was in the Dis
| trict jail for about two weeks. meeting his
| lawyers and the representatives of the
| brokerage firm he had looted every day
| His ace in the hole consisted In the fact
| that he had left good part of the money
he had embezzled. He made his compro-
| mise stick all right. disgorging the bulk Of
| the coin. He told the firm that If they re-
fused to see it that way he'd take his medi-
| cine and they'd never get a nickel. They
wanted the money and he got out of the
scrape and was back with his young wife in
Dover within eighteen days of his arrest
I've run across him since. He's doing we'll
| in Philadelphia now. and he told me that
his wife never knew but what he'd been
travelling over timber lands In the south
while he was in the District Jail.
II did catch up once with a chap who
really was glad to be caught. While acting
as cashier of a Washington restaurant he
had made a sudden dip-in cashing phony
checks. signed with phony signatures Of
his boss, for a cleanup. and then he'd dis