Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1908-12-18
FASCINATED BY
STORIES OF CRIME
Boy Organizes Knights of
White Death.

Chicago, Dec. 1.-THE mystery of
the knights of the White Death, .
letters recently sent to various
.clergymen and prominent citizens
in tn iscity with the threat that I'M
less they left large sums of money at
designated spots they would be put
to death, was cleared up tonight,
when William Pollard, % years old,
driver of a grocer's wagon, was ar
rested and confessed to having sent
the missives as a joke When con-
fronted by the postal officials, Pollard
laid the blame on his having read
Conan Doyle's stories of crime. Fas-
cinated by the novelist's lurid pic
lures of skulls, ghosts, graveyards
and all-night vigils of detectives, Pol
lard declared he had determined to
see how they would work out in
the hands of the Chicago police So
he organized the knights of the
White Death,' and with a Sherlock
Holmes fancy for the weird, wrote
out bundle of letters, all decorated
with skulls and crossbones The
demand for money, he said, were
simply added to enliven the mystery,
as he never went to see whether
the money was left or not. A few
days ago one of the letters reached
Rev. w. o. Waters, of Grace Episco-
pal Church. 1t was accompanied by a
small box, also sent through the
mail, containing bones apparently hui
man, and the rusty handles of a COZ
fin Ten thousand dollars were de-
manded in this instance, the money
to he left at night by the clergyman
at lonely spot. Detectives were
posted at the place indicated in this
letter and also at places indicated in
similar letters sent to Rev r. F.
I;ober1s, Of Queen Chapel, AMI A. G.
Dixon of Moody Institute.
Examined Writing
Careful examination of the letters
by experts brought the conclusion
that it was not a disguised riting,
and that it wss the work of a boy
who he'd learned to write eigh5 or
ten years ago when certain style
CT vertical writing was taught The
capitals were of style which went
out four or five years ago.
AS the letters all were maiIe1 from
the North Side. end contained relics
obtainable only in cemetery, the
officials decided that some North
Side schoolboy was responsible. Then
began the long search and comparison
with handwriting of pupils who stud
led the old style
Finally Evanston and the Lincoln
School were reached and from pupils
here who had pieces of writing from
Pollard the first clew was ootained.
E. A. Jameson, Assistant Chief
of Police of Evanston, worked with
General Stuart A ruse was adopted
to get evidence that might be used
against Pollard
For several days there has been
scarlet fever in his home, and the
house has been quarantined The
young man was supposed to be shut
in, but he was found yesterday on the
street Jameson walked up to him
and said:
You have no right to be on the
street"
Il didn't know / couldn't come out, Z
said Pollard.
We'll, if you will write down the
statement to that effect it will be all
right, said Jameson. So Pollard
wrote:
This certifies that l have not been
informed by the Health Department
to stay in quarantine any length of
time.
This sample of handwriting was Ia
ken to General Stuart and an expert
at the police station, and proved to
show the identical peculiarities of YER
teal capitals noticed in the letter to
Walters.