Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-09-04
GENUINE WURTZ
FINALLY TAKEN
INTO CUSTODY
TRUST C0MPANY'S CLERK is
ARRESTED AT FRESNO
PRISONER OFFERS PREVIOUSLY
TO SURRENDER
Has Been Drinking Heavily and Ex-
presses Himself as Gratlfied That
the Continuous Strain at
Last Is over

Robert A. Wurtz, the confidential
clerk of the Title Insurance and Trust
company, who disappeared from here
three weeks ago after allegedly en-
bezzling $4,000 and forging q note for
$2500, has been captured again, this
time in Fresno. The most recent cap
ture has been identified as the man
who Is wanted here.
Detective George Home left for Fres-
no at 1880 o'clock last night to bring
the prisoner back here for trial. Before
going the officer satisfied himself that
the prisoner in the Fresno jail was the
real Wurtz, and the question that is
puzzling the police now is who is the
Robert A. Wurtz in jail at Bryan, o..
who was captured there week age
with $270,000 worth of deeds and mort
cages to Los Angeles real estate, ali
of which are believed to have beer
stolen or forged
The Fresno prisoner, who says he is
Wurtz and was identified by an Of
ficial of the Trust company after a
talk over the long distance telephone,
walked into the office of the Fresno
chief of police on Tuesday and an
nounced that he was the man they
wanted, Robert A. Wurtz, you know
Chief of Police Shaw, who mad read of
the Bryan, o., capture, thought that
the man was simple-minded wander
er, probably suffering from the after
effects of a drunk, and ordered him
from the office.
Saturday last Wurtz was heard of In
San Francisco, and Chief of Police
Kern wired the San Francisco police
to arrest him. Before the officials
there could locate him he had left the
city and gone to Merced.
Sunday night he left Merced and went
to Fresno, where he registered at the
Grand Central hotel under his own
name. The next day he secured a re-
fund order from the Southern Pacific
for the unused portion of ticket from
Merced to Bakersfield. This also was
under his own name.
Wednesday Wurtz was seated in the
court house square at Fresno and was
recognized by man who knew him in
this city. TIE fact was reported to De-
tective Farnum of the Fresno police
and he made the arrest.
Tired of DodgIns Police
| When taken to the Fresno jail Wurtz
stated that he was glad it was all over,
for he was tired of lodging the police
Throughout the state. He had been
drinking heavily during his stay in
Fresno and plainly showed the effects
of the spree.
When taken before Chief of Police
Shaw WurtZ Er1nned at tnat OIIcldl
and asked: "Why didn't you arrest me
yesterday when you had the chance?
1t would have saved you a lot Of
bother and me a sleepless night"
While nothing definite is known the
police officials here think that the
man in jail at Byran, o., who was
identified by number of distorted pic
lures taken there as Wurtz, Is a con-
federate of the Fresno prisoner; that
Wurtz either stole or forged the deeds
found on the Bryan prisoner, and that
together they were engineering a
gigantic swindling game.
Deeds, notes and mortgages such as
were found on the eastern prisoner at
the time of his arrest could easily have
been prepared by Wurtz, who had
every facility for doing so at his COM
mand while he was working in the
Title Insurance and Trust company's s
office.
The record and identity of the Ohio
prisoner will be traced as closely as
possible, and the police believe that
Wurtz will furnish them with informa-
tion which will make the whole case
clear. 1t is also believed that there are
other men involved in the swindle
which was contemplated. and that
when all the facts are known there
will be a number of men wanted who
heretofore have not been suspected of
crooked dealing of any kind.