The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-06-08
Little Time Was Lost in Dis
posing of James Crawford
Who Robbed HagerstoWn
Station.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST
THIEVES IN COUNTRY.
His Operations Reached From
Maine to the Pacific Coast
And Big Reward Was Of
fered for His Capture.

Upon his plea of guilty to the
charge of burglary, James Crawford
has been sentenced to term of from
ten to twenty wears in the state re-
formatOry. He was convicted of the
robbery of the Panhandle station at
HagerstOwn and the theft of a large
number of railroad tickets. Crawford,
who has posed throughout the country
as R. A. Gaver was arrested at South
Bend on the charge Of stealing a horse
and returned to this city for trial ow-
ing TO the greater severity of the pen
atty for burglary. The man claims
his home is at Ashland Ky. He will
be taken to prison Wednesday.
Crawford cor Gavcr) is one of the
greatest railroad ticket thieves who
has operated in the United States. He
is accused of crimes committed in as
widely separated portions of the cOun-
try as Maine and California. SO anx-
Association to secure the arrest of
bIdN lblu JIldJ d rev ara Oh } I.ttt NdS
offered. A warrant for his arrest was
held by the sheriff of Hardin County.
Ohio. The South Bend police depart
ment would not surrender the prison
er until the Pennsylvania railroad
company assured it that the reward
would be paid One of the conditions
of the offer of the reward. required
the delivery of@the prisoner to the
Ohio sheriff. 1t was deemed more ad-
yisabe to return the man to Wayne
county and prosecute him here. how
ever, and the railroad company agreed
to accept the responsibility for the
payment of the reward. Crawford
was wanted in Hardin county for the
robbery of the railroad station at Dun
kirk, Ohio.
Known as Gaver.
Crawford is known as Gavcr to the
railroad detectives of the country. The
mans reputation probably is more ex-
tensive than that of any crook ever
sentenced from the Wayne circuit
court. He stood accused of robberies
at Auburn. Maine, Santa Monica, Cal,
Dunkirk, Ohio. JeffersOnville, Ind. and
several other places. He had been
chased all over the country by detec-
tive agencies and was only caught
through too great haste on his part
and anxiety to dispose of horse and
rig at South Bend When he reduced
the price at which the outfit was Of
fered a iveryman from $3.50 10 $50
the dealer became SUSPICIOUS refused
TO purchase and notified the police
It was surprising that man who had
been concerned in crimes of so diff
ferent a nature finally should be cap
tured as a horse thief
His Methods.
In his ticket stealing operations,
Crawford took the station stamp and
also baggage checks. His tickets
could not be DISTINGUISHED from those
sold by the regular agents and the
offer of baggage checks was a greater
inducement, enabling nim 10 make
many sales. After being caught at
South Bend he was identified by a
Pennsylvania inspector and aftervard
confessed.
The prisoner was brought 10 this
city by Capt. Trump of the Pennsvl-
Vania police force. who served as a
deputy sheriff The two arrived from
South Bend late Saturday evening and
proceeded direct to the court house.
Crawford entered his plea and was
sentenced.