Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-14
THIS HOLDUP NAN WENT FREE
Judge Munger, Who Will Sentence
Quintet, Tells of Another Case.
STOPPED TRAIN JUST FOR RIDE
Youth Fleeing from wyoming Prison
Nearly Acquired Another Term
This Time in Penitentiary
at Leavenworth.

In contrast to the fate Of the five train
bandits to be returned Tuesday Is the case
of another hold-up man. Judge W. Fl.
Munger, who will sentence the convicted
quintet himself tells OF the time he ex-
ercised clemency.
TT will do no good to mention the
young mans name" said Judge Munger,
but there were some Interesting features
about the case. The young man had been
indicted in the wyoming courts for cattle
rustling and was sentenced to five years
in the penitentiary. He said that he would
never go to the penitentiary. and did sue
ceed in making his escape from Jail. He
came direct 70 Nebraska, and being some
what in a hurry and having funds, he
conceived the idea of holding up a train
out somewhere between Cheyenne and
Holdrege not for robbery, but for q ride.
He stopped the train and getting aboard
rode for about fifteen miles and then COM
nanded the engineer to stop the train
again so that he might get off. The en-
gineer did So and the young fellow dis
appeared
Train Carried Mails.
1T so happened that the train was carry
ing the United States mails and so the
young fellow was indicted here in Omaha
by the federal grand jury for obstructing
the mails. There was no attempt at rob
berry of the mails nor interference with
them, and so he was merely indicted for
obstructing or interfering with the mails,
which meant sentence of five years as
the minimum. But before the United States
authorities could catch him he was recap
tured by the Wyoming authorities and sent
to the Wyoming penltentiary to serve his
five years.
He was a model prisoner and gained
the usual good time, and when he was re-
leased there was federal warrant waiting
for him. deputy brought him to Omaha
to answer to the federal indictment found
against him.
"The spirit was all out of him from his
prison life l.. Wyoming and he wished to
enter plea of guilty l did not know
that ! desired to accept the plea and
sent for Il. S. Hall, not to defend him, but
to have a talk with the young man.
Mr.. Hall had a long talk with the
young fellow In the district attorneys
office, together with the district attorney,
who was Mr.. Summers. He told his story
and showed a letter from the Wyoming
district attorney who prosecuted him com
mending him to the mercy of the federal
court, and also very good letters from the
prison officials of Wyoming giving him
the character Of a model prisoner. He
had another letter from prominent ranch
or cattleman of Wyoming who offered the
boy a good job when he got out of prison,
and the offer still held good.
Another Term-A Life of Crime.
II could see no good in sending that boy
to prison again. His offense was not a
serious one against the United States. He
was not seeking to rob the train, in fact, !
question whether he knew that there was
mail on the train. In any event he had
suffered enough. Here was chance to
save a boy. He was offered a good Job.
But If he was again sent to prison, after
serving his time he would probably never
have another chance to get respectable
work, and he would have to continue in
crime for livelihood
well, the upshot Of it was that 1 de-
clded to let the boy go on his own recog-
nizance.
He was without money, and Mr.. Hall
loaned him $25 to return to Wyoming
In few months he returned the loan to
Mr., Hall We heard from him occasionally
and he was making good right along.
About three years afterwards the
United States Marshal of Wyoming was in
Omaha with a friend from that state, and
incidentally the two visited the federal
building and called upon Marshall Mat
thews l happened into the marshal's
office and met the Wyoming men and we
got to talking about this boy. / wondered
what had become Of him.
Made GOOds Guess, Yes!
The stranger said L can tell you all
about him. l am the man that gave him
the job. Made good? He certainly has
l have so much faith and confidence in
him that have just put him in business
in partnership with my son."
"Well, that settled the case. l was ex-
tremely glad of it and l do not think that
} anyone was more pleased than Dick Hall
"Oh, yes the case has been dismissed
against him long ago"