Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-06-04
RIO IN OMAHA OLD CRIMINALS

Identification Of the three Union Pacific
bandits as far western criminals with dan
gerous records, and the discovery that
James Shelton, the man arrested in Dem
yer, went there in an auto, were the de-
velopments yesterday in the train robbery
affair
| 1t is asserted that Shelton was seen both
at Kearney and North Platte on his way
TO Denver in the car, and that he was sub
jected to scrutiny in the latter town North
Platte, however, was looking for four men
in car, and Shelton was allowed to go
on his way. II is believed that he got
away with the contents of the mail sacks
which were found the night pf the robbery.
Evidence seems also to point to the fact
that Shelton was the man who guided The
auto to the scene of the holdup, and there
! lit the signal beacon which led Woods and b
Torgensen to make Engineer Mikeljohu
bring the train to a stop.
Private conferences between each holduI
suspect and Detective Macdonald OF Spo.
kane were held at the county jail Thurs.
day afternoon. Macdonald would tell moth.
! ing of what was said or done and neither
affirmed or denied the idea that confess
sion was secured.
! Assistant Special Agent John c. Wizard
of the Union Pacific and Chief Canada
held a conference with the Spokane officer
later in the afternoon. They refused to
divulge the details of the conference.
Bandits Identified.
| Detective Macdonald positively identified
Woods, Torgensen and Gordon soon after
his arrival
lie arrived in Omaha Thursday morning
end went to the bandits cells about 0:N
! O'Clock He knew the three men So well
and they so quickly realized the position
his Identification placed them in, that all
merely laughed and said nothing at first
Woods Is the notorious safe blower, train
robber and bandit, Dan Downer, of the
northwest according to Detective Mac
donald who has known Of him for eighteen
years. He Is also suspected of the Midway
murder in British Columbia. ToTgensen is
known by that name sround Spokane ana
has a number of crimes charged against
him. Gordon's real name is Gordon M.
Golden and he is known to have associated
with Downer. Torgensen and other crimin-
ais in the northwest, although he comes Of
a good family. his brother, Joe Golden,
train robber, being his only relative who
has police record.
Thinks He Knows shelton.
Detective Macdonald says he believes
Charles r. Shelton, the fourth suspect,
who was arrested at Denver early Wednes-
day, is really Bob Splain, notorious horse
and cattle thief safe blower and bond
| jumper, who has done time in several peni-
tentiaries. Shelton was identified as Splain
by the Spokane officer Thursday morning
in Omaha by means Of a picture.
The three men in jail here expressed
desire to talk with Detective Macdonald
\ again this afternoon and he will hold
private conference with them. II Is ex-
pected that something important In the
way of confession. complete or partial,
or a scheme whereby the prisoners may
escape the maximum punishment by turn
ing witnesses against their partners still
at large, may be broadhed and perhaps ar
ranged. LII.
Il knew Them as soon as saw them
! through the bars of their individual cells
remarked Macdonald afterward. And
they knew me, too, for they made no ef-
fort to evade Identification and just put up
their usual laughing stunt.
They're fierce fighters, at least Downer
and Torgensen are" the detective con
tinued, recalling encounters he has had
with both men. "And Downer laughs,
even when he is fighting you. That's a
habit he always has"
Clever Criminals.
Although Downer and Torgensen are well
| known to both police and public at Spo-
kane and Everett, Wash. and in the sur
rounding country. al desperate criminals
and guilty of many crimes, Detective Mac
donald declares they are so clever that
neither has served much time In prison for
the offenses. They have been arrested
number OF times in cases for which there
was not enough evidence to convict them,
he says, yet the police knew positively that
| Downer and Torgensen we're really guilty.
The only prison term Macdonald says
was ever served by Downer was a three
year term at the Walla Walla CWash)
penitentiary for horse stealing. He and
| Torgensen, who is said to have been his
partner in crime for years, are wanted
now at Waterville, Wash, for safe blow
| ing and bond jumping and at Everett for
carrying burglars' tools, besides being
pected Of many other cases OF safe blow
ing, train robbery tnd similar crimes
which cannot be definitely fastened to
their record because they escaped without
being captured or even seen, so that a
| good description could be given OF them.
The murder Downer is believed to have
committed was that of storekeeper at
! Midway, British Columbia, who was held
up in his store, robbed Of considerable
money and then killed In cold blood. II
occurred last fan and there are no wit
nesses or descriptions .extant.
Brother KILLED I'm HoIduP.
A brother Of Downer is said to have
! been killed by officers I'm a daring holdup
in Stevens county Washington, when his
partner, Claude Wells. was also killed.
] This is pointed out by Detective Macdonald
TO show that the Downer now in the Doug
las county jsil Is one Of the most des-
perate characters now known 10 the west
ern police and comes Of family Of crimi-
nails.
The photographs. descriptions and rec