River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-06-10

at the age of 26, that he began to
accumulate rich store of experience
in dealing with counterfeiters, the
arts of burglars and other varieties
OF thieves, and the training thus
acquired was destined to be OF
incalculable value to him in
after life. He spent nearly two years
as special agent for the government
and was then persuaded to go to
Erie, Pa, where, during his early days
on the lakes, he had made many
friends. Mr.. Thomas Crawley was
chief of the Erie police force at that
time and at his invitation Murray be-
came detective under him.
Shortly after his arrival there
wave Of sneak-thieving swept over the
town and assumed very serious proper
lions. Even the furniture of private
houses disappeared as if by magic.
Clothing took to itself wings and
vanished into the great unknown.
Ploughs made strange and unaccount-
able exits from the farmers fields
leaving no trace behind Horses can
tered away unseen by their owners
and their stables knew them no more.
Whole contents of stores were carried
off, and from one of them 20 dozen
pairs Of shoes appeared to have walk
ed into oblivion in the full glare of
neon. 1t was all so mysterious as to
be almost amusing-except to the I'M
happy losers and the outraged mem
bers of the police force who were to-
tally unable TO appreciate the humor
of the situation.
Crawley and his aids, put upon their
mettle by the cool and successful per-
sistence of the thieves, formulated a
score of brilliant theories as to the
identity of the defiers of the law and
spared no pains to discover them, but
their well-meant exertions were all in
vain, and the thefts continued to in
crease in number and daring. At last
James Tolwarthy, a grocer appeared
in Crawley's headquarters fairly boil
ing over with indignation and poured
forth q bitter tale of woe. A new
democrat wagon for which he had
paid $275 had disappeared from in
front of his store on the day after he
had purchased it. In place of the
missing vehicle he found an old
crackey wagon, standing in the hotel
shed near his store where he had been
want to store his recent purchase. To
say that James Tolwarthy was angry
woulI not give a correct line on the
state of his feelings. He mourned
aloud in wildly excited tones and went
away only half pacified by Chief
Crawley's promise to set all the re-
sources of his department at work
Immediately to find the missing prop
erty and thief
Murray and couple of other detec-
tives Instituted a vigorous search at
once but several days passed before
a single clue of any value turned up.
Then Murray came across a boy who
stated that he thought he had seen
the man who left the old wagon, in
lieu of the new one, in TOlwarthy's
shed. The youngsters description of
the supposed thief was a meager one,
but Murray had always held the
theor ythat a poor description by an
eye witness was better than many
photographs when it came to identi-
fy.ng a suspect whom he had never
eeen. So acting on the lads descrip-
ton he started out to visit every
farmhouse on every road leading out
of Erie. He searched carefully but
found no trace of either plumber or
man.
Finally Murray met a farmer who had
Eeen a fellow drive by his house in a
new democrat" about the time that
Tolwarthy's wagon disappeared, and
the description of both wagon and
driver convinced him that he was at
last upon the right track. Accom-
panied by Crawley and an officer
named Snyder, Murray hired a team
and drove along the road the stranger
ESd followed with the missing wagon.
For fully 15 miles they travelled, stop
ping at every farm, but found nothing
to reward their exertions. Deciding to
feed and rest their horses they turned
off the main road. and in secluded
clearing with several acres of pine
woods around it perceived a lone
house.
No one was In sight, but in re-
Spouse to a hail a buXom woman
about 25 years old, made her appear.
ance and inquired if the party want.
ed anything. Chief Crawley asked
for the man of the place, saying that
he wanted to feed his horses. The
woman whistled shrilly. and from be,
hind a clump of bushes near the
barn, there came a little weakened
man about so years of age. The in
slant Murray saw the newcomer his
eyes frightened. The boys description
of the stranger who left the ancient
wagon in the shed exactly fitted the
mar who stood before him.
While Crawley and Snyder busieC
themselves with the horses Murray
began questioning the suspect in {
careless manner.
What is your NAME" Murray asked
George Knapp" replied the with
cred individual.
''HaYe you lived here long?"
''Me and my wife have been hers
about year" was the reply.
els that your wife," inquired the de
tective, glancing at the young woman
who was standing in the doorway o
the house.
KnanD grinned and nodded assent