The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-04-27
Bank Commissioner DolIey as a
Criminal Catcher.
Will Keep Pictures and Record
of Bank Robbers.
WOULD KNOW CROOKS.
Making Ready for the Harvest
Next Fall.
Cracking of Safes Will Halt I'm
til Cold Weather.

Kansas is probably the only state in
the union with rogue's gallery be-
longing to a state department, except
the penitentiary, police and sheriff's Of
fees. J. N. Dolley, state bank COM
missioner. started a complete rogue's
gallery for bank robbers only and he Is
just now gathering the material, pic
lures and descriptions and Bertilloa
measurements of criminals to be kept
on file in his office for the benefit Of
police and detectives in tracking bank
robbers in Kansas.
1t will take years to build up the gall
lery to its highest efficiency but it Will
not take very long to make the gallery
quite useful. Mr.. Dolley is gathering
in the pictures as fast as possible and
he will file the pictures in special
book, along with the descriptions and
measurements of the men and their
criminal record and all the known
aliases under which any crook travels.
Mr.. Dolley does not care for pictures
of ordinary thugs. He wants pictures
and descriptions of bank and postoffice
robbers and the higher class of Grim
inals, those chaps that take special
pride in their work and who play for
big stakes. He has asked for pictures
and descriptions from the police Of
ficials of all the surrounding states.
He wants to get a line on the known
crooks now infesting this part of the
country.
Henry Bower is the first man to get
into the state gallery. He pleaded
guilty to the murder of Deputy Sheriff
Fowler at Hutchinson last fall. Bower
is bank robber and postoffice thief
and is now under life sentence at the
state prison for the murder of the
deputy sheriff. Fowler had arrested
Bower, alias Morgan, alias Jimmy Col
lines and five or six other aliases. and
was taking Bower to Jail. Suddenly
ROWpv. nd Of
ficer. Bower was captured at Ottawa
two weeks ago. Two other men with
criminal records We're captured with
MIN and as soon as the pictures can be
made and the descriptions taken with
the Bertillon measurements these men
will be honored with places in the
Kansas state rogue's gallery.
t1Ve bank robbers have been captur-
ed in Kansas recently. Their pictures
nave been ordered and also extracts
from their records. Mr.. Dolley intends
to keep a complete record of the deeds
and misdeeds of all the criminals he
can find. When the railroad officials
and the Anti Horsethief associations
arrest hobo while cumming his way
on some train or loafing around the wa
ter tanks the sheriffs are to mug
the man and send the picture and
measurements to the bank commission
er and by looking up the record it will
be easy to tell where the man is want
GU anu WHY.
with this record 1 believe that we
can clean up Kansas said Mr.. DolIey
Il am going to get the record as COM
plete as possible and ask every Kan
sas police officer and sheriff and the
railroad secret service men to furnish
descriptions and pictures of the mer
they pick up. 1 believe that we car
locate many criminals wanted in other
states and by knowing where they are
wanted can put these chaps away
where they will not bother us for a long
time.
Banks are not robbed in the sum-
mer time, and I will have all this sum-
mer to get ready for the bunch wher
1t starts to work next fall. 1t is q
peculiar but an easily explained fact
that robbers let the banks alone in the
summer. They scout around and lay
their plans for winter but do not dc
any real robbing. The reason is that
in the summer time the people sleer
with windows open, out of doors, upor
porches and even on the streets some
places