The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-09-07
Told Her to PLANT It" and Then
he Goes and Gobbles the
seed"

KANSAS CITY, N@> THAT his
washwoman intrusted TO him 500
which he did not enlarge or return.
in the belief that he. a spiritualistic
medium, was on such terms of in
timacy with the powers of the other
world that he could increase the value
Of gold or other precious metals by
charging them beyond their previous
proportions, Is one of the charges that
caused the arrest Of a man said to be
Robert II. St. Clair at 631 Euclid Ave-
nue. recently.
St Clair's arrest here was not di-
rectly the result of this charge. which
was made by the Oakland (CaL) au-
thorities. He is charged with disap-
peartng from Oakland immediately af-
ter taking the 500 and was followed
to Boston, where he was arrested on
the charge of grand larceny.
In Boston, before his arrest, he had
large following Of spiritualists, and
one, widow, had been so impressed
by his powers that she furnished
S1,SOO for his release pending his
hearing on the California charge. II
is alleged that after his release from
the Boston Jail he tried TO settle with
his washerwoman, but was unsuccess-
full in that he was unable to raise the
500. The day before his hearing in
Boston he disappeared, and il was
through the efforts made by the wo-
man who furnished his bond that he
was arrested here
st. Clair is fifty years old. He has
all OF the prepossessing qualities that
encourage confidence. He has the an
pearance OF a man OF education and
refinement and there is nothing about
him that suggests the criminal. As q
spiritualist he is conceded a leader
wherever he has been, and during the
two weeks he has been in Kansas City,
he is said TO have created a furore
among the spiritualists by his wonder
full seances.
The arrest was made at the home
OF James Il. Powell, cal Euclid Ave
nue., where st. Clair had been rooming
for the past two weeks. st. Clair had
been followed TO Kansas City by Rob-
ert Reid, detective OF Boston. Reid
arrived in Kansas City Saturday and
he and City Detective Edward Smith
and Isaac Walstron commenced the
search. Detectives Smith and WAL
stron made the arrest, and Reid was
with them at the time. st. Clair tried
TO convince the detectives that he was
not the man they were looking for,
but finally said:
| We'll, i know what you want me
1 for, so / guess 1 might as we'll give
up" He was taken to police head
1 quarters, where he is being held in
the holdover until Detective Reid has
arranged to take him back to Boston.
When arrested he gave the name OF
I u. IL
In Boston he was known as Robert II.
Moore, and at other places as Hugh
Moore. He took the name of Harry
Rothmel when he came to Kansas
City.
Oakland Police Tell Story.
A letter from the chief of police OF
Oakland TO Chief of Police Griffin a
couple of weeks ago told of st. Clair
giving demonstration to prove his
claim that the value of gold and silver
lNA
spirits and thereby gained the conf
dence of number of his followers
that he really possessed the power
which he claimed. II is said the hus-
band of st. Clair's washwoman took
$500 of their savings to him to have it
increased in value.
After a reasonable length of time
he went to ST. Clair's office to get
the money, which he thought by that
time had doubled. They found st.
Clair gone, and then followed a chase
of nearly three months by the Cali
fornia authorities.
When st. Clair left from Boston.
the woman spiritualist who had fur
nished his bond, employed Robert
Reid, a detective, to find the man and
take him back to Boston so that she
will not lose the 81. 800. Reid search
ed all of the places in New England
and where there were any number of
spiritualists. In the meantime he had
~ SlctiI 1OTIleT TeSlQGncG watched
and was rewarded last week when a
box and trunk left the place in an
express wagon.
The wagon was followed and a de-
tective succeeded in getting on such
good terms with the driver that he
, was permitted to ride on the wagon,
and soon learned that the box and
trunk were consigned to Harry Roth
mel, 631 Euclid Avenue Kansas City,
, Mo.
, Boarding House Swallowed.
With this information Reid left
Boston at once for Kansas City When
4 he arrived here he found the trunk
and box had not been delivered. With
photographs of ST. Clair, Reid and
. Detectives Smith and Walstron began
: looking for him. They watched the
= house where he lived. but did not see
. him on Saturday. Yesterday morn
: ing Detective Walstron went to 631
; Euclid Avenue on the pretense of
= wanting to rent a room, while the
! other two detectives waited outside
While Walstron was at the front door
r Rothmel. or St. Clair, came down the
= stairs and took a seat on the front
e porch, was recognized and arrested.
Detective Reid says that just as
soon as he gets his prisoner back to
. Boston and relieves the woman who
: furnished the $500 bond of the re-
Z sponsibility OF the mans appearance