The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-01-18
CONSCIENCE FORCED
him TO SURRENDER


NEW YORK.-Special- Are you
connected with the New York Police
Department2' = well dressed man
with smooth face and iron-gray hair.
asked Detective Cassetti at the door
way of police headquarters Wednes-
day afternoon.
I'm a detective" Cassstti replied.
We'll. Pm fugitive from justice"
the man explained. II have been a
fugitive since August Is, 1910. when
i robbed the Northwestern Gas Light
and Coke Company, of Chicago. III.
of $4,000. Now L want TO go home
and face the music"
The man said ne was John Field
ing, hfty-seven years Old and that
Tor twenty-one years he had been
cashier in the Oak Park branch of the
company.
why L became a thief / can never
explain" he continued. Hundreds of
thousands of dollars have been i'm my
keeping and never was L tempted to
take cent L owned a nice home in
Evanston and L had the best wife God
ever gave man.
Had All He Desired.
Fhe company paid me well, and
L seemed to have everything i'm the
world man could desire. / do not
drink or gamble. l had no debts and
had plenty of friends.
ON that August 18th the $4,000
was placed before me TO count. What
tempted me is still a horrible mys-
ply took the money, put il in my
pocket and left the office. ! did not
say goodbye to wife OF friends.
Since then I've been a wandercr on
the face OF the earth.
First ! went to St. Louis, then to
ether cities in the West. got as far
as Seattle and then started East. l
could not find rest anywhere. Always
my conscience hurt me and i Imagined
every man i met on the street was a
detective watching me-
Last May i could stand Il in this
country no longer and went to Eng
land. was no more comfortable in
England than had been in America
Conscience still hurt and there was
the knowledge that 1 was a thief-a
homeless fugitive. i came back to
this country three weeks ago. Most
Of the $4,000 had stolen was gone.
1 had spent II IN travelling.
Il went to Mills Hotel No. 3 and got
room. j ate the cheapest sort of
meals When Christmas morning came
i was almost crazy. i went for a walk
and IL seemed TO me that every one I
met was looking at me. knew
must have booked unhappy. Possibly
that WAS the reason i attracted so
much attention.
Il walked over to Fifth Avenue and
started north. / was In front Of ST.
Patrick's Cathedral when the Christ
"esS BCfA1b his sing
ing overcame me. 1 cried like a baby
and went back 10 my hotel. All day
L was locked in my room. The horror
Of going 70 prison could not be COM
pared TO the horror of conscience.
Il was Unable to sleep and / have
been unable to eat. IL has become so
bad now that I'm actually afraid of
myself. i want to be saved from NV
self, and j want TO go back and stand
the punishment l deserve"
Fielding repeated the story to the
lieutenant at the desk in headquar-
ters. He was locked up in the Null
berry Street Police Station. To "A re-
porter for the World he said there:
Wife May Pay the Amount
Now that have got nerve enough
TO face nay dear wife and friends and
my former employers. l believe that
i can make the $4,000 good easily
My wife always was a saving woman
and think she has more than enough
cash to help me out. If she hasn't
and friends do not come TO my as
sistance, i will stand what is coming
to me without being the coward 1
have been
-. ii. Wright, secretary of the
company, has been a friend of mine
Of many years standing. My dis
honest act may have turned him
against me. / know, though, he must
have thought ! was temporarily
crazy. / have no doubt j was"
The Oak Park police were inform
ed ef Fieldings arrest.