The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-13
H. ". PARKER TELLS
ONE THRILLING TALE
Continued From Page One.

Then I determined to go south.
had always heard great deal
about the south and was DESTROYS
of seeing the country. I did not
buy a ticket at Winnebago but paid
cash fare to Wells. 1t is funny
that l could not be traced, as 1 rode
as far as Austin with Jake Olson,
a conductor on the Southern Min
nesota branch of the Milwaukee
railroad. / have known Jake for
years and half of the way he sat
down in the seat and talked.
Was Very Nervous.
Jake never realized how nervous
was or what load l had on my
day morning. | went from there to
Kankakee, ILL.,, and then made for
Birmingham, Ala, arriving there at
four or five o'clock Sunday after
noon. I asked the hotel man at
whose place | stopped at Birming-
ham if he knew where l could buy
good cigar and news stand. He
told me there was one for sale at
Cedartown, Ca, so | went over
there. 1t did not look good to me.
| asked the hotel man at Cedartown
it he knew where | could buy a
moving picture theatre. He. told me
he had two of them, one at Carriers
vile. | went over there and bought
the place. | was doing business
at Gainesville Tuesday night, April
80, only four days after ! left Win
nebago, and before the State Bank
superintendent ordered the Bank
of Commerce at Winnebago closed.
Not Living in Luxury.
81 remained at Gainesville until
the 25th of August. Then l sold out
and moved to West Point, Ga,
where l went into partnership with
two other men. We lost money.
finally sold out my interest and
for some time was doing nothing.
The stories that | was living in
luxury were false. | was boarding
at a hotel at West Point. l wrote
to various places for positions, and
endeavored to secure work as a
telegraph operator / went by the
name of Long.
"Wednesday, November "a, start
ed for the postoffice to mail a let
ter. AS / was entering the postof-
-fice two policemen stepped up to
me and told me that the mayor
wanted to see me. | suspected
nothing when the men came up to
me, but when they got on either
side of me and headed me for the
mayors office | knew they were
after me. There was a railroad
detective with the mayor and they
course | denied everything, but they
locked me up in the Jail. 1t was
filthy hole, but | must say that
the West Point officials treated me
with every consideration. During
the time I was detained at West
Point L was kept in the Jail at
night time only. During the day l
was in the mayors office.
Kept Up Strong Bluff.
Friday morning, November 26,
was taken to the mayors office
where my measurements and weight
were taken. A diagram of my
teeth had been procured from a
Winnebago dentist and while the
description was not telegraphed ex-
actly correct, it was near enough so
that l knew they had me. l kept
up a strong bluff to the end, how
| ever, and when / showed them my
receipt for the theatre at Carriers
vile dated the Goth of April, and
also referred them to the hotel reg
lister at that town, had them
guessing. The hotel man at Carriers
vile had forgotten to change the
date on the register and l was reg
istered there on April %, only two
days after leaving Winnebago. They
kept me in Jail, however.
"Told Them ! was the Man."
Saturday morning, November 81,
l sent word to the mayor and the
| Pinkerton men to come down to the
Jail, as / had something to say to
! them. When they arrived l told
them that l was the man they
! wanted. The Pinkerton man said
that he knew it all the time but
nevertheless / noticed that big