Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1912-09-26
Willy MITcHELL's YARN.


"A crook who Is up to SNUFF" said
Willy Mitchell, who Is noted among
other things for having been tried and
acquitted. three times for murder, land
wants to get along in the business
without working too much for the
state, must be like good general.
He must always arrange his plans so
as to cover his retreat.
Some thieves are so constituted that
they do not mind going to Jail for a
I'VE or so. Punishment OF that sort
has no terrors for them. and. while
liberty is sweet to every man, they
take their medicine, and rather enjoy
prison life. always had horror Of
going to prison, but 1t was never quite
strong enough to lead me to become
honest. When the big door closed be-
hind me every time that | entered jail
It gave me chill, and never got over
It until l was out in the sunshine
again.
$50 1t naturally happened that when
was in active business. It was my
special desire to do everything in my
power to keep out OF Jail. ! always
paid a great deal more attention to
laying plans for a getaway after a
robbery than to the work itself. For
that reason l used to get into quar-.
rels with the men l worked with.
They did not like my caution, and l
have pulled many times out Of what
looked easy Jobs just because l could
not see my way clear to escape. 1t
was my notion that any bit Of work
would not pay, no matter how much
money there was in 1t, II 1t were fol-
lowed by ten-years' contract with
the state In the stone-breaking line.
ut was this trait of mind which led
me into the Kingston National bank
robbery. At the time when I ran
against this trick ! was fugitive from
justice. with the charge of killing Ned
Wallace hanging over me. so. natural
~, had to go bit slow.
my attention was attracted to the
bank by story in one of the papers
about q large sum Of money which
had been deposited in its vaults by
some company that was going to build
railroad and q water works. knew
that this money was going to remain
In the bank fer several weeks, so l
sent for Bill Noble, who was at that
time running a gambling house in
East Houston street, near Broadway.
Bill was always ready to take a hand
with me because he understood my
ways and did his, and we never had
had any trouble. It was Just what Bill
wanted, for his bank roll had been hit
very hard. had not been out Of the
house in the daytime because the muP-
der Of Wallace was very hot, and I
knew that the OOppers were making
a lively chase for me. arranged with
Bill for him to do all the preliminary
work. He turned a book agent on
short notice, which gave him a chance
to visit the bank without exciting sus-
picion.
while Bill was talking books he
sized up the vault, and saw that the
door was an old-fashioned affair, with
new and intricate lock, which had
Just come out, and was believed to be
burglar-proof.
''The next step was to find out who
closed up the vault. This was a very
delicate thing TO pick up without be-
ing inquisitive. The fact that Bin had
70 deliver some more books at the
bank opened the way to get this inforA
nation He kept tab on the bank for
several days, and found out the time
that each man left. but he could not
see from the street who had charge Of
the vault. When the books came Bill
waited until banking hours were over
before going to deliver them. He
found several Of the clerks busy clos
ing up the books. and be showed that
be was a genuine book agent BY