The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1912-04-03
JUST A NATURAL CRIMINAL Is THIS
YOUNG MAN OF MANY NAMES, WHO
WILL BE OLD MAN WHEN LIBERATED

"Hsrcourt's is the perfect Grim.
insi mind" said Prosecuting Attor.
ney Caldwell today OF ]. =. Hsr.
court, siiss Biystone. alias Warren.
ton. alias HiII, VINO yesterday was
sentenced by Judge Ronald TO 20
to 80 years In the peniicntisry for
forgery.
II do not mean" Caldwell added,
that Harcourt ig a clever criminal,
] mean that his mind In criminal
do not believe he ever has an
honest impulse. For instance,
most criminals lie before conyic-
tion. but after conviction AT least
feel the impulse 10 confess. Tho
penitent mood comes to most
wrong doors. Not so with Har-
court We have watched him. Ey-
cry word he speaks or writes. ey-
cry changing expression Of his face
and II is a good face every ges-
ture. every act OF his Is lie."
viii Be Old Mac When Freedom
Comes
.Harcour'. in jail. was asked by
The Star photographer this morn
ing TO pose for his picture. He is
30 years old. II he escapes with
the minimum he Will be an old man
when he regahis his freedom--if he
lives that long.
He squared his shoulders taunti-
| ly and laughed Sure" he said.
Guarded by deputies. he posed In
the courthouse yard. Every dep
uty had hand IN a pocket and ON
a gun. Harcourt's bold eyes roved.
His mind weighed the chances OF q
getaway. He concluded IL wasn't
worth risking.
Click went the camera. The
criminal. for space OF 10 seconds.
LET his gaze wander--fo sky. to
houses and trees. 10 free men and
women bent ON honest business.
He took deep breath OF free air,
sighed. and laughed again.
| Aud then he went back to his
cell
Eight Years OF Crime
Harcourt began operating on tho
pactsc coast eight years ago. He
came from Pennsylvania. where his
parents. respectable people. stili
live. lie Is college man. He has
served two short penitensiary
terms. al walla walia and Salem.
Oregon.
lie is perfect actor. He az
sumed half a dozen roles at time.
and played them all. His graSt
was small checks For while In
Seattle he was wv II. HIIilman, Of
the Hillman Hardware Co" IN buz-
mess circles. and al the same time
at the Lincoln hotel he was ~. r.
Warrenton."
| When he fled 10 escape arrest
he WAS traced TO the St Francis
hotel. San Francisco. When de-
tectives broke into his room and
said. -Harconrt. we want you he
laughed. and said. Good joke. I'm
waiting for harcourt. Ny names
4 fBufler."
Ne was caught puzzling over a
lcypher telegram I'm play
wright he said. "and this code tel
cgram works into the plot" Aud
on the spur OF the moment he
sketched the plot for the detectives
But the officers got the key to
the code and read Tacoma wom-
ans warning TO Harcourt that the
Seattle police wanted him and to
my.
| Harcourt changed his name so
often and moved about so rapidly
that he had the police OF the coast
mystified. Three years ago the
Spokane police wrote the Seattle
police warning them not to proceed
against Harcourt unless they had a
strong case.
He's the silpperiest proposition
that ever operated here" wrote tho
Spokane chief. "He always pre-
pares his alibi before he pulls off
la job
] He made one slip. as all criminal
minds do, and ii led to his undoing.
! He registered at the Lincoln as j.
y warrenton." and the top Of the
~" had a backward turn. A de-
tective noticed the signature and
i compared the u" with the y" that
appeared in some Of "HiIlman's'
! bad checks.