Imperial Valley press., 1913-12-26
Sherihf's Trick
Fools Big Crowd
(By United Press Associations

(By United Press Assoeiations)
Los Angeles, Dec. ga crowd of
1000 besieged the county Jail to see
John Bostick, Southern Pacific bandit,
expecting the prisoner to be taken to
court for arraignment today. On ac-
count of the crowd, Sheriff Hammel
postponed the arraignment indefinite
ly. The crowd refused to disperse un-
til Hammel, with a deputy, shacked
to him and his hat pulled over his
eyes, hurried to an automobile and
drove away. The crowd believed they
had seen the bandit and disappeared.
There was some talk of violence in the
/ assembly.
San Francisco, Dec 26.-John Bos-
tick has confessed to the robbery OF
the Southern Pacific train near FL
Monte December 1 and the murder
of H. E. Montague, passenger agent,
who tried to thwart him. He also
admitted trying to rob Santa Fe
train near Oakland last month
! The confession was made to Sheriff
Hammel of Los Angeles county on a
train en- route to Los Angeles.
The police authorities here were in
formed of the confession in a brief
telegram from Sheriff Hammel.
Confronted with the overwhelming
evidence against him and the positive
identification of at least five passen-
gers who were his victims on the
Southern Pacific train, Bostick broke
down and told the sheriff of his career
as a bandit. Fresh evidence of his
guilt has been piling up against Bos-
Tuesday, Identified originally by Ar
thur E. Colen and his wife, who met
him face to face and followed him
until the arrest was effected, Bostick
told the police conflicting stories as
to his whereabouts on the night of the
robbery.
Fresh proof that Bostick not only
held up the Southern Pacific train
near Ell Monte, but that he also
robbed the Southern Pacific Pullman
car passengers near Oakland on the
night of November ID was forthcom-
ing when he was identified by both
DR.. A. B. Clark of Honolulu and Mrs.
Louise Murphy, passengers.
That Bostick was weakening in the
face of almost indisputable evidence
was apparent before his departure
south with the shciff The fact that
he held pawn tickets for jewels that
have been identified by victims OF the
Ell Monte robbery was one of the
strongest links forged in the chain of
circumstantial evidence around him.
! Then, too, the description sent out by
the Southern Pacific officials in the
south fitted the prisoner closely.
Sheriff Hammel made his identifi-
cation of Bostick not only on the
fact that the prisoner had the watch
taken from F. j. Robin, flagman on
the train in the Los Angeles holdup,
but on certain peculiarities that
stamped Bostick as one man in a
thousand. Some of these distinctive
features were his exceptionally long
arms, slender hands, prominent cheek
bones, eyes, and athletic figure.
The diamond engagement ring
stolen from the finger of Mrs. Arthur
Colen was positively identified as the
stone pledged by Bostick December 3
at San Francisco pawnshop. Colen
says he saw Bostick shoot H. E. Mon
tague, travelling passenger agent of
the Southern Pacific, who was bored
through the forehead, stumbled the
length of the car and fell dead. The
ticket for the diamond was in Bos-
ticks pocket when he was arrested.
The identification of the ring was
made by Glover Wilburn, brother-in-
law and employe of William Derrtz,
the ieweler who sold the ring to Colen
last September. Wilburn set the stone
himself. 1t was an old stone that the
firm had been attempting to sell for
some time, and by reason of having
handled it often Wilburn is positive
that he could not fail to recognize a
slight scratch on one facet, the color
of the diamond and the cutting.
On the strength of this cumulative
evidence Bostick was formally booked
and charged with murder.
| Another clew is laundry mark on
the white linen plated shirt worn by
| Bostick-9-H-19. Detectives said the
nine stood for the jobber, the "H" for
the office and the 10 for the GUS
toner. They Immediately set to work
on an attempt to trace the laundry,
which may be in San Francisco or
Los Angeles.
Bostick also wore in his necktie a
sapphire and diamond pin strongly re-
sembling sapphire sourrounded by
twelve diamonds which Mrs. Louise
w. Murphy of the Hotel Woodward,
Los Angeles, wore as ring, and
which was stolen from her by the man
who robbed the rear Pullman of the
Southern Pacific train No. 5, between
Richmond and San Francisco, on No
vember IA.
DR.. A. B. Clark of Honolulu, after
reading the papers, voluntarily called
at the city prison and clinched the
identifcations of Mr.. and Mrs. Colen
with one of his own equally positive.