El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-31
oyer nrrested hefore ?,

Ever arrested beforey"
Once. But I was discharged. That
was for a saloon stick-up, too, but they
couldn't identify me-
Upon further cross-examination George
McVetty admitted that he had welded
the gun in these holG-ups. He protested
that he had been drinking heavily. was
without fund, and was in desperate
straits. He almost would have COM
mitted murda- for q drink. he said, and
that was his sole excuse. He admitted a
half dozen other saloon hold-ups and the
lease against the quartet was then
clinched.
An during the Interrogation Of these
tCunmen O'Connell was working away on
the theory that they knew something
about the taxi-cab jobs. Every word
bearing on these hold-ups was treasured
up By the detective, and at opportune
moments he would turn on one Of the
prisoners with a direct question which
Invariably caught him unawares. Enough
evidence was procured in this way to
bring about thei Indictment, and when
they were brought up for trial they we're
Iarraigned not only as saloon highWaymen
but as taxieab bandits as well
By this means other arrests followed.
among them that Of Joseph Taylor, the
self-cOnfessed leader Of one of the most
murderOus bands that ever operated here
abouts. It was easy to prove that lay
lOr had outlined and personally conducted
the Bethune street hold-up, in which two
messengers of the Silk Finishing Com
pany of America were beaten and robbed
Of nearly $1,000. Later he implicated
Bolger in this robbery, who, until this
moment had not been suspected Of haT-
ing part in it
Taylor proved a disconcerting witness,
for he is smart as a whip, and his ready
replies often caught the lawyers for the
defence off their guard, and damaging
testimony crept in where it had been the
lawyers intention to bring about an Op-
posite result
But the District Attorney had not been
idle Aided by the notes Detective O'COn-
nell had stored away, he was enabled to
piece cut a strong case against his four
hold-up prisoners, an an even stronger
one against Taylor and his band. Tay-
Tor had been arrested after furious
fight at 12jth street and Third avenue.
He was well known as Joe" Young. and
he readily assumed responsibility for the
series of robberies, some of which netted
him several thousand dollars. He smil-
conducted the Douglas Shoe Company
robbery, in which $40 was taken, and a
day or so later held up John Pepper, a
prosperous produce merchant, from whom
he got 1929, after knocking him inseR-
sible.
Before the police inquisition was at an
end Taylor had revealed enough to bring
about the arrest Of eleven others, all Of
whom were more or less implicated in his
long string of crimes.
Detective O'ConneI while comparative
" young man, has made an en7iable rec
ord for himself in the Police Department.
Born in this city just thirty years ago, he
was educated at the public schools. later
being graduated from De La Sale Acad-
envy. After filling several positions as an
expert stenographer, he entered the Police
Department in 1905. He was, assigned to
the staff of Inspector John F. Floed and
later to that of Inspector Hogan. When
transferred to the Detective Bureau he
was on the staff of Inspector Hughes, and
when that official was succeeded by In
spector Faurot O'ConneI was taken over
by him and has since become one Of his
valuable aids.
For one so young in years he has won
many words of commentator from his
superiors. being especially commended for
marked bravery at the fire at Carmine
and Bedford streets, when eight firemen
were killed. Again he was commended
for his good work in rounding up the taxi
cab bandits who robbed two bank Ees-
sengers of $4,000 in Church street, and
again for his work in the Hans Schmidt
and the RosenthaI murder cases. He also
did excellent work in bringing about the
conviction of DR.. Muret on a counterfeit
ing charge, the dentist being implicated in
some C the operations of Schmidt. the
slayer priest.
Grade by grade he has been promoted
until he now ranks as detective sergeant
He is an expert in finger print work and
the descriptive portrait system Of identi-
fication. 1t was his knowledge of stenOg-
raphy that brought about the roundup Of
the saloon bandits, all Of whom received
long terms. and this in turn was RESPONSE
BILE for the conviction Of the taxieab r1b-
bers