Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-26
FLOWER, SWINDLER,
TELLS OF II YEARS OF
DODGTNG PURSUERS
I'm Going to Die Soon, Be-
fore They Can Succeed
in Convicting Me-" He
Says, in Tombs.

NEW YORK, Oct. 26.-Hs appearance
belying his statement that he has only
very few months to live, DR.. Richard c.
Flower, former promoter OF fraudulent
mining schemes, who was arrested in
Toronto last week after he had eluded
the police of this city foremor than IL
years, and was brought back here to face
trial, sat on his cot in the Tombs prison
yesterday afternoon and told the story of
his adventures.
II am going to die very soon," he be-
gan in a feeble voice. "These detectives,
no doubt, are patting themselves on the
back and thinking they have done some-
thing very clever to get the old man.
But what have they got? Before they
can succeed in convictng me 1 will be
dead.
"1f / had wanted I could have got
away from them again. I could have
refused TO come without extraditlOn
papers and insisted upon bail, and all
that sort of thing; but I knew 1 was
going to pass out and / wanted to be
near home. You will admit that 1 know
how to get away when 1 want to, but
this time I did not want to- I am done
l have played the game through, and
there is no chance for me to get away
from my next bondsman, death
For over ten years have been fugi-
tive from justice. being bounded from
L
away, but the strain of the constant pur-
suit was there all the time. 1 learned in
the beginning that the best way TO get
away from the police was to let them do
the wandering. while just kept still. So
while the detectives were searching
through faraway places I was right here
In New York, little disguised, but not
really trying to evade them.
"I have sat in the foyers of large
hotels here and read of ray being arrested
in other cities and heard people talking
about me. Yet no one thought to notice
me.
"Those detectives ought not to feel un-
kindly toward me. ! gave them many
good trip and lots of good expense
money. I was never more than 1000 miles
from this city at any time. My first trip
from New York was to Paterson, N. ].
From there I Travelled to Philadelphia.
You can see how terribly far that was.
when things got hot in Philadelphia
I beat It to Pittsburgh, and from there to
Detroit. Mich. I struck out for northern
Indiana and spent few months at South
Bend. then went back to Detroit for an
other year. Next / was in southern Indi-
ana, and after that in Kentucky, where I
stayed until about three years ago.
Finally I went to Canada.
"I am broke now and done for. I sup
pose 7 could beat them again n I really
wanted to, but what's the use? No one
cares for me any more. and I myself
do not care much. ] am in terrible pain
always. 1t is foolish to say that I
operated so many promoting schemes.
The newspapers evidently think I am a
genius. | guess other men who have
been detected floating schemes must have
used my name, or else imaginative au-
thorities thought they were me.
1T was also bunk to say that I got
half of Mrs Delabarres $1,000, 900 fortune
~. 4
time was $4,000, and that was invested
in my company. Mrs. Delabarre was a
friend. and was perfectly satisfied with
the new investments I made for her. My
friends never lost any money through
me. you may rest assured.
Mrs. Storr, who went on my bond
for $40 900 when | jumped It II years ago,
was reimbursed by my friends, and so
was every one who stood by me. I have
always intended to pay back the money
those other people lost, and could have
done so if l had been given half a
chance. But once I was launched in
any business, down would swoop the de-
tectives and off I would be again.
81 worked for time as chemist
which was my profession. When | went
TO Toronto my wife returned to me and
we opened a house for roomers That
is what | was doing when the detectives
me, I thought I had been out
of the arena of New York so long that l
was forgotten.
'I was just forming a company up in
Toronto to manufacture radiators. but
suppose that will be busted now. We
had sold only Sl03 worth of stock when
the detectives found me. We called 1t
the Standard Radiator Company, and we
were going to manufacture individual
radiators. They were to heat each room
separately. There was a fortune in II,
and ! might have made some money to
pay back my debts. | have been living |
very quietly for years, because | knew |
that sooner or later they would get me-"