The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-24

fact that it was national bank note.
bearing the number 1854 and that
part of the spoils were in circulation.
When 1 first clutched the bill it
seemed as though we were up against
a mean proposition, for, although the
stolen bank notes were unsigned, there
appeared on this yellowback j. I.
Scott as cashier, and j. w. Russell
as president of the First National bank
of Crawfordville. Ind. Upon due in
vestigation 1 learned that the sigma
lures were 'phoney
TRACING STAMP CLUE
"As 1 studied each minute figure on
the note, I pondered over the sigma
lures, for they were the only irregu-
lar features of the note. In my mind,
I believed that the notes were signed
by a rubber stamp, but 1t was not
positively fixed in my estimation. At
any event, I determined to go to the
maker of rubber stamps in San Antonio
to continue my investigation. In the
meanwhile had notified everyone to be
on the lookout for national bank notes
of this issue and was gradually be-
coming more certain that they were be-
ing issued in San Antonio.
Though there were other rubber
stamp makers in the city, 1 went to
Harold S. Armstrong, who had perhaps
the greatest volume of business, and
showed the note to him. He states that
the note was signed by a rubber stamp,
but denied that he had ever made the
Scott and Russell combination. De-
termined to trace the clue to its end,
1 visited the Mills Engraving company
and found that an order from Arm
strong, had been placed on october Fl
for two engravings of the aforemen-
toned signatures. Procuring the or
der for the engraving 1 sailed back to
Armstrong; office.
Faced with this incontrovertible
proof, Armstrong weakened and ad-
nnitted that he had made the stamps
for a man named Smith. He confessed
that he knew the purpose for which
the stamps were to be placed, for this
Smith had given him one Of the $40
notes in exchange for the rubber
stamps, stating that he had held
train up in the east and that the stamp
maker should keep no record OF the
sale.
Armstrong did not where Smith
operated, other than that he was IN
San Antonio and that he could describe
him. From the details and information
furnished by Armstrong, I fixed in my
mind the crook and continued inves-
legations.
"Other bank notes. from the Craw-
fordville issue, were put into circula-
ton and it was pretty well estan-
lished that this Smith was theagrizzied'
uncouth' Jeff Harrison, who had re-
Gently built himself a garage. For,
in exchange for other articles OLD 'Je1
was trading in his stolen notes. On
December 81, it was flimsily established
that the train bandit was Harrison, so
we started to shadow him. Upon find
ing the first clue 1 wired to headquar-
tiers and was sent a corps of other IN
spectors to aid in the investigation
TAKING HIM INTO CUSTODY
"I remember as well as yesterday
the bright and sunny morning that
took old JEFF into custody. with
another inspector we got the car on.
South Preca street, l walked quletly
behind him, tapped him on the
shoulder, and asked If he was smith
He nodded assent, SO I introduced my
self and showed him my papers, which
declared that I was a postoffice in
spector.
Though I had another inspector
nearby. I adopted a ruse to get him in
my clutches. 1 told him that l was in
vestigating some cases in which there
had been some forged money orders
and that I wanted him to give me some
information concerning them. He didn't
seem to suspect that l had the dope
on him. for he consented readily to
go to the federal building to talk mat
tiers over with me.
"Once inside the the office I started to
lombard him with questions concerning
his past career, his relations, his hav-
ing been convicted in 1892 for robbing
the East Tennessee, Virginia and Geor-
gia railroad at Piedmont, Ala, and
his finances. After causing him to
quake with fear lest 1 should have the
dope that would send him to the pen,
asked him how much money he had.
One shiny dime, he responded. Not
satisfied, told him that he would
have to be searched.
my hopes fell when I dived into
pocket after pocket without locating
any evidence. They were minimized
even more when garment after gar
ment was removed Without finding evil
dence. Finally, in his undergarments I
saw two $40 bills. l have never ex-
perienced a more hilarious or joyous
moment in my life than when viewed
those two unsigned notes of the Scott
and Russell signatures.
Upon closer inspection I saw that
the signatures had been dimmed, pre-
sumably by erasure, but the work of
that fateful rubber stamp was not I'm
done and old Jeff-the perpetrator of
II hold-ups-blanched before my eyes.
The brown eyes of the unkempt old
bandit shifted restlessly and finally
rested upon the floor. For he knew
that his doom was settled.
when I wired to headquarters that
had landed a member of that gang
of train robbers 1 would not have ex-
changed places with the President OF
the United States. I don't suppose that
1 slept any for a week, for when
thought that Kimzel. postoffice inspec-
tor, had furnished the clue that would
place behind the bars the most notori-
Gus gang of train robbers in modern
times, a crew that had defied appre-
hension since 1910, / nearly exploded
with PRIDE
AIDED BY DIVORCED WIFE
From old Jeff we learned that he
had divorced spouse. Now woman
spurned, is a great aid in uncovering
facts regarding crimes. AS we got In
touch with her. we pumped her for
Is many facts as she could supply We
knew that he had money, but could not
locate it at his garage after brief
search. His wife went into his CELL
talked over matters with him and soon
drew the fact fror, him that he had the
money buried in is garage. From her
information we discovered, buried In
the ground under concrete floor, a
pint glass fruit jar. in which $1755 was
contained.
1--WE continued our searches aft tbe