Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-07-16
RUPERT BACK IN PEN
AFTER LONG ABSENCE
Convicted Defaulter Tells Of
Escape And Life Of Past
-Four Months.

After four months Of the preearious,
fear-haunted life Of fugitive, partly
spent in a condition Of vagabondage in
California, "Red Rupert is once more
behind the bars Of the Oregon peniten.
tiary. He was brought in last night by
Special Agent William Esch, after long
delay and irritating difficulty in secur-
ing bis release from the federal agents
who held himsat Brawley, California.
He had been through such a grilling
experience in trying to avoid detection
that he admitted he was actually glad
to be back in Salem. Aside srom the
loss Of some flesh, however, he has not
suffered physically and has made good
wages in various lines Of employment.
His arrest by federal agents in Cali
fornia was brought about through the
intereepting of letter which he ven
turcd to write to his wife, who pre- yious
to his escape from the prison gang had
written him she might 90 to Imperial
beach. However, he stated emphGtical-
ly that his wife should be held blame.
less in the matter.
Rupert tells what sounds like a
straight story, and in it he goves the
laugh to the various rumors as to his
movements. According to this he broke
away from the quarry gang at Gold
Hill about six O'Clock on the night Of
March l6, and without any aid from
anyone pointed toward California with
MEXICO as his ultimate objective. He
ran nearly all the way to Medford in
the attemptto get all possible lead over
his trailers. At Medford, along about
midnight he fell in with cattle man
who was shipping a ear south, proffered
his services as eow.puncher ON the
trip, and thus secured for himself the
safest sort of transportation as far as
Gazelle. From there he paid his way to
the vicinity of Sacramento, tramplng
into the city after nightfall in the guise
of an ordinary "vag." The role was so
well played, in fact, that he came with.
in an ace of being run in by an officer,
but put up a good bluff with the state.
ment that he was looking for d lodging,
which he had the money TO pay for.
From Sacramento he made has way by
easy stages to the citrus belt near Los
Angeles, and within four days mtcr his
breakaway at Gold Hill he w6s picking
orangos--a vocation which he followed
for several weeks. Then he secured
work in the canteloupe fields at Braw.
ley, always cherishing the plan OK ship.
ping across the border into Mexico. Iii
was at Brawley that he wrote letter
to his wife, whose whereabouts he did
not know, but took chance of reaching
her at Imperial Beach This letter fell
into the hands of federal officer who
had established himself in rooms ad |
joining the cottage where Mrs. Rupert
was staying, and who held to tho theory
that Rupert would sooner or later either
send a letter or try to meet hor there.
This letter led to his arrest. lie admit
ted that he tried to bluff the officers
with the mistaken identity dodge, ana
that he refused to recognize the Port
land man, Robert Ringer, but denied
the report that he attempted to break
Jail at Brawley.
Now that he is back in the shadows
of the prison walls, Rupert assures the
officers that he will make no further
attempts to gain his liberty, but will
take what is coming to him. In the
ordinary course Of events he Siil have a
prolonged term in confinement, for in
addition to serving time under federal
prosecution for the theft Of $4,000
worth Of liberty bonds he has the of.
fense Of an attempted escape.