The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-09-02

gentleman. Going TO Denver, Ut
tok a new name and managed, by
forcing himself into the society that
gathers at big hotels, to brush up his
manners. Then came the big
splurge. Dressed up to the minute
and calling himself a college student,
he made the rounds of the summer
and winter resorts of the country.
Wherever he went he danced attend
ance on women with diamonds. Of
ten the gems of his new found
friends disappeared, but always the
loss was attributed to some myster-
ious fly-by-night. Grove never hur-
ried off; instead he mingled with the
little groups that stood around and
discussed the robberies, and now and
then made a suggestion as to the best
way to catch the thief. In two years
of this kind of work he stole dia-
monds agregating 100000 In value,
and, having learned something about
dealing with fences since his disas-
trous Chicago experience, had
any trouble in disposing of his loot.
London next Iured Grove, but he
had only time to pull off one sman
Job before Scotland Yard began to
press on his heels and he hasten
ed back across the pond. From New
York he sailed south as a mining man
who had made a pile out west. In
New Orleans he tried to make an
living by playing the ponies,
but between the and opening
wine for friends of the minute his
pile dwindled rapidly and 1t wasn't
until he wont broke. |
Stranded in Denver
The winter of 1893 found him
stranded in Denver. He had lost
he habit of work, and he had to do
something quick or quit eating. No
longer having the clothes necessary
'or the swell hotel stunt, he decided
IN a bold stroke. One day just as
he whistles and bells were announc-
ng the noon hour he sauntered up
a big shop on the main street,
jammed a stick over the door
n a way that prevented those on the
inside from getting out, drew a large
tone tied in a grain sack from I'M
Ter his coat, broke a plate glass win
low with one swing of his arm, grab
ed a tray of diamonds and made off
own an alley. There were gems
'aIued at SIS, 900 in the tray, and
hough he was caught soon after-
7ard it was not until the sparklers
yere cached where the police
ouldn't find them. Five thousand !
ollars cash bail got him out from :
ehind the bars, and when his case .
as called he wasn't there. :
ST made $4,000 or that deal"
rowe explained long afterward. |
That's what 1 got for telling some 5
ody where to dig for diamonds" l
After several lean months, Grove l
ook another bold fling at the law. U
lent on a big haul, he turned to train !.
obbery as the most promising way y
D obtain it. Out of this ambition .
anne the Tower w job, one of the !
oldest robberies in the annals of q
merican crime. On the night of d
ct. 1899, Grove and a little band of !
len as desperate as himself %surpris-I 9
/ the man in the tower so miles d
est of Chicago, bound and gagged "
i'm and reversed the signals so as to a
OF the fast mail. Boarding the 81
ain as it came to a halt two of the 81
,bbers set to work on the safe while IL
Ieir companions kept the trainmen n
i'd mail clerks and express messeng-h
s in check with threats and sug-.
,stive pointing of guns. The safe u
ackers used so much dynamite that al
e strong box was blown through p
@ bottom of the express ear to the Ia
ack below, where the band went at tf
it again and rifled 1t of $125,000. n'
Grove Blamed Again -,
Two months later a Missouri Paci- N
j, passenger train was held up and
bbed eight miles out of Kansas W
ty. Several of the passengers who h1
We up their money and jewelry at h.
e point of a pistol we're afterward m
own a picture of Pat Grove, and IN
i'd at once, That's the man" he
Grove managed to lie quiet until m
sbruary, 1900, when he was picked m
in Omaha and jailed for taking
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