The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-02-25
PRINCE ANANIAS" !"
TURNS UP IN AKRON
FALSELY CONFESSES
TWENTY-THREE TIMES
David Dexter, Arch Liar Who Spent
Two Months in Medina Jail, Re-
decorates Old Lie in Springing it
in Other City.

tary confinement, has bobbed up
again, TINS tlme In Akron, under SINH
lar circumstances as accompanied his
advent in Medina, altho somewhat
more spectacular. sss
+ That Dexter as a liar-is not only
unique, but accomplished, and SEEM
ingly stands pre-eminent In his chosen
PROGRESSION, was again illustrated last
Friday in Akron, when, under the
pretext Of sudden conversion he ret
members Of a little church mission
agog and enabled the police depart
menJ OF the city to bask TO-. a few
hours in the imagined glory of great
achievement for justice. IN
The following account clipped from
an Akron newspaper Of last Friday
will be Of interest:
The words of the Man Upon the
Cross, re-echoed thru the centuries,
touched the heart Of a murderer and.
outcast in the little Union mission
last night and sent fugitive from
Justice back, smiling and happy to
answer to a sensational robbery in
New York.
David Dexter, AZ, Boston, his
face lined with care, last night con-
fessed to the police that he robbed
the Merchantile Restaurant Co., New
York, last December Of $2,170. In his
confession to Rev. Sam Swain, head
Of the mission, he said another man
was sent to Sing Sing for two years
for the crime. The conversation and
confession came after the fugitive
heard Joe Hester, engineer at the
| Firestone Steel Products Co. preach.
He made the confession in the mis-
sion office and asked that they call
the police. He was kneeling at
prayer when the officers entered and
arrested him. M
Today in city Jail while the pris-
oner was waiting to be taken to New
| York to answer for the crime, he
appeared to be happy. In strong
clear tones he told the story Of his
life Of crime.
Il. was in the army and navy fol
4 10 yEdIS dllu Wu1lS III LIE Oh NY 4 -
\ Georgia in 1911 fought with my cap
/ tain in room. / threw him out o1
the window and he was killed. gave
4.sysef up. ! was convicted of lilr
der and was sentenced to Leaven
worth for nine years.
4 "In February, 1920, I was released
on parole and after the theft in New
York I went to Chicago where m!
! sister lives. / showed her the none,
n and explained that / had won i
gambling. She refused to believe nj
and turned me out. learned that ,
man, Robert Hartly, Of Brooklyn, hat
been sent to prison for the New Yorl
a theft. / arrived in Akron las5 Mon
day and obtained lodging at the mis-
: sion"
: AS the man was led from the room
!. by the officers a chorus Of voice
followed him with "God bless you"
"I'm going straight now, an
thanks for your help" he said as Ii
walked with head bowed between tn
officers.
Dexter, it will be remembered, wa
: the stranged who sought out Sheriff
Bigelow last December, declarin
that stricken conscience had cor
! : strained him to surrended himself t
!. the authorities for the commission Q
J a crime for which another man was q
! that time serving a prison term j
Sing Sing.
Dexter stated to Sheriff. -Bigelo'
! that he had robbed the Merchantil
= Restaurant Co. of New York city las
Z fall Of a $2,17O payroll, for which hi
q friend and benefactor had been col
z yicte6. He also stated that he ha
\ been an all-round bad man and ha
7, served time in Leavenworth prison
! A communication with the Ne
! York police brought Sheriff Bigelo
4 the information that Dexter had mac
y a similar confession in at least twent,
4 Zone different cities and that he W;
: Irot wanted. The Merchantile ResSau
ant Co. reported that they had new
!, been robbed, and that Robert Hartle
! the rfan Dexter declared was an i
!. nocent victim, was in the company
, ! employ, and had never been nnd'
:, arrest in his life. Despite these r
= ports Dexter stuck to his origin
story until he had tired of Medin
I when he confided to Sheriff Bigelo
! :, that he had been 'spoofing."