Evening star., 1921-02-27
BOY BANK CLERK
|SARRESTED WITH
@71,5(|O IN BONDS
Youth, is, Found in Pool
r00m-ConStabIe Gets
$4,000 Reward.
BY the Associated Press.

|
BLOOMINGTON. Ills. February 26-
William Dalton, sxteen-year-old bank
clerk, who stole $772,0OO worth of lib
/ erty bonds in Chicago Thursday. an
amount which the police say is the
| largest bond theft on record, was caught
IN a poolroom at Heyworth. Ills, near
! here today. All the bonds except one
for $500 that he used for expenses, were
recovered in small leather bag that
he had tossed into corner while he
played, as nonchaIantly as if it con-
| tained old clothes
The boy said that taking the record
amount of bonds was simple matter
but that escape was not so easy. He
was taken for a ride by an autoist,
James Dennis. while trudging along the
road to Heyworth. heading in the gen.
eral direction of ''the SOUTH" but with
no definite plans for escape
Not Influenced by Story.
Dalton in talk with newspaper
men here late tonight made the posi-
tive statement that the action of Fed
eral Judge Lands in releasing Francis
j. Cary, nineteen-year-old Ottawa
bank clerk, on his own recognizance
after confessing to embezzling $780,
0o0, did not influence him in taking
the $4,000 in bonds from the North
ern Trust Company.
Dalton said that he had displayed
only casual interest in the story of
Judge Landis action in the Cary case
|. THE Cary case did not influence
me at ALL" Dalton said. After read
ing it 1 didn't think any more about
it. didn't approve of Judge Landis'
attitude in releasing Cary, as 1
thought he should have gotten his
medicine"
H. o. Edmunds and w S. Miller,
vice presidents of the Northern Trust
Company. after counting the bonds
tonight. declared that prosecution of
Dalton rests with States Attorney
Grove of Cook county.
$4,000 Reward Paid.
THE law must take its course in this
case. in the same manner as it would in
any other" said Mr.. Edmunds. Strict
ly speaking. it is not for US to prose-
cute, but we must for our own protec-
ton and the safety Of other boys placed
in like positions. allow the law to. as
sumo complete charge OF this matter
when his sentence is served, the
bank will put no stone in the way of
his future advancement in life. OF
course, it would be out Of the ques-
ton for us to give him a position in
the bank again. but if we can help him
in any other way, I believe we will
do it,
The $4,000 reward was paid tonight
to Paul Draper, an overseas veteran,
and son Of the village constable of
Heyworth, who arrested the youth.
Draper said he probably would give part
of the reward to his father. and to
James Dennis. the motorist who picked
Dalton up on the country road as he
was walking toward Heyworth.
The lad tonight told how he tried to
evade the officers Of the law by travel
ing in automobiles. on foot, electric and
steam trains and on busses. but was
captured largely through wide publica-
ton Of his picture in Chicago news
papers, which reached this district.
Fortune Left in Corner.
He was recognized by the son Of Con-
stable Jack Draper. who made the ar
rest, and who received SIG. 900 reward
offered for the boys arrest and
recovery Of the bonds. Draper is
rather advanced in age. His pay as
constable is on the fee system and has
never amounted to much more than $25
a month. Dalton was first suspected of
being the bond thief by Dennis. with
whom he rode into Heyworth- Dennis
reported his suspicion to Paul Draper,
son Of the constable.
Dalton carried the bonds in a little
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